Spring Break Active Style!!

This past week was spring break, and it was a busy time indeed! School has been extremely hectic, so after finishing a test and receiving a take home exam, I rushed home to Golden for a few festivities! I had plans to meet three of my friends from Texas A&M, Melissa, Sean, and Amanda for a couple of days of skiing in Copper. My mom and sister decided to join me, which made me extremely happy. I always love skiing with my mom because we both love spending a whole day on the moguls and in the natural alpine environment. It was a blast to ski with my Texan friends, and even though it was at times challenging for them and I had to recruit the help of my mom (the master of teaching skiers), by the end of the second day everyone was comfortably skiing blues and smiling the whole way down! I was so grateful to see the friends I cherish so deeply and hardly get to see. I can't wait to see all of my TAMU Triathlete friends at Nationals in Clemson in April!

After the second day of skiing, I headed home to get some work done on my take home exam and other projects. No rest for the graduate students, as I worked for two full days and still wasn't done in time for leaving for Arizona! Regardless, I had to pack up my things (including my exam) and head to Fort Collins for a road trip at 5:30 am the next morning. I knew I would miss the time I could have spent at home with my mom and dad, but I was excited for the trip ahead.

I spent the next day traveling to Lake Havasu City, AZ for the Mountain Collegiate Triathlon Conference Championships. It was a long, 14 hour drive from FoCo to the hot desert, and I spent most of it working on my take home exam, but I was so excited to be with my team. The heat was a huge relief from the typical Colorado temperatures I had been experiencing all month, but I was also nervous of how it would affect my race. I spent my first day in Havasu testing the lake water with an open water swim and a completing a quick run on the run course. The lake was extremely refreshing, and I loved getting to put my wetsuit on and feel the cold water! I was more than ready to get my first race of the season down in the books.

On race day, conditions were perfect. There was no wind, no clouds, the sun was shining, and I couldn't wait any longer!! My wave started at around 7:50, and I had plenty of time to set up my transition, put some sunscreen on, and get a warm up in.

The swim was great for me. I loved the temperature of the water, and I felt like my sighting was spot on. I made a bee line for each buoy, and had no problems with getting kicked in the face or grabbed. I came out of the water as the 4th girl on my team, which made me happy considering that school had been preventing me from going to swim practice.
Havasu is beautiful!

The bike was a challenging, hilly course with a few false flats. I like hills, especially shorter, steeper ones, but the false flats really seem to wear me down. I did my best to hold good power while still saving energy for the run, as it was getting hotter.

Running across the "London Bridge"
The run was my biggest challenge. It was hot, there was no shade, and I don't think I consumed enough calories on the bike to sustain me for the next 6.2 miles. I focused on keeping a high cadence, easy breathing, and splashing water on myself at each aid station. Additionally, there was a section of the run through sand and up stairs! Talk about a spirit breaker! I finished the tri feeling well spent, but happy to finally have a race to improve upon.

My team was amazing during this race. We got 2nd in our conference with combined results from the season, and I was amazed to see how everyone's hard work paid off. I'm beyond excited to compete with them and cheer them on at the Collegiate National Championship in April. This will be my last Collegiate National race, and I'm sure it will be the best one yet! I'm so happy that I'm blessed with an amazing team, great friends, and the support of my family when I race triathlons.

After Collegiate Nationals, my next race is the Colfax Half Marathon with my mom and friend Stephanie. To anyone who wants to join us and race for Epic Experience, you have until March 31st to sign up! It doesn't have to be a half marathon either, it can be the 5k, 10 miler, or full marathon as well. I'd love to see you toe the line with me and race for a great cause. Even if you don't want to or cannot race, you can support me by sponsoring my run! Running and competing in triathlons makes me feel alive, but Epic Experience helps cancer survivors to embrace their lives in a way I see every day with my mom. The link to run for or support Epic is below, and as always, the link to donate to my general fundraising page for Epic Experience is on the right sidebar! Thanks for reading, and happy training!

http://www.runcolfax.org/epic-experience-2/

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