Kathy Braginton, Olympic Distance, 2:40.42, 5th OA, 2nd AG
Going into Miti weekend, I was feeling fatigued and was not overly confident on what I would be able to bring for race day. A wetsuit legal race combined with cooler temps and overcast skies made for a very successful day. The swim was a fairly normal swim for me. I was able to conserve a little energy with the wetsuit and it felt so good after several non-wetsuit legal races. The first half of the bike was slower than what I had anticipated, so I was concerned I was showing some of that fatigue. I had forgotten the Olympic course was constant rolling hills. I was pleased to find the return portion of the course rolled much faster. I averaged over 3 mph faster on the return and was able to complete the bike with the overall average pace I had anticipated. It was the run portion of the race that really surprised me. I exploded out of T2 with a sudden burst of energy. I’m not sure if it was the roar of the crowd or what. I had a good first mile, but spent the next 2 trying to slow my breathing and my heartrate. After the turnaround on the run, I began cheering on other teammates and runners. This helped to push through the last few miles and I was able to post a negative split on the return route. The organizers and the volunteers do a great job with the aid stations on the run course providing hydration, nutrition, and lots of encouragement every mile. I finished 5th overall female and 1stin my Age Group. My race time and place made for a very satisfying closeout of the Triathlon season.

Chelsey Smith, Half Ironman, 5:36.37, 9th OA, 1st AG
MiTi was my first half Ironman distance event and I went into with very little expectations. Not having ever raced any endurance event longer than a marathon I really had no idea how my body would respond to the time and distance. I am happy to say I had a great race. The swim went well. I was strong and steady on the bike while enjoying hills, and the run went as expected. I ended up running down the girl that was first in my age group to finish ahead of her and take first. I followed my race plan to a tee, and ended up at 5:36 finish time, and top ten overall females. It was a great race. I enjoyed that both the bike and the swim had out and backs on the course to it was easy to see many friends that were also racing. The course was also very well supported and the volunteers were great. I am looking forward to doing this race again in the future.

Jeff Nordquist, Olympic Distance, 2:12.56, 7th OA, 2nd AG
With the cooler weather and the overcast morning, the conditions couldn’t have been better. I knew going into this race, I hadn’t spent the time training as much as I’ve had in previous years. My wife and I welcomed our first child into this world in June and as you may know the training schedule looked different in years past.
It all started in the water with wetsuit legal temps (thank goodness). After the first minute passed, found a rhythm and a set of legs to follow, allowing me to conserve energy for the remainder. Transitioned well onto the saddle in 5th place. The ride out was nearly all climbing and made sense considering the 6mph difference in the speed on the way back. But the hills were relentless and having a disc wheel may have caused more harm than good. With the run approaching, I started to transition my legs to be ready to hit the street. Jumping in to the shoes, I was in 8th place. I normally make ground on the run, but today was not that case. I couldn’t get the legs to turn and it costed me a few chances to move up as much as I’d like. I finished the across the line in 7th, and 2nd in my the AG.
I had higher hopes than my finish, but overall satisfied with the effort. I suffered, but ran the race that I had in mind. Looking forward to the rest of the season and the months to come.

The post 3 triathletes, 1 race. Read about MITI with their race reports! appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

Kathy Braginton, Olympic Distance, 2:40.42, 5th OA, 2nd AG
Going into Miti weekend, I was feeling fatigued and was not overly confident on what I would be able to bring for race day. A wetsuit legal race combined with cooler temps and overcast skies made for a very successful day. The swim was a fairly normal swim for me. I was able to conserve a little energy with the wetsuit and it felt so good after several non-wetsuit legal races. The first half of the bike was slower than what I had anticipated, so I was concerned I was showing some of that fatigue. I had forgotten the Olympic course was constant rolling hills. I was pleased to find the return portion of the course rolled much faster. I averaged over 3 mph faster on the return and was able to complete the bike with the overall average pace I had anticipated. It was the run portion of the race that really surprised me. I exploded out of T2 with a sudden burst of energy. I’m not sure if it was the roar of the crowd or what. I had a good first mile, but spent the next 2 trying to slow my breathing and my heartrate. After the turnaround on the run, I began cheering on other teammates and runners. This helped to push through the last few miles and I was able to post a negative split on the return route. The organizers and the volunteers do a great job with the aid stations on the run course providing hydration, nutrition, and lots of encouragement every mile. I finished 5th overall female and 1stin my Age Group. My race time and place made for a very satisfying closeout of the Triathlon season.

Chelsey Smith, Half Ironman, 5:36.37, 9th OA, 1st AG
MiTi was my first half Ironman distance event and I went into with very little expectations. Not having ever raced any endurance event longer than a marathon I really had no idea how my body would respond to the time and distance. I am happy to say I had a great race. The swim went well. I was strong and steady on the bike while enjoying hills, and the run went as expected. I ended up running down the girl that was first in my age group to finish ahead of her and take first. I followed my race plan to a tee, and ended up at 5:36 finish time, and top ten overall females. It was a great race. I enjoyed that both the bike and the swim had out and backs on the course to it was easy to see many friends that were also racing. The course was also very well supported and the volunteers were great. I am looking forward to doing this race again in the future.

Jeff Nordquist, Olympic Distance, 2:12.56, 7th OA, 2nd AG
With the cooler weather and the overcast morning, the conditions couldn’t have been better. I knew going into this race, I hadn’t spent the time training as much as I’ve had in previous years. My wife and I welcomed our first child into this world in June and as you may know the training schedule looked different in years past.
It all started in the water with wetsuit legal temps (thank goodness). After the first minute passed, found a rhythm and a set of legs to follow, allowing me to conserve energy for the remainder. Transitioned well onto the saddle in 5th place. The ride out was nearly all climbing and made sense considering the 6mph difference in the speed on the way back. But the hills were relentless and having a disc wheel may have caused more harm than good. With the run approaching, I started to transition my legs to be ready to hit the street. Jumping in to the shoes, I was in 8th place. I normally make ground on the run, but today was not that case. I couldn’t get the legs to turn and it costed me a few chances to move up as much as I’d like. I finished the across the line in 7th, and 2nd in my the AG.
I had higher hopes than my finish, but overall satisfied with the effort. I suffered, but ran the race that I had in mind. Looking forward to the rest of the season and the months to come.

The post 3 triathletes, 1 race. Read about MITI with their race reports! appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.