My first major race of the season is in the books! Ironman Boise 70.3 was an enjoyable race, very well organized, and scenic. I have to admit it’s somewhat weird to be starting a race at 12noon (no 4am wakeup call, can do hotel breakfast, checking gear bags in on race morning etc.) but it worked out okay. Of course everybody finished early with the T1 setup and had to hang out for an hour waiting for the start. But as long as the sun was out, it was good!
I had a great swim, existing the water first in my wave (all female 40+). The bike course was undulating and I had some issues staying in the aero position towards the second half of the ride (lower back sore) but achieved my goal (under 3 hours). The run course went along the Greenbelt in downtown Boise and was very spectator friendly! Lots of cheers! Again I achieved my goal (under 2 hours) with a 1:53 time. Lessons learned: Need to eat more on the run. Like … WAY more! During a race it’s easy to convince yourself that you’re “fine” and don’t need anything to eat (I had coke and water) but afterwards you realize that you were really running out of steam. So for the next race, my goal is to silence those voices that keep telling me that I don’t need to eat 🙂
The 11hr drive from Kelowna to Boise was long but also very scenic! Check out my pictures and see for yourself how incredible Washington, Oregon and Idaho are. Never heard of Soap Lake WA? Check it out! It has healing waters, containing 15 minerals, yet seems to be undiscovered by tourists (apparently Eastern Europeans are the biggest fans!). Dry Falls WA? Incredible rock formations, a dramatic canyon, vibrant colors. A great road trip and a great race in the books.
Next events: Scorched Sole 25km Ultra, Dirty Feet Trail Race, Kelowna Apple Triathlon (Olympic), a few open water swim races and the Grand Columbian in September.