Holy Cow! This just happened!!

It’s hard to believe, but the post-race soreness tells me it’s real. I won Ironman 70.3 New Orleans!

The win was so wonderfully unexpected, happening on the heels of some pretty emotional life changes. And more than anything, I wanted this to be an opportunity to say thank you to all of the absolutely amazing people who have helped me on my athletic journey. From my family, friends, teammates, coaches, co-workers, sponsors, fellow athletes, spectators, volunteers, twitter, facebook and blog followers; my support crew is the GREATEST and I want to make sure everyone knows it!

So first things first, THANK YOU!

Now, on to the race report!

Swim – 1.2 miles, 23:50

This was my third trip to New Orleans and despite being somewhat familiar with the Crescent City, I still manage to get lost pretty much every single time I visit. Once I enter the city limits my sense of direction disappears like a cell signal in an elevator. It’s horrible! This year I was specifically worried about my navigation skills on the new swim course:

SO many turns!! Overshoot one buoy and I’d likely run head on into the Men’s 35-39 Age Group. This swim course called for EXTRA careful sighting!

So sight I did. And it honestly wasn’t as bad as I expected. The water was chilly, but my wetsuit kept me warm and there was only one moderately choppy section. Who knew I would actually enjoy swimming zig-zags in a harbor connected to Lake Pontchartrain?!

I kept the pressure on and tried to keep my pace fast, but controlled. And twenty-three minutes later my friend Nicole caught me coming out of the water with a smile on my face! No wrong turns! I’d made it!

Bike – 56 miles, 2:26:33

Once on the bike I headed east, into the Bayou Wildlife Refuge. I was riding solo, into the wind, happy that I couldn’t possibly get lost on the out-and-back course! About 20 miles in, Amy Marsh came by me like a freight train. At the turn around I got another glimpse of her, as well as all of the women chasing me, and they all looked strong! I just kept my head down and kept pushing, telling myself I was still having a great race!

A couple miles down the road I spotted a cop car protecting a rider fixing a flat. A second look told me that rider was Amy. I felt for her, as I’ve only ever wished bike mechanical issues on my Coach. But I also know Amy’s a veteran with one of the most impressive resumes in the sport. There’s no way a flat was going to keep her out of the race!

I enjoyed the tailwind as I headed back toward transition. My legs still felt good and I wasn’t fading, even in the final miles. As I got closer to transition, it seemed like there were a lot of local cyclists out cheering, and I really appreciated their support. I was pretty excited that for the first time ever, I was coming in first off the bike!

Run – 13.1 miles, 1:24:39

I took off on the run course at what felt like a very steady, maintainable pace. Despite blowing up in Galveston, that run had actually given me a lot of confidence. I’d managed 7 steady miles at 6:30-ish pace in Galveston, so why not a full 13 in NOLA?

The point-to-point run course ran along the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain, before heading South through City Park and finishing in Louis Armstrong Park, a few blocks from the French Quarter. There was one short out-and-back section where I got to check out the ladies behind me. No surprise, Amy had already worked her way into second. And a killer bike split had landed Kristen Andrews not far behind in third. I had my work cut out for me!

But then something amazing happened. Just when I was starting to doubt myself, a spectator on a bike gave me a few words of encouragement that just happened to be the EXACT SAME THING my coach had texted me that morning. And the phrases kept coming, things that both Coach, and my other favorite on-course wiseman, Chance Regina, have said to me in previous races:

“Relax your shoulders”

“Pick up your cadence”

“KEEP FIGHTING”

My mind was blown. What kind of voodoo magic had Coach Diablo and Chance learned, to possess this innocent bystander and make him deliver these words of encouragement in that “low volume but loud in my soul” tone of voice that some coaches just have?

Or could it be? Is it possible that the triathlon community is full of such amazing people, spectators who can recognize an athlete in need of some encouragement, people who will offer that kind of help to people they don’t even know?

No voodoo this time, I think this was a win for triathlon!

When I ran down that finish chute to a huge PR and my first pro win with a giant smile on my face, I was thinking about the guy on the bike, my coaches at home, my family, my teammates, my friends who’ve supported me, and the ENTIRE triathlon and endurance sports community who’ve helped me over the years.

It’s also why I wore my Boston Marathon shirt on the podium. Because I am so unbelievably proud to be a member of this community! We are so STRONG!

Huge congratulations to all of the other women in the race, especially Amy, Kristen, Jo, Kim, Leslie, Heather,  and Beth; you ladies are first-class competitors and I’m so proud to race with you!

