Even though a race report won’t do this weekend justice, I still feel the need to write one. By reflecting on the most amazing weekend I have ever experienced, it will help me to remember some of the smaller details as days, months and years go by. However, the 2010 Collegiate National Championship is a day I will NEVER forget. How could I? I shared the pinnacle of my triathlon career thus far with the people I love most in this world- my closest friends, my teammates, my triathlon family.
After Collegiate Nationals last year, and the incredible excitement I felt from starting my 2009 season off on such a high note, coach Mike Ricci said with a slight smirk on his face “training for next year starts right now!” (This was an hour after the race ended as we were packing up the bikes before taking off from the race site.) Sure, at the time I thought “Ha, we have a year until then!” Now, reflecting back on this moment, I realize just how fast the rest of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 flew by. Before I knew it, we were having our team pow wow the night before the 2010 Collegiate National Championships. Where did the year go?!
The year is filled with memories. To name some specifics: Todd Darlington breaking 9 minutes in the 800 TT swim. Ashley Walker repeating as Regional Champ. Matt Hudson proving me wrong and improving his swim time by over 5 mins in a years’ time. Cedric Wane breaking the bike course record at Regional Championships. Chris Braden competing in his first triathlon ever (and rocking it!). Laura Greer improving her race time at Havasu by over 30 minutes. Leigh Dodd breaking 8:00 min pace on her run in a tri for the first time ever. Mike Ricci with one hundred percent seriousness stating “double test set” one fine Thursday morning. Adam Coy destroying his bike split in the team TT. Bryant Mason deciding to tough it out at Havasu with a pulled groin. These are only a fraction of the summation of incredible times this team has been through. On a much broader spectrum, this year, we progressed into a family, and we were told by someone we respect highly and trust fully that “we could do something great,” and guess what? We did. Hey Mike Ricci, you were right.
Unless you are a part of the CU triathlon team, you can’t really understand what it is that makes our family so special. It’s more than just showing up at practice. To us, its about helping each other become better athletes through pushing each other to new heights, and believing in the success of the group. This team is a TEAM both inside the sport and out, and that is what makes us special. As my fellow teammate and best friend Cedric Wane puts it,
“that's precisely why we won.
because we love each other on this team.
we care about each other.
we support each other.
we look after each other.
we push each other.
It's more than a team.
It's more than just individuals getting together.
We spark magic. “
We do spark magic. We spark greatness.
In the weeks leading up to the race, I dealt with lack of sleep, nervousness and anxiety. This worried me because usually I am nervous before a race, but not the the point of losing hours of sleep. I spoke to a few close friends on the team who offered me some encouraging words and advice, and was able to deal with the pre race jitters a bit better. Even still, I had never felt this way before. I ran through the possibilities for why I’d feel this way going into a race and realized that the real reason for all the emotions was the fact that we really were on the brink of something great, and more than anything, I wanted to be a part of making it happen.
Actual “RACE” Report
Pre race: Wake up was 5:15 AM (not too bad!) and I immediately got dressed and headed outside for my warm up run. I always get this done prior to leaving for the race site. I had imagined stepping outside to a beautiful morning with crisp air and warmth. Instead, I got torrential downpour with 20+mph winds and bitterly cold air temps. I did my little warm up, came back inside to shower and had my pre race oatmeal with maple almond butter. Mmmmmm. Then, I packed up my triathlon bag and headed down to the hotel lobby to see my teammates. Everyone was quiet, but excited. We loaded up the trailer with our bikes and race stuff, and took off. The entire car ride over, I felt like I was going to get sick. Mike kept conversation going and made me laugh a few times by saying funny things, but I honestly could have gotten sick at any moment. I had a horrible feeling in my stomach and could feel my heart pounding. I put my headphones in and tried to relax, knowing that all the work had been done and it was time to go out there and prove just how hard I had worked for the past year for this day.
The “Swim”: 750m? - 6:36
When we arrived at the race site, a sea of athletes were filing into the transition area. Then, all of a sudden we heard from the announcer that the swim had been cut to 750m because the water temp had dropped over night, and with the cold air temperatures, we would all be at risk of hypothermia. Although I was disappointed (since the swim is probably my best of the three), there was nothing I could do to change the decision made. As I headed towards the beach a bit before 9 AM (first male wave start) I started to get into the zone, imagining my race from one portion to the next. I did this as I put my wetsuit on, cap on, goggles on. I headed over to the team cluster and got some good lucks and high fives. Then, I took off to find Mike, the one person I needed to see before the start. The first wave of men took off, and I cheered Cedric on as they raced into the water. Then, I found Mike as the five minute countdown to race start began. I found a spot towards the right of the beach and put my goggles on. At this point, I cleared my head of any thoughts about the water temperature, the weather, the other competitors, and just thought about how ready I was to experience the pain that was about to come. Mike tapped me on the shoulder and said to me “This is yours. If anyone is going to take this, you better make them work hard as hell for it. This is yours.” I tried to smile, said thanks and turned to look at the water. The race director was cracking jokes, and telling us to scream “the wind is my friend.” I just smiled and focused in on my race plan. Then, just like that, the moment I had been waiting for. 10 secs, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GO! I ran into the water with immense intensity and was able to get out in front quickly. At the first buoy I was even with one other female, and at the second buoy, drawing near to the swim exit, I turned and realized that the entire field was just behind us.
