Vegas 70.3 Worlds Race & Nutrition Report

I am so lame this took me over a week.
Where was I...Oh yes, race morning at T1 waiting to GO!
By the time we lined up in the corrals, I still had about 45 minutes to chill. I hadn't eaten much breakfast (packet of oatmeal & a bit of banana & my MRM Reload), so I had some snacks- a big coconut water & a rice krispie treat. yes, the kind in the blue foil package. they are my go to ride snack as of late. Seriously, they've got to have a glycemic index of like 1,000 seeing as how they are basically puffed rice & sugar. mmm...I also had a little bottle with some First Endurance Pre-Race mixed in.

Anyhow,  after getting herded into line way too early, I hung out with Brandy in the corral. She is always mellow and fun and she is basically all-around awesome. No nerves!

SWIM- 1.2 miles - 32:something
My wave was allowed to hop  in Lake Las Vegas about 10 minutes prior to the start. I jumped on the front line (no, I'm not a fast swimmer, but I try to get out fast and hop on to some feet that swim over me). Off we went!

Unlike Timberman where I was part of the front pack, I quickly saw the front pack swim away....Oh yes, that's right, this is the World Championships. I swam with a small pack of 3-4 girls most of the way and thought I was swimming well. It felt hard-ish and I caught many glimpses of Hailey's goggles, and since she's been swimming 1 or 2 minutes faster than me all year, I thought I was going good. Came out of the water in 32 minutes...eh...not so good.. but hey, non wetsuit, fresh water, blah blah.. yeah, I just need to get better at swimming.

T1: 3:15
The run to T1 was a race in itself, with about a quarter mile run around the lake before you even entered the changing tent. I tried to move quickly and went to grab my bike and run it up a long hill to the mount line. Because of the long hill, I left my shoes clipped in to my pedals and ran barefoot (first time!)...Looks like I need a little practice here..Sarah P. came out of transition at the same time as me and I couldn't even see the back of her by the time I finally got my feet in my shoes. Note to self: practice!

Sarah P. & I running out of T1 before she gave me a "lesson" on getting your bike shoes on

The Bike: 56 miles- 2:43
I knew what to expect for the bike course and my plan was to ride pretty hard, but a little tiny bit easier than Timberman where I smashed myself. With 3600 feet of climbing, I knew the course would do a number on my legs no matter what and I wanted to not totally embarrass myself on the run (the run is 3 loops within a 2 mile radius- spectators galore!) .
I rode what I felt was pretty strong and steady. I passed a few girls in my age group and traded spots with Sarah J. throughout most of the second half. Sarah P. had put a bit of time into me by the turnaround, but not much (turns out she was having an off day, but kept on truckin'...) I kept pushing and tried to let the race come to me. The bike was not hot at all (I wished it was hotter) and it was SUPER fun.. Lots of climbs and fast but not scary descents. The course is also constantly changing so there is not much time to get bored. I came into T2 still feeling good and was excited to test my legs on the run and scope out the girls running at the front of my age group.

The Run:13.1 miles: 1:30:06 (darn 6 seconds!!)
The run is basically a 3-loop figure 8 out and back from T2. 2 miles of the course are uphill and 2 miles are downhill, so you are either grinding away or flying downhill trying to body dodge the other 1500 people out there. On the first out and back, I saw Jess in her cute SOAS number and she was well ahead of me- maybe 6 minutes or so. I knew I could run strong and wouldn't be able to gauge if I stood a chance to catch her until the final lap, so I decided to just do my thing. I also knew Beth S. was probably ahead, but I didn't see her. I passed a couple of girls early on and after Kurt told me I was 5th off the bike, I thought I might be in 3rd place. Not that I'm complacent or anything, but I really thought that a podium spot was a longshot here i nVegas, so this got me really excited! I wanted to catch the girls, but I also thought that if I held onto 3rd I'd be happy. I ran and ran and ran and felt pretty great the whole time. I could have run another 13 like that I think (good thing because I've got to do that in a month!) but couldn't have gone much faster either. Being out on the course was awesome. Our families were on the sideline in addition to lots of friends all over the place.

Awesome mom cheer squad!!! 

Just as good was the "on course" cheering: I got to hi-five james, got many cheers from friends and had fun hooting & getting hooted at by my age group girls Hailey, Jess, Sarah and lots of others.  I pushed the last mile VERY hard because I convinced myself I was going to be caught and lose 3rd, even though I had no clue where 4th was (turned out to be 5 minutes back).

finishers!

I finished the race in 4:50:22- 3rd AG, 6th Amateur, 25th overall...Jess won our age group and the amateur champion!!!!, Beth S. was 3 minutes behind Jess, and I was 2 minutes back of Beth...Although this is my first 3rd place of the season, I am very happy and proud of the race. I raced my best and can see easily where I need to improve (swim & bike, d'uh!) It was also my first 70.3 world championships and to be 3rd in that group is cool with me (for now at least). I also know that I finished the race ready for more...like KONA more! I CANNOT WAIT!

My nutrition was spot on for this race so I need to write it down as I have a tendency to totally blank when the next race pops up. Here's how it went down:

On the bike:
250 calories of Powerbar Endurance drink same as Perform but in powdered form)
150 calories of Powerbar Smoothie bars (meant to be 220 but the rest melted in my bento box)
150 calories of Rice Krispie Treat (yes, really)
150 calories of EFS Liquid shot- vanilla (approx)

 Bike total= approx 700 calories (I realized after my last race that I shouldn't try to force all liquid calories since I never take liquid calories in training. I love to eat! I finally stopped fighting it, and my stomach thanked me. Happy Happy all day long!)

On the run:
1/2 packet of Powerbar Cola gel blasts
lots of coke (second half of run)

A huge thank you to all of my sponsors and supporters...James, Dirk, Dan (ART God), Bryan (Rehab United forever!), Gordon - you keep my mind, body, & bike in working order.
Thank you to MRM, an amazing local supplement company who is helping us grow. Powerbar is an amazing nutrition sponsor and I finally found what works for me. Nytro for everything AND for having bike mechanics that have to deal with me far too often and never roll their eyes (in front of me). Zoot, you've been there for me in the past and I have a feeling you'll never get rid of me. Thanks for the best compression, wetsuits, SHOES and gear a girl could ask for. As always, Betty Designs keeps me coordinated in tough/pretty style. Also, thank you Sonja for the sweet wheel hook ups...Zipp 404-808 Firecrest setup woo hoo! And not forgotten,  Nuttzo is a wonderful snack and recovery fuel and super supporter. THANK YOU ALL!

 Thank you also to my friends and family who make me love this life!

Post race we hit the pool for some food &drinks with the Blancos.]=

Jordan, Rich,James,Me ...Next rendezvous= Kona! 

a few "snacks":)

I decied to overdress for awards...heck, we were in VEGAS and had plans to party! (ok,so I ended up crashing out but I definitely had intentions)

Hey Beth, act natural!!! Or not...

I am soooo "THAT girl"

I like this one because my arm looks skinny

One last thing...The SOAS girls got Jess a crown since she was the age group champ...and the champ has graciously put it up for grabs if any of us gets to the top step in Kona...oooh....now this is a challenge I like...It would look awfully nice with my little pink dress. Watch out Jess, we're comin' for ya! Thank you to all the 30-34 girls for inspiring me on a daily basis, motivating me to go the extra mile (literally), for being super cool in general, and for making me want to simultaneously hug you and kick yer arse all at the same time...

Oooh, Princess Jess looks evil! (But she's really the sweetest thing ever. Remember her from Oceanside? She got me back good this time!)