Team SLS3

So you may notice the SLS3 banner on the top of my blog. My husband Greg and I love their compression socks, and we swear by them for long runs and recovery from hard workouts. Greg heard that they were forming a team for 2013, so we applied and were accepted! I feel like a pro triathlete! These pictures are from the first time I tested out my race gear on a training ride/run:

2/21/13 brick workout

The tri suits had arrived in the mail just in time for our first triathlon of the season, the Desert International Triathlon (3/4/13), so we got to represent the team in our full gear:

Both of us got a PR (Personal Record) at this race, improving our times from last year! I ended up placing 5th in my age division out of 28 women. Here's the breakdown:

SWIM:
My time was 30 seconds faster than last year!

Challenges:

-I didn't feel like I had trained that much in the pool.
-There are always people who pass me.
Blessings:
-There was cloud cover, so swimming into the sunrise, we could actually see where we were going!
-I only paused twice to get my bearings (usually I'm much less confident of where I'm going in the water).

BIKE
1.6mph faster than last year, and 2nd fastest bike split in my age group (22mph)!
Challenges:
-I haven't had my tri bike long enough to really push myself the way I want to in training.
Blessings:
-I had my fastest T1 (transition) time ever! Not having to put on socks helps so much...
-It wasn't windy on the course. Wind = danger.
-I felt amazing on the bike, past tons of people, and avoided a crash!

RUN
*ahem* MUCH faster than last year...
Challenges:
-Um, rough terrain. I had an embarrassing incident last year, tripping and falling at mile 2 of the run. This year, I watched my step more closely!
Blessings:
-The cloud cover was still out, so it was relatively cool on the run! I don't do well in heat.
-I maintained a 7:37 average for 6 miles!

Coming in to the finish...

I am so grateful for how everything went on race day. The run was the toughest part, which is usually the case in a triathlon, but whenever I felt the urge to slow down, my mind kept going back to Up & Running Again. Why I'm doing these triathlons. The people I'm racing to support. And so I pushed harder.

Thank you Team SLS3 for including me on your team for 2013. I look forward to many more great races this season!