15 TriCats and 2 coaches headed to Clemson, South Carolina for Collegiate Nationals at the end of April for the big race of the season. I was so stoked about this race because the majority of our team was headed to collegiate nationals for the first time. It's a huge treat to go to a race across the country and get to spend a week with a few people on the team. Day 1 of racing was the draft legal race that my teammate Josh Fowler and I did in addition to the Olympic non-drafting race the following day. Draft legal racing is still super new to me, but completely exciting. It keeps you on your toes having to reassess your position throughout the race and adjust accordingly. I was happy with my spot exiting the water and got through T2 in 2nd, then worked with two other girls for the first two laps of the three lap course. The third lap was a bummer because the big group of 12ish girls caught us, so I knew I was going to have to have to have a good run if I wanted to get on the podium. I came into T2 at the front of a huge group of about 15 athletes. I came out onto the run course and immediately saw that I had a 10 second penalty that I had to serve before finishing the race. This was pretty frustrating, but at the same time it lit a fire under my butt to makeup that lost time so I think of it as a bit of a wash. After I served the penalty on lap 2 of the run, I was in 4th place and saw that 3rd was definitely in reach. I hammered the last 1k of the run and even though it definitely took all of my matches I was able to finish 3rd on day 1. I was beyond happy with this result and it made me feel like I could go into day two confidently.
We knew going into the weekend that we'd likely be facing rain on race day. So when we pulled back the curtains on Saturday morning to a pretty constant rain, it didn't hinder our excitement and eagerness to get to race that day. Riding over to the race with the six other women on the team was something that I'll never forget. It was mildly sketchy riding on a busy street with questionable bike lights in the pouring rain, but I was so impressed with how excited everyone was to race despite the seemingly unfavorable conditions. The guys definitely got the worst of the rain, as it cleared up a little before the women's start. The men's team pulled through with a fourth place finish, which was awesome, especially considering that they are mostly freshmen and sophomores!
I have been super into mantras recently, so when the women's race started, I remembered what my race hero Hillary Biscay had told me last year before collegiate nationals, which was to stay in the moment. This was a really emotional race for me because it was the last time racing with the collegiate team that not only introduced me to triathlon, but also helped me grow as a person. I was thinking about this pretty much the entire race, and it really helped me dig a little deeper without worrying about how it would effect me later on in the race. Going out on the bike, I worked up to second behind Bria Edwards of Penn State and was in that spot for the majority of the bike. It is pretty humorous thinking about Collegiate Nationals 4 years ago when I didn't really know how to ride a bike and literally didn't pass a single person on the course. Being able to hold my position for the majority of the bike was a huge confidence builder going onto the run. I felt great for about the first 8k of the run, then the fatigue from day 1 set in and I couldn't quite give the last 2k of the race what it needed in order to maintain my 3rd place position. I dropped back to 5th, and I crossed the finish line completely depleted. The highlight of my weekend was watching Erica and Laura finish in 7th and 9th respectively. Having 3 girls in the top 10 at collegiate nationals is pretty incredible considering none of us had even thought about racing triathlons before college. These girls are out for those top podium spots next year, and there's no doubt in my mind that they'll be there!
Leading this team has been one of the most difficult and rewarding experiences, and I'm so appreciative of everyone from 2011 TriCats to 2015 TriCats for teaching me something new, and inspiring me to be a better person in one way or another. Being able to be coached by two of the greatest triathletes and coaches in the sport has been unreal. Coach Jimmy and Coach Doug have made the toughest workouts seem doable, and their belief in what the team could accomplish has led everyone to set higher goals and believe in those goals. I'll take the lessons that they have taught me these past 2 years and use them for the rest of my life.
It's so bittersweet growing up and entering the 'real world,' but I'm so thankful for my experiences at the happiest place on earth- the University of Arizona. From spending a summer getting lost in Europe, working at dirtbags bar, living in a house with 86 girls for 2 years to the 6 bedroom caddyshack(with countless broken appliances, wine nights, and late night potstickers), to Las Vegas for Labor day I'm so thankful for the amazing people who have entered into my life and the countless memories that have been made over the years. Sometimes I think that I bit off a little more than I could chew in college, but I have had the time of my life testing my limits(and sanity) trying to balance multisport and my double-life at times.
Not much has changed there, as I started my new job at Specialized Bicycle Components in Morgan Hill, I've moved in with 5 guys instead of 5 girls, already traveled to 5 cities, and started to pick up training again for my next races. Thank you to everyone who has made these last 4 years so unforgettable, here's to the next chapter! Cheers!
