The goal of Chicago was to earn my pro card. Things hadn’t worked out the way I had hoped
at the USAT Age Group National Championship, and Chicago was likely my last
chance to earn a pro card this season.
There are multiple ways athletes can earn a pro card, according to USAT
rules. I was going after one of the
easiest methods: finish in the top 3.
Sounds simple enough. Over 8,000
people race the Chicago Triathlon and all I had to do was finish in the top 3
women. Sure, real simple.
My husband had decided not to race in Chicago and instead to
focus on being my support crew. He knows
all too well how nervous I can get before a race, especially one this
important! We arrived in Chicago Friday
night and felt a little bit overwhelmed!
We were staying at the Hilton Chicago along with thousands of other
athletes and pulling into the hotel was pure chaos. Athletes were unloading bikes and gear,
valets were running around and kids were screaming. Lucky for us, a very kind valet seemed to
sense my country origins and came over to help.
Before long we were settled in our room and getting ready to head to the
packet pick up and expo. The expo was by
far the largest I have ever seen! There
were literally rooms full of vendors, it was incredible! After grabbing my packet, I found the Xterra
booth. I met the crew there and picked
up a nice gear bag and some extra stickers that Jacob at Xterra had arranged
for me to pick up. Afterwards, Todd and
I headed to Kitty O’Shea’s in the hotel to grab some dessert before bed. I love treating myself with ice cream two
days before a race, but never the day before!
We had ice cream flavored with Baileys and it was amazing! Then we were off to bed.
In the morning I woke up ridiculously early with the
terrible twist of nerves in my stomach.
I took some deep breaths, trying to quiet the nerves. Todd and I ate a quick breakfast once the
snack shop in the hotel opened and then I set up my trainer. I usually prefer to do my pre-race bike on
the course, but that was impossible in Chicago.
Lucky for me, my friend and pro triathlete Abby Geurink had told me to
bring a trainer for my bike workout.
After finishing my bike, I texted Abby and her husband Ross to see when
they wanted to run and swim. We met for
a quick run and Abby gave me a few quick tips about the course. Instead of becoming more nervous about the
race, I was actually feeling pretty calm.
Abby and I talked about how we can only do the best we can do. I just needed to race my race. My race would either be good enough for top
three or it wouldn’t. There is no luck
in getting a pro card, it is all about earning it.
After the run we biked to a nearby beach for a quick
swim. I decided to swim without a
wetsuit because the water was a balmy 70 degrees. It felt pretty good! Abby and I practiced a quick in water start,
and then headed back to the hotel to grab some lunch. We went back to the expo so I could buy some
sealant, just in case I blew another tire!
After Age Group Nats I wanted to make sure I could finish strong! Abby introduced me to the team working the
Generation UCan booth. It is a pretty
awesome nutrition product, which I am excited about trying for next season! Then we ordered our dinner, had it delivered
and shared a quick meal. Then it was
time to go to bed. I knew the alarm
would go off bright and early!
My alarm went off at 3:30am, yikes! Transition opened at 4:15, so I wanted to
make sure I had my quick 20 min warm up run done with plenty of time to head to
transition. When I got up, I was a
little thrown off by how dry my throat felt.
I drank some water, but it still hurt.
I went out for my run and had a little trouble breathing and found that
my throat was not feeling any better. I
finished up my run and headed back up to the room to eat some breakfast and
told Todd I thought I was coming down with a cold. He smiled and said “If you’re coming down
with one, then you don’t have it yet, you’ll be fine!” I brought a bottle of Gatorade and water with
me to drink so I could forget about my throat.
I arrived to transition with plenty of time to set up my
area. The racks were pure madness, bikes
were everywhere and there was no pattern whatsoever! I put down my towel and clicked my shoes into
my pedals. Then I placed my rubber bands
on my shoes and put some Body Glide on my cycling shoes and my racing
flats. Then I laid out my racing belt
along with my inhaler and my Playmakers hat.
I double checked my tire pressure, didn’t want to be too careful! Transition closed at 5:45, so I grabbed my
wetsuit and started the mile long walk to the swim start. Todd and I found a place on the pier to watch
the sprint starts.
About 40 minutes before my wave start, I went for a quick 10
min warm up run with a few strides thrown in to get my heart rate up and to
focus on my race. After that it was time
to pull on my wetsuit, I had chosen sleeveless because of the warm water, and
to get in line for my wave start. I took
my GU while waiting in line and worked to pull my wetsuit into place. Before I knew it, we were told to get into
the water and that our wave would be starting in 30 seconds! Shortly after I got into the water, the horn
blew and it was time to race!
