Tucson Arizona Race Day

2011 is underway! Just finished my first race of the season with a time of 1:37:04, placing 11th in my age group and 31st overall. The run course was an out and back one direction and then another out and back the opposite way. I ended up leading the run for the first 2 ½ miles. No one wanted to push the run, and now that the national championship has two 5K’s instead of a 5K and a 10K, it definitely favors the cyclists. I had no intention of letting the pace stay slow and ended up running 5:08, 5:10 for the first two miles to keep it honest. In the last mile we climbed a serious hill, and I eased off letting some others push the pace up the hill hoping to rest a bit before starting the bike. The bike course was hilly with several hair pin turns. I have yet to see my splits or average mph but know my second loop was faster than my first. It seemed as though I could have continued at what I was riding, but everyone else I was racing were flying. An analogy would be for the cycling I had been training for a 5K and we raced an 800m. When I finished up the bike with no wrecks or flat tires, I was extremely excited. I took off running, but the legs felt pretty heavy after trying to keep up with the sprinters on the bike. All in all, I felt it was a good race and start to the season, but as a competitor I am definitely hungry for another race and know where I need to put in some time before the KS Half Ironman. It feels good to be done; I am so blessed to have two amazing parents who drove me down here to compete, awesome sponsors who had me as the only one in the TYR Carbon kit and looking sharp along with the pink Oakleys and Brooks rocking the T6 racers, keeping me as one of the top runners. Finally, I must close with a shout out to my Savior; each race ran for him is a success and a blessing. I will continue to think of myself as the donkey on which Jesus rode, for at times it may seem as though I am in first, but truly it is Jesus who is using me as an instrument to grow his kingdom. Thanks to everyone.