Author: Kevin and Katie Bridges

Katie and I spent the weekend in Louisville KY at the magnificent Gault House Hotel which was the host of  Ironman Louisville.  Friday was athlete check in, Saturday bike, gear check in and athlete briefing.  The build up to Sundays race was nerve-racking, the weather was predicted to be hot and humid (Kentucky in August, who knew).  We did get sometime to go out and see Louisville, which is a very nice town and maybe even nicer people.

On race day we all headed to the swim start, 2000 triathletes like lemmings about to jump off a cliff or a dock in this case.  The swim is in the Ohio River starting up river then turning down river swimming under two bridges and exiting at Joe’s Crab Shack.

The bike course was in beautiful rolling horse country.  They had water stations every 10-12 miles which helped deal with the heat.  My bike leg was uneventful, I tried to keep cool and not use up too much of my legs.

The run is though Louisville past University of Louisville and Church Hill Downs.  The heat became very apparent on the run, most of us were pouring ice water on ourselves at the water stations trying to keep cool. The run seemed to take forever, but the great folks of Louisville were out on the course cheering us on.  The last two blocks of the run are incredible, both sides were lined with screaming people, cheering like they personally knew me.

This event had tons of volunteers that made it easy to navigate transition and get what ever was needed on the course, it was largely due to them that I was able to finish in 12 hours and 38 mins. under my goal of beating Hines Wards time at Kona of 13 hours and 8 mins.

A Girl’s Best Friend Triathlon, Michigan. It was a cool morning, but sunny. I have participated in this event four of the last five years, first as a duathlon, then sprint triathlon. The past two years I have chosen the Olympic distance. There’s a lot to love about this race and I keep coming back to it. It was my first-ever race, the atmosphere is celebratory and the weather is always perfect. With crystal-clear water (okay, granted, being able to see all of the weeds creeps some people out, but I’m not one of those people anymore), a flat and fast bike course and a trail run, this race is built for me.

The goal: To improve upon last year’s times and place first in my age group instead of last year’s second. SUCCESS on the first part; FAIL on the second. I had an absolutely miserable bike and run after a pretty mellow swim. I felt so slow and after awhile, somewhat queasy. The running and riding I have been doing has had lots of hills, which made me wonder why this was so difficult! It should have been easy-peasy. With about two miles to go I remember thinking, I may need to throw up, but I’m waiting until after the finish line. That thought got me through and once I’d finished, I felt fine.

The data: I already mentioned, 2nd. I’m happy and I’ll take that. I have dropped about 7 seconds per 100 from my best swim time, 2.0 mph from my bike pace and below 9-minute miles on the run. My transitions were also my best this year and I shaved 14:45 from last year’s overall time. It feels great to have improved on all three disciplines, where in the past if one went well, generally another one suffered. Triathlon is a sport where finding the perfect balance when training each skill is difficult, I can definitely say it has been difficult for me. It’s funny how things like swimming, biking and running, all things I could do as a kid, toss me for a loop as an adult. I think its part of the challenge and draw to the sport. Now that my season is done, I’m wondering… if I did one more tri, and got the nutrition right this time….

The cause: This race is also the event I chose for my Pedaling With a Purpose campaign. The organization I am pedaling for is Girl’s on the Run of Calhoun County. GOTR is so much fun, and makes such an impact on the lives and futures of girls. Could you please follow my link and donate today?

Dream. Believe. Achieve. It’s a triathlon, hosted at Sandy Pines Resort near Grand Rapids. The name alone caught me, and I was all-in. All week the forecast looked bad, with thunderstorms which would cancel the race. When my alarm went off at 4:20, I checked the weather and that was when I realized… today, I was lucky. It was my day. The race was ON.

The swim went great for me, which is a big deal because often the swim is where things go bad, very very bad. I stayed… chill. The water was flat, 77 degrees, and not trying to drown me. Then it was time to get on the bike. The course was very hilly, which went okay for the most part. It was so much fun roaring down those hills, but going up really causes the burn. I was worried that I was pushing too hard on the bike, and I wouldn’t have anything left for the run. But, