Lifetime TRI Tempe 2017

A couple of weekends ago I got to race the Lifetime Tempe TRI. I cannot tell you how excited I was to actually be racing it.  I ended up in this race as a result of my race cancellations last year and I am forever grateful that they allowed me to defer my entry to this  year.  It was a blast to be back in Tempe for some triathlon.  The last time I swam in that lake was on IRONMAN day.....almost a YEAR ago.  My does time fly.

I flew solo for this year's race due to the fact that we were watching some extra kids and the fact that we discovered a leak in our attic the night before the race.  I won't lie....my anxiety was through the roof dealing with that stress.  I was grateful for an opportunity to  run away from home for a few hours.  The kids weren't the problem......the repair chaos was.  Whew it was nice to be out.

The AZ TRI Club showed up in a big fashion for this race and it was a BLAST to connect with everyone.  I found a few of my IRONMAN friends and we were all smiles at the start line.  The community you meet in triathlon is amazing.  There are just no doubts.  Nothing unites you quite like TRI.

So last year I had all of these amazing photos from the race as well as my husband.  This year, the photo below is literally the only shot caught of me in action.  I promise I rode my bike and ran too!

The race was  a really great time.  I have slowed a bit in my swim, but for not being focused on it, I still managed to hang on okay.  I got out of the water and onto my bike.  I LOVE the Tempe TRI course for the bike.  Its 2 loops and fun.  It really is a great setting and I had a blast.  I got of the bike in pretty good time, but knew that I would have to haul on the run if I wanted to attempt placing.  I don't think at my core it was the goal, but once I get on the run and find my fast legs, the thought swirls around as I pass athlete after athlete.

I had a solid run, but it was hot and I lost quite a bit of time needing to slow down for water at every aid station.  That's okay....better safe than sorry I would say.  I cruised into the finish feeling great and managed a 4th place finish.  I'm looking forward to making Olympic distance my thing for a while and maybe start to get on podium in the bigger races.  

For this day though, the opportunity to race and enjoy my friends was enough.  Now I head into full on marathon mode and set aside my swimming and biking for a while.  

Lifetime Tempe was a great race and I am looking forward to doing it again next year!