I may have traveled to New Orleans solo, but I’ve learned at every race I’m bound to find some friends. In NOLA I was lucky enough to catch up with Mike and Nicole Tarabay from the Middle Georgia Tri Club (thanks for all the pics Nicole!)

I also got to celebrate and swap post-race war stories with fellow Dynamo Masters swimmer Chris, and Athens legends Julie, Harvey, and Gin:

Thank you to everyone in New Orleans, in Atlanta, all over the place, that sent good thoughts and prayers my way on race day. It really worked!

Want more? Check out these links!

Slowtwitch Article – somebody pinch me, I have a quote on Slowtwitch!

NOLA.com Article – complete with a video clip of my post-race interview!

Endurance Hour Podcast – Matt Lieto learns how many words I can fit into a 30 minute interview.

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I absolutely LOVE racing in Texas. The multisport lifestyle is alive and well in the Lone Star state and it has the quantity and quality of athletes and races to prove it!

This was my first time racing the Half Ironman distance race in Galveston and I was a little nervous. Jumping onto my second ever pro start line just days after wrapping up my busy season at work did not always seem like the best idea. But really, there’s no better way to celebrate the end of audit season than 70.3 miles of swim/bike/run fun along the Gulf coast of Texas. Especially when I get to meet up with this kid!!

My sister, Hannah, lives in Houston and just happens to be the World’s Best Triathlon Sherpa. Not only can she cheer and tweet for hours on end, but she always knows the best pre and post race restaurants. And as an added bonus, my mom made a last minute decision to drive down from Dallas for the weekend. What a great surprise!!

The Swim – 1.2 miles, 24:33

The barrier island of Galveston is separated from the Texas mainland by a salt-water bayou. On race morning the bayou was calm and chilly! I think the water was around 65 degrees. I squeezed into my TYR Freak of Nature wetsuit and jumped in the bayou for a quick warm-up while I watched the pro men start.

The pro women went off a couple minutes later, and I went hard from the gun. I was pretty determined to keep the pressure on because 1.2 miles is too short to get complacent!

Twenty-four minutes and 33 seconds later I was excited to be the first female out of the water, but I knew I had some of the fastest women in the sport hot on my heels and I needed to get on that bike FAST!

The Bike – 56 miles, 2:27

The bike course is one out-and-back loop right along the Gulf Coast. I think the winds in Galveston are a little unpredictable, and on race day we had what felt like a tailwind on the way out and a headwind on the way back.

I tried to make the most of the tailwind and pushed hard on the way out.  Within the first couple miles, Emma Kate Lidbury flew by me. I surged to keep her in sight, but before I knew it she was G-O-N-E. At the turn-around I got a quick look at the women behind me. I seemed to be in a good position, but I knew there were some crazy fast runners back there and I needed every second I could get!

The headwind on the way back into town wore me down a little and the last 15 miles were a bit of a struggle. Jessica Jacobs came by with about 3 miles to go, and managed to get just far enough ahead that I had to navigate the airport runway section of the course solo. It was like  riding through a giant parking lot and I just crossed my fingers that I was going in the right direction!

I came into transition just ahead of Malaika Homo. Malaika moved through transition like a professional athlete, but my pace was closer to that of a three-toed sloth. Seriously! It was like I’d never worn shoes before! Eventually I did make it out of transition and out onto the run course in 4th place.

The Run – 13.1 miles, 1:30

The half marathon course was three loops through Moody Gardens. The loops had tons of turns but everything was VERY well marked with great aid station and spectator support. I was impressed!

I felt surprisingly good through the first loop. I stayed controlled as super-runners Kelly Williamson, Cait Snow, and Liz Lyles stormed by me like cheetahs on the hunt. Even through the second loop, I was ticking off the miles, enjoying the cheers, and thinking I was going to pull off a pretty solid day.

But then the wheels fell off. 

The last 4+ miles of the run were a bit of an exercise in disaster recovery. But even though I was hurting, my head was in a really good place. I knew I was coming into this race a little tired, but I loved being back in action. And crossing the line as the 10th place pro woman after 4 hours and 27 minutes of racing still felt like a pretty darn good day!!

SO MUCH THANKS!

First – a HUGE, massive, ginormous THANK YOU to my mom, dad, and sister for always being my biggest supporters, even when it isn’t race day. Special thanks to Ebeth and Hannah (and my sis’ boyfriend Farouk) for coming out to Galveston and cheering me through the race. You guys were everywhere and I loved it!!