I was racing in the Elite Amateur wave, which meant the men
and women started together. This
resulted in a chaotic swim start and, because of all the men, I couldn’t sprint
to the front of the wave and find clear water.
It wasn’t until the swim was half way over that I finally found some
clean water. I was worried that my swim
split would be slow because of the chaos at the start, so I focused on really
pushing my pace through the remainder of the swim. Then I was at the stairs and hauling myself
out of the water and onto the carpeting to begin the 450 yard run to
transition. After some serious debate, I
had decided to run in my wetsuit. I
pulled the top down to my waist, but left my cap and goggles on so I could
focus on running as fast as possible.
When I arrived at transition I did have a little trouble pulling my
wetsuit off because it had dried out a little during the run. I fumbled with my helmet, it just didn’t want
to fit over my braids! Eventually I got
it on, and grabbed my bike. Todd yelled
at me that there were only 2 girls ahead of me, meaning I was in 3rd!
As soon as I mounted my bike, I headed up the ramp and on to
Lake Shore Drive. I like to get up to
speed before pulling on my bike shoes and there was a little downhill not long
after the ramp that I was planning to use to keep my speed up while pulling on
my shoes. I hit the downhill and got my
shoes on without a problem, but not long after that I was passed by a very fast
biker who I had met at Age Group Nats: Jenny Garrison, a former professional
triathlete. I decided to try to follow
her pace and see if I could catch the other two girls ahead of me. My plan worked perfectly! I passed both of the girls before the
turnaround, but just could not keep pace with the blistering speed of
Jenny. I managed to keep her in my sight
until the last few miles of the bike, but decided to hold to my pace so I
wouldn’t be dead for the run.
The end of the bike came up a little quick and I barely got
my feet out of my shoes in time for the dismount line. My transition went quickly and I was out on
the run course. The temperature had
risen during the bike, so I knew it was going to be a hot run! At every aid station I grabbed two cups: one
for my mouth and one to dump on my head.
Well, as least the first one was always intended for my mouth. I would throw that one in the general
direction of my mouth and get some water to drink, but most of it splashed all
over my face and sunglasses. I had a
strong run, averaging 6:40 pace for the majority of the run. At the turnaround, I was able to see Jenny
was about 1:30 ahead of me and the 3rd place woman was about 1:30
behind me. I focused on keeping my pace
up so that I could hold on to my 2nd place position. I was starting to falter during the last
mile, fatigue and heat were starting to take a toll on my energy. But I knew I was getting close to the finish,
so I pushed hard and then I was on the street with the finishing chute
ahead. I sprinted across the line,
grinning at Todd when he shouted I had finished 2nd!
A little later, Todd and I found out there had been a drafting
penalty given. I was scared it was for
me and replayed the bike over and over in my head, trying to remember if I had
been drafting or in an illegal position.
The bike was crowded and it was backwards (bike on the left, pass on the
right), so I was concerned. We arrived
at the awards ceremony, still uncertain.
When my name was called out as the 1st place female, I was
shocked. The drafting penalty had been
for Jenny. I spoke to Jenny after the ceremony
because I knew it was a hard blow to get a penalty. It wasn’t the way I wanted to win, but the
USAT officials had spoken, and I will leave it at that. I am very proud to have won the Chicago
Triathlon, but even more proud that I earned my pro card! My final time was 2:14:52.
It was a wonderful weekend and it was awesome to see some
familiar faces in the Elite Amateur wave!
Eric Abbott had a tough run to finish in 2:16:45 and 19th
overall for the men. Zach Church also
had a great race and finished in 2:19:37 and finished 22nd overall
for the men. Abby’s husband Ross raced
the sprint and had a great race, and finished in 1:12:06 which netted him 3rd
in his age group. And finally, Abby had
a fantastic performance in the pro race and finished in a time of 2:10:25,
which was good for 6th female pro.
And it turns out that sore throat on race morning did
develop into a full blown cold! I spent
the next two days sleeping 10+ hours at night and lying on the couch for the
entire day. Luckily my schedule with my
current rotation in residency worked out to allow me to take the time to
recover from being sick. But I’ve spent
part of my time on the couch planning and discussing options with my
coach. The final decision: I will be
taking my pro card now and racing Life Time Dallas on October 2nd in
the pro division! It is a very exciting
move and I am so excited and honored to race as a professional triathlete! I have to say a huge thank you to my dad and
my husband for always supporting me and to my coach, Barb Lindquist, for having
confidence in me and pushing me to reach for the stars and earn that pro card
