BIG Goals and Mindset

Kerrville Triathlon – Half Distance

Race Recap: 9/29/2024

The race feels like forever ago now. Life and other priorities have taken my attention away from sitting down and recapping my race day. So, here is a short recap with more thoughts below on the lead up and my BIG goal going into the race.

RACE RECAP

Swim – I felt good, smooth and found a rhythm pretty quickly. I could not find very many people to draft, but overall felt I swam the best lines possible. It turned out to be at least 5-7 minutes slower than I estimated.

Bike – I attacked the bike quickly. My plan had been to bike strong, rather than conservatively. On the second loop, I slowed a bit to recover and then tried to finish strong.

Run – Did not have the run volume I needed to execute my goals. I quickly realized a PR was not going to happen, so I just ran the best I could each moment in the race. Refocusing often to ensure my form was in line, nutrition was on target and I stayed cooled and hydrated to finish as well as possible.  

RACE THOUGHTS

Kerrville was bittersweet. Rather than writing a detailed recap, I wanted to share why Kerrville was bittersweet in hopes it would provide some motivation and encouragement when going after BIG goals.

On paper my race looked successful.

MY RESULTS

Overall Time: 5:34:30

Ranked: 1^st in my age group, 1^st overall female (omitting the Open wave female)

Swim: 49:17

Bike: Fastest Female Bike Split – 2:43:23

Run: 1:57:34 à Goal: under a 1:48:49

I missed my BIG goal for the year.

This journey started last year when my friend Kaeleigh asked if I would do a 70.3 triathlon with her. We decided to commit to racing Kerrville and this was going to be her FIRST time completing a 70.3. I decided to set a goal of PRing my half marathon time during a 70.3 triathlon race. I ran a 1:48:49 at Ironman 70.3 St. George North American Championships in 2022. It was a beautiful race, cool temperatures and hilly. I believed, Kerrville being a flat run course would still be a good option to PR on race day even if it was warmer than Utah.

In February at the Paragon Team Camp, I shared my BIG goal during a team discussion. At the time, my run goal seemed challenging yet achievable. Fast forward to August, I realized training had not been quite at the level needed to reach this goal. My oldest son started Kindergarten and all my training times had to be adjusted. The availability for me to get runs and swims in significantly decreased. Now the reality of my BIG goal was going to be pretty hard to achieve.

Early September, my spirits grew a little as I began finding a new routine and hitting promising run paces. September was a rollercoaster of ups and downs with feeling positive I could reach my run goal and then thoughts of there is no way I am going to succeed. Ultimately, it would be determined on race day and all I could do was give it all I had on the day.

On race day, around mile 3 on the run I could tell my goal was not going to be achieved. At that moment in the race, I had a choice to make…do I throw in the towel, do I get frustrated or choose to accept the reality that my run fitness was not where it needed to be and focus on being thankful for the opportunity to race. I chose to be thankful and accept the reality and disappointment.

I gave it my all on race day and unfortunately that was not enough to achieve my BIG run goal.

Putting my run goal aside, I finished the race with a mindset of thankfulness. Feeling blessed to have a body that I can compete and enjoy the painful journey of racing. I love racing! To some that seems so strange because my stomach is a wreck leading up to the start of the race. My nerves are high before the start, but once I get into the water, I am learning how to calm myself and enjoying the challenge. After a decade of triathlon racing, I see growth when I race now. Looking back to day one of triathlon when I couldn’t really even swim to now, it amazes me. With a positive mindset and determination, you can push through and keep going if you have the right mindset.

I hope my recap reminds you that we have so much to be thankful for even if BIG goals are not achieved when we planned. Consistency is one of the most important things to keep in mind no matter what the goal is. I had not just missed one or two key sessions. I had missed run session, week after week. Fitness, health chances, and goals take time and consistency. What matters is the day after day after day of training and lifestyle choices. Health, fitness, performance, food choices all can provide positive progress, and all take time and consistency.

You see improvements over days, weeks, months and years of making the best choice.

My inability to achieve the run goal was not due to missing 1 run session, it was the accumulation of many missed run sessions over the course of the year. As frustrating as it is to miss training sessions, ultimately, I am trying to keep the BIG picture in my mind. Health, sleep, and family are also important. I am still trying to figure out a routine that allows me to train the hours each week I desire too. I continue to test out running at different times of the day, different days of the week just to figure out a routine that works. My hope in sharing this with you is to provide a light and reassurance that you are NOT ALONE and juggling all the things everyday is crazy. I will not stop trying to figure out a routine that works and neither should you. Plan as much as possible yet be flexible when necessary. Do not give up your goals, health or fitness because life is crazy. Continue to work at prioritizing your goals and juggle life one day at a time. If you set a BIG goal and don’t achieve it the first time, try again. Your journey to BIG goals can continue and change throughout your life. So keep on trying.

You can do it!