Steelhead 70.3 Recap

I will start out by saying that Benton Harbor Michigan is one of the most beautiful places I have been in the midwest. Catherine Lacrosse and I drove to the race on Friday afternoon and a short 3 hour later I was breath taken by the beauty of Lake Michigan. I felt like I was at the ocean, except for the sharks, jelly fish and salt water!
This was the most stress free race I have done this year and Catherine was awesome to travel with. We got lucky with a hotel room (thanks to Greg Retter and Vern) and everything just seemed to fall in place.
The water looked beautiful as I walked to the swim start. It was a 1.2 mile walk down the beach and it was extremely relaxing to watch the waves roll in. My group was #8 and I toed the start line of my 3rd 70.3 race this summer! I felt like I was having a solid swim. My stroke felt long and I was swimming on course. I really enjoyed swimming in Lake Michigan and came out of the water in a decent time. I took my time getting to the timing mat (walking through the sand) so that I didn't aggravate my glutes for the bike. One of the common factors of my cramping issues is a swim that requires a sand run back into transition. I did some squats and other random exercises in the transition area to ensure that my glutes would not lock up on the bike and then took off. My transition was a bit long but I didn't cramp up at all when I got on bike.
My ride started off great and I was making good progress until the course headed back in (with about 20 miles to go). The head and cross winds were so bad that I had to hold on and balance my bike as to not get caught off guard by a gust. This girl in front of me got hit by one of those crosswinds and it knocked her wheels right out from under her. It was crazy! My average went from about 22 miles an hour to 15 and then there went my hopes of a PR and a great bike time.
I came in on the bike way a little discouraged by the winds, but very eager to run. I took off on the run and my legs felt great. I felt in control of my nutrition and my breathing and I just worked my way from aid station to aid station staying hydrated and cool. I felt like I could have probably ran harder if I had to and I was a little bummed about my run time. I thought I would have been a bit faster, but in the end I am glad that i felt solid and that gave me some confidence for Ironman Louisville.
So, my day didn't turn out great, but it was an average day out there. I know what I need to work on and I have a few new goals for 2010. All in all, I had a great weekend and got to experience a race venue like none other in the midwest. I got to spend some time with great people and I got in one more long training day before Ironman Louisville.
I have a few more long rides and runs left and I am excited for the big race on August 30th! My best friend, Lindsey, is flying in to watch and can't wait to share this experience with her. Maybe she'll sign up for one in a few years!!!!!!