The week leading up to Wildflower was an emotional and stressful one.  My grandfather, or “Grandpa T” as his grandkids called him, passed away unexpectedly the prior week.  My dad had been taking care of him for the last several years of his life, providing him with much needed companionship and love.  When I received a call from my dad telling me that Grandpa T’s memorial service was going to be on Thursday, May 1 in Denver, CO, there was no question that I was going to be there even though Wildflower, my first race of the season, was only two days later.  It was a touching service with close family and friends and my dad gave a beautiful eulogy that brought everyone to tears.  Listening to my father share his memories about his dad and looking around at my own parents, siblings, and little nephew, Jay, reminded me of what is most important in life – being there for the ones we love.

With a clear perspective on the priorities in my life, I went down to Wildflower with the intention of enjoying the weekend, being thankful for all that I have, and seeing what my body would do that day.  I was excited to race for the first time in a long while.  Last year I put too much pressure on myself and felt a huge weight on my shoulders at the start of every race.  This year feels so much different.  I want to have fun and enjoy the journey.  I have to admit that I was a little nervous about the race.  Since Clearwater 70.3, I have been struggling with an IT band injury which has prevented me from running much this winter.  I slowly built up my running in late March and April, but definitely did no hill work and didn’t run over ten miles.  I wasn’t even sure if I would finish the race.  My goal was simple – bike as well as I possibly could and see what happens on the run.  All winter I had been working on my biking, hoping that it would pay off.  My coach, Matt Dixon, and other training partners assured me that I was much stronger than last year, but I still wasn’t sure what to expect.  I had too many images of being passed over and over again on the bike last season.  I was just hoping that this season would be different.

When race day arrived, I was excited.  The weather was beautiful, I felt refreshed and ready to go, and I was relaxed.  I always enjoy Tri Cal races because you get to see the same familiar and friendly faces.  It was fun catching up with Linda Gallo, Erin Ford, Alexis Smith, and some of the other athletes.  Finally, it was time to start.  I had a very predictable swim, coming out of the water with a group of girls who I expected to be with.  Then it was the moment of truth . . . would all the biking pay off on race day?  I exited T2 with the goal of getting up the hill and out of the park as quickly as possible.  My legs felt fresh and I powered up the climb and soon realized that Sam McGlone was just ahead of me.  I thought, “I will go with her for as long as I can hang on.”  We then caught up to Leanda Cave and I kept them in sight until the top of Nasty Grade.  I couldn’t believe where I was.  The cameras were on us.  The officials were with us the whole time.  It was a thrill to be in that position and realize I could keep up with two of the fastest triathletes and former world champions.  As we crested over the top of the big climb, Sam and Leanda pulled away on the descent. (I am still not the world’s best “descender”, as my training partners can attest to.)  I couldn’t regain contact, but I thought to myself “That is ok.  You biked well.  Now find your legs and get ready for that challenging run.”

I came into T2 very excited, running my first mile under 6 minute pace.  Quickly realizing that I couldn’t hold that pace, I tried to settle in.  But I have to admit, the run really, really hurt.  Every hill seemed like an insurmountable obstacle.  It became brutally obvious that my running legs were a little weak.  I had to fight for every step.  I just gritted my teeth, put my head down, and thought to myself “this pain will be over soon.”  I couldn’t let up because Heather Wurtele was right on my heels the entire run.  Just make it to the next aid station, I kept reminding myself.  Finally, I took the last right turn down to the finish.  I let my legs fly, trying not to think about the potential damage I might be causing my IT band.  As I ran down the finishing chute, I was ecstatic.  I had my best bike on record.  I beat my time from last year at Wildflower by 15 minutes.  And I was able to hang onto a fourth place finish.  John, Matt, and Diane were at the finish line waiting to welcome me.  They had been out there cheering for me and I was so happy so see them and finally be able to talk with them.  It was a great day.

The whole time I kept thinking of my grandfather.  He was an airline pilot for United and loved his job and he said he felt closest to God when he was flying.  Like Grandpa T, I love my job too and feel very fortunate to be following my dreams.