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Keena finished third at the Boise 70.3 and qualified for the World Champioinships in Clearwater, Florida in November.
Here is her blog:
As I was riding my bike around another huge puddle of water, hoping it wouldn't swallow me whole, I knew I was in for a memorable race. Truthfully, would I have been out riding my zippy little Fezzari on this particular day had there NOT been a race? Nah. I would have been home on my trainer, watching a movie, eating a delightful lunch, or perhaps taking a nap. But, come race day....NOTHING will keep us from doing what we came to do. Swim, Bike and Run as fast as our bodies will let us!
Let's start at the top.....
Race morning was great. The race directors for the Boise 70.3 decided to experiment and have the race start at 2:00 p.m. So, it was a day of sleeping in as late as our nervous bodies would allow (around 7 a.m. for me)..., then a careful breakfast of oatmeal, scrambled eggs, orange juice and even a couple bites of waffle (yum).
After hanging around for another hour I took my gear to the T2 drop off (as this race has TWO transition areas, each about 15 miles apart). Then I headed up to the race to begin setting up and warming up. The weather was a bit overcast, but no real rain...yet. I hopped on my Fezzari T5 (with some really sweet Hed 3 wheels), and did a quick warm up to ensure all gears were shifting properly, no brake pads rubbing and all was feeling right. After ensuring everything was working well, I went into transition, got marked up with my numbers and headed to my spot on the rack.
Once set up, I put on my brand new Orca wetsuit (which was awesome!), and headed down to the lake to begin the race. I was feeling really good and relaxed and was looking forward to the entire race. So, I was ready when the horn blew and it was my wave's turn to head out into the water. For the first set of bouys the weather was still very friendly and calm, but once I made my first turn and headed to the second set of bouys, it felt like someone had turned on the turbo fans and there was water chopping everywhere!! I kept glancing at the sky as I would breathe to see if there was lightning, but it stayed clear of electricity...so, I just kept gliding, stroking and moving. I knew it was going to be a longer swim than I had hoped for. But...I figured it would be longer for all of us and if I could come out of the water in a good place, then it was all good!
I got out of the water feeling good and headed up to my Fezzari where I jammed my helmet on my head and RAN! I kept my shoes in my pedals, so as I ran across the rocks barefoot in the transition I KNEW I was going to have some SORE feet when I woke up the next morning. But, I had a fast transition, and got into my groove on the bike in no time. I love it when you are riding a bike that just FEELS good! That is how I felt during this race. I had my Fezzari fit very well to me this past winter and I was so comfortable! The entire bike ride was just FUN (o.k....there were parts that were more fun than others...like the downhills!). Coming down from the bird sanctuary was crazy! The rain was whipping against my face so hard I knew that I had just had the best, most painful facial a girl could ask for. Seriously, PAIN...it was hitting so hard! Other parts of the ride were like an obstacle course with all the water everywhere. Some roads had so much water on them that you had to ride on the very top of the crown in the middle of the road, because every other spot on the road was completely immeresed in water. I just told myself that this was so much fun cause I had never raced in so much water outside the swim. And, when it would thunder and lightning...how cool! It took me back to when I was a little kid and would play outside in the summer rainstorms...on our metal merry-go-round! Hmmm....something could be wrong with that picture. Regardless...it was really fun to be out riding my great bike with a bunch of other great people just LIVING and experiencing a great day! Considering all the wind and rain,I felt very good about my time and effort. I passed the few women that came out of the water ahead of me and finished the bike in first place in my division. Cool!
When I jumped off my Fezzari, I left my shoes in the clips again and ran barefoot through the T2. It felt so good to have those warm water puddles warming up my frozen toes! So, by the time I was at my transition spot, my toes were warm and I was able to put my shoes on with no trouble! I like to run sockless, and my Zoot's were PERFECT for the day! All I can say about the run is: faster, please! I was clomping (yeah...it felt like clomping) for about the first 4 miles and then my legs FINALLY loosened up and I didn't feel like my shins were going to explode. So, I got into my groove and passed several other runners feeling pretty good. About mile 9 however, I had my first woman pass me with the same age group on her calf. Crap! I was hoping I would be able to hold a good enough pace to hold off the gazelles! So, as I am being passed, I analyze my competitors pace and take inventory on how I feel and realize I'm probably not going to be able to threaten her. So, off she goes. About 1 mile later another girl comes past...same age group as me. Crap! Again! How is she looking? How am I feeling? I'll hold with her for a minute...see how it goes. She slowly creeps past and I mentally wave farewell. BUT, I tell myself, NO more women passing me! So, I pick up the pace and make it hurt for the final 3 miles to finish THIRD. Not bad! Only at the finish line do I find out that the girl that finished in front of me only beat me by 40 seconds! Man! I could've hurt more for that 40 seconds had I realized! And, the difference between 1st and me is less than 2 minutes! Maybe could've hurt more?
Doesn't matter cause my real goal was to qualify for the World Championships this November and I DID IT! So...I know what I get to work on a little more...my run!
My bike was awesome...felt great and finished strong! I love my Fezzari...not only does it LOOK good...but, it feels GREAT!! So...now I get to spend the summer focusing on more speed, endurance and doing well this November at the World Championships in Clearwater Florida!
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