7 things I learned from SOMA 70.3

Last weekend was SOMA 70.3. This race was such a favorite for me last year, it was the last big race before Ironman Arizona and I went into it feeling great. And I ended up with a huge PR...last year.

This year, not so much. I knew I was seriously under trained and not in the condition I was, going into SOMA last year. I was nervous and knew it was going to be a hard day. 

Here's a recap in the form of 10 things I can only think of 7 things I learned:

1. Don't go into a race under trained. Seriously, don't. It absolutely sucks. Stick to your training schedule and put in the work. Trust me, you won't regret it.

2. Even though the calendar says mid-October, the weather says summer. Hot, hot summer. When I started sweating waiting to get into the water (before 7am) I knew it was going to be a long, hot day.

3. Getting my bike tuned up before the race was the best thing ever. On my last long bike ride, I was really struggling. I was going super slow and felt like I was working way harder than I normally do. I got it tuned up Thursday before the race and it was like a brand new bike on race day! It was great- I felt like I was flying!

4. ICE! Ice was the best thing for me on the run. I filled my water bottle up with it and put a cup down my shirt. It definitely was a life saver with the brutal heat and helped me stay somewhat cool until the next aid station.

5. Having an aid station every mile of the run was AMAZING! I got so happy when I saw another aid station- no joke! Not only did that mean I got more ICE but it meant another mile down.

6. I literally have the best boyfriend in the whole entire world! No joke. He did a 3/4th Ironman the day before Soma (on his own) but was stil all over the course cheering me on and met me on both loops of the run and ran about 5 miles with me.

That shadow beside me is 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter'. :)

He ran the end of the second loop with me and really pushed the pace (for me). I was dying and he ran to the last turn with me and then was waiting at the finish line. Absolutely love him!!

7. I've never been more excited to see a finish line and cross it than I was after this race! I was just so happy to stop moving. And the wet, ice-cold, towel they give you as you cross the finish line felt like heaven!

So moral of the story- be prepared! :)

*Have you ever gone into a race under trained?

*What's the biggest lesson you've learned while racing?

Update on Life

Hey! I'm back!! I have bee SO busy I haven't really had to time to blog. Here's a little update on everything that's been going on lately to get you up to speed:

Remember back in April the random, ridiculous trip my sister and I took to Colorado? Well, it was supposed to for my sister-in-law's bridal shower, but my dad got sick the week before and was in the hospital. So we stayed and hung out with him. At first, we didn't really think much of it, but we soon learned that he had stage 4 liver cancer.
To say our world was rock would be the understatement of the year. My dad never got sick- I literally cannot even recall a time my dad had the sniffles- so to get the diagnosis cancer was brutal. We immediately jumped into the mentally that were were going to fight it as a family and we were going to win. Losing wasn't an option.
We continued to go back and fourth as often as we could. As he fought, he was growing weaker and weaker- but never once lost his sense of humor and was always cracking jokes. He did everything the doctors told him to and was willing to try anything.
Unfortunately, the cancer was growing too fast and was too aggressive to stop and he passed away August 17, less than 4 months after we got the diagnosis. It also happened to be his anniversary with my stepmom, which she didn't think was a bad thing. She said it won't be a sad day for her every year, because she will have so many good, happy memories associated with that day, and it won't just be the day he passed away.

After my sister's wedding we brought all the flowers from the wedding to my dads grave.

My brother was already planning his June wedding, but because of my dad getting sick my sister and I both decided to plan ours before the end of the year so that he would be there. My sister planned hers for October, in Las Animas, Colorado. She actually got married in the same chapel that my dad and stepmom got married in.

Photo: Malissa Ahlin Photography

'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and I were planning to get married in November- 2 weeks after Ironman Arizona, but we recently found out he was losing his job that he has had the past 12 years. So we decided that spending a bunch of money on a wedding, probably wasn't the best idea. ((**UPDATE to this: he has a new job that he loves and is going to be working from home starting Monday. He is super excited!!:))

So with all the above going on (mainly the traveling to see my dad, for my brothers wedding, the funeral, my sisters wedding) my training for Ironman Arizona has NOT been what it should be. I talked about it in my last post, but I do not feel as prepared for it as I did last year. But, I can't change that now. I had an extremely good training weekend last weekend and got a 20 mile run in and a 107 bike ride in. So hoping for the best. :)

Plus, everyone I know who is doing Ironman has been posting their bib numbers and asking me what mine is. So I went onto the Ironman website to look up my bib number- I wasn't on there!! I immediately started freaking out and sent a bunch of emails to the people at Ironman. I finally got a response a couple days later telling me to re-register. I did and am anxiously waiting to be added to the athlete list. :)

Then onto of everything else going on, I was signed up for the Women's Half Marathon for Sunday, and it got cancelled!! I've ran this race the last 4 years and have absolutely loved it every year. Luckily, there's the Phoenix 10k race on Sunday and they have a half marathon option that I was able to get into. RunningFrida and I are going to run it, then run another 5 miles to get our last long run in.

It's been a super stressful, emotional roller coaster lately. BUT I'm back, and I'll definitely be blogging a whole lot more!! :) Plus, there's only 18 days until Ironman Arizona so I'll most likely be posting about how I'm freaking out. (The last year has totally flown by, I can't believe it's already here again!!)
*Who's racing Ironman Arizona?? 

*What's your favorite Halloween Candy?