T1:
Coming out of the, more appropriately called “dip” in the water was probably the most frustrating time of the race for me. After already knowing the swim would be cut in half, and then coming out of the water in 6:36 (clearly not a 750m swim!), I was flustered. A lead of a few minutes that could have been built up on some of the weaker swimmers was nonexistent. However, there was no point in dwelling on this, and I just kept moving forward, both mentally and physically.
The Bike: (40k) 1:13
After training in Boulder, our team was best prepared for the conditions on the bike. Thanks to our coach Mike Ricci, who gave us hard sessions on some of the windiest days (no coincidence, I’m sure), I think we all knew nothing could get worse than that. Saturday came VERY close, however. My core temperature was fine after about 10 minutes of the bike, but my feet and hands never warmed up. I put this behind me and focused on trying to get into a rhythm and get to that point of “almost throwing up” that Mike had told us to find. Once getting here, I remained in the moment and ran through constant checklists. Relax you upper body, look forward, spin your legs and don’t let you cadence drop, stay in aero (even though the winds don’t want you to). The bike portion of the race was just as much mental as it was physical. IF you let the wind get the best of you, or you let it win, there goes the race. I may have sworn (in my head) at the wind a few times, but besides that, I tried to just imagine a beautiful windless sunny day in the Caribbean. As I approached the park on the way back, I tried to spin my legs to prepare for the fast cadence of running that was to come. I came down the final hill, took my feet out and dismounted. Just like in 2009, that anticipated painful pounding with numb feet reoccurred. This race was really just about taking one obstacle at a time, and the champions were the ones that were able to overcome them best. The 2010 National Championship made EVERY athlete out there tougher.
T2:
T2 could have gone better. Ha. I dismounted right next to Ashley Morgan (second place finisher last year from Army) and quickly threw my bike on the rack. The problems were in trying to get my shoes on. Because they were numb, half of my toes went into the shoe and the other half just wouldn’t. It was extremely frustrating, but I finally got both shoes on and took off.
The Run: (10k + .4/.5 mi) 42:14
Leaving t2 I was in 5th place, which was a different feeling from last year. I knew I had some work to do, but with my run focus this off-season and hard work put into getting faster, I knew I could move up. I saw Mike and some teammates as I headed out for the run, cheering me on and getting me pumped to chase down some chicks. Unable to feel my feet for the first 8-10 mins was painful, but I fought through it and was able to track down the first of four girls by the first turn around. I was running hard, but kept pushing myself to see just how much pain I could have. I would teeter between running faster than I knew I was capable, and running the pace I knew I should, accompanied by feelings of vomiting. I just kept thinking to myself “drive your legs, pump you arms, go go go.” After the first out and back I saw Mike again and he told me I could catch the other girls, and I believed him. I believed in myself too. While out on the course I saw other CU athletes kicking some butt- Tess Amer dropping a pack of guys (Hell yeah, girl power!) and Bryant Mason running with such determination and guts. I remember telling myself- do it for them, do it for the team. I was able to track down two other girls during the second out portion of the run, and was just in the hunt for one more. At the second turn around, I picked up the pace as much as I could, and fought through the fatigue. At this point, my legs were no longer numb but I really wish they were. The pain I was experiencing was unlike anything I had ever felt in my life.
Finish: After passing the third girl and turning around the last bend, I knew that I would get second for the day. Still, I saw the yellow and black colored CU crowd down a ways, and a smile came across my face. It was an extremely emotional experience for me, as I grabbed the CU flag, draped it around me, and came across the finish line. The 2010 National Championship was my hardest race so far in my triathlon career and I left it all out there.
Post race:
After the race ended, I was very happy. I got to cheer my fellow teammates on as they came down the final shoot of the run. One of my favorite quotes from the race was teammate Bryant Mason screaming “This last 100 yds, this is what we think about,” to Willy Nabours. Just one of the MANY times where we, as teammates, are there for each other. Every single CU athlete I saw out on the course on Saturday was giving everything they had in a very tough day of racing. In epic conditions, on a day when many questioned their sanity, the CU buffaloes prevailed and proved that we were able to overcome the obstacles and be the champions.
A lot of people ask me, “How do you feel about the race, Jess? Are you bummed about not taking the title again?” To be honest, my finish feels like first. Taking the title as a team this year was truly the capstone on my triathlon career thus far. To celebrate a victory with people that matter so much to you, that have been there for you in the best AND worst times of training, and life, is something I will cherish forever. I am sure my teammates can relate in the satisfaction I felt getting called up on stage as the 2010 National Champions. For those five minutes of celebration, I had never felt such happiness, joy and fulfillment. Those five minutes turned into hours, and hours to days, and days to weeks. And now, this national championship is something we can celebrate for years to come. We brought the title back to CU, and I think it’ll be staying for awhile J Even still, three weeks after the race, it’ll just hit me and I HAVE to smile. WE ARE NATIONAL CHAMPS! It is just the coolest feeling ever.