Thanks to the friends and families of fellow pro Leslie LaMacchia, fellow Georgia Bulldog Billy Harllee and fellow Dynamo athlete Erin Humsi. Whether I’m feeling good or bad, there’s nothing better than a friendly “Go Haley!” out on the course. Thanks for making me smile loop after loop after loop!

Thanks to everyone following at home! Your texts and tweets made my day and I hope they continue through the rest of the season!

Thanks to Coach Maria Thrash for somehow getting me ready for an open water swim win after a winter of nothing but cold, dark, short course! And thanks to Coach Matthew Rose for always believing in me and for coming up with a training plan that allowed me to get through busy season and still make the top ten in Galveston!

Thanks to my industry sponsors – TYR, 110% Play Harder, Mizuno, Dynamo Multisport and SOAS (cute kit coming soon!). Thank you to TriBike Transport for getting my bike safely to and from Galveston and to Allen Heaton for making sure my bike was in tip-top race shape and clean of all that winter muck!

And thanks (and congrats!) to all of my fellow female pro triathletes. I really can’t believe how welcoming everyone has been and I am thrilled to be joining such a great community!

And one more thing…

One last thank you to all of the wonderful associates of the Bennett Thrasher. I’ve worked at the Atlanta based accounting firm for the past six years and in that time I’ve had the honor of learning from and working alongside some of the most brilliant,  honest, and downright hilarious people the public accounting world has to offer.

I’ve decided to take a leave of absence from my “day job” to test the waters as a full time professional triathlete. It’s a scary and exciting move for me, but I’m so appreciative of all of the support from my friends, family, and colleagues. As my friend Micki recently told me “Sometimes you just have to try things!” Thank you all and stay tuned because I’m predicting big things in the near future!

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I ran the Publix Georgia Half Marathon last weekend. I crossed the line in 1:25:23, good enough for sixth place. But more importantly,  for the SECOND time in less than a month, I finished just behind the Pease Brothers.

Through their Foundation, Brent and Kyle actually sponsored TEN athletes in the half marathon and 5k. Watching them all start was incredible,

And chilling with them after the finish was even better!

But my competitive streak isn’t quite over. This weekend the Women’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships are being held in Indianapolis and I am SO FREAKING EXCITED for my Georgia Bulldogs!! I just know they have it in them to take the big win this year and I’m sure I’ll be following like crazy! I think results might be posted here, but I’ll update if I find a better link.

And yes, Coach and I have our usual bet. So get excited because there’s nothing Diablo loves more than wearing his Georgia Red!!

GO DAWGS!!!

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The last time I was in Macon, Georgia was nearly five years ago. One hundred dollars were at stake in a bet that I’d beat my boss in the Rock ‘n Rollman Half Ironman. My self-coached training had included running two marathons the previous month, swimming seven times a week, and riding my bike almost never. I was psyched!

Race day saw me with a huge lead out of the water only to be passed by 90% of the field on the bike. My “run” lasted as far as the transition area parking lot before the 90 degree temps had me zombie-walking from water stop to water stop. It wasn’t a very auspicious start, but five and half hours later I was $100 richer and totally hooked on the sport.

Last weekend I headed back to Macon for the first time since that race. On this occasion I arrived as a pro triathlete with an invitation to ride and talk tri with the Middle Georgia Triathlon Club. What a difference five years can make!

My connection to the Macon-area triathlon crew came after a chance encounter with one of their star members, Mike, on a pre-race ride of the Ironman Hawaii bike course last October. After snapping some pics with our group and King Kamehameha near the turn-around point in Hawi, Mike was spotted again at the Slowtwitch party, twice more during the race, and by the time we’d crossed the finish line, he couldn’t help but become an adopted member of the Dynamo family.

The trip to Macon gave me a chance to catch up with Mike, his awesome wife Nicole, my super Sherpa-for-the-day Lauren, and a ton of other really cool Middle Georgia Tri Club members. I loved talking with everyone about Ironman training and racing, and they surprised me by already knowing pretty much everything about my race day “nutrition.”

The club’s enthusiasm was totally contagious and I left Macon even more excited for the upcoming tri season. Huge thanks to everyone who came out for the ride and Q&A session! I’m officially a fan of the Middle Georgia Tri Club and can’t wait to see everyone kill it at the races this summer!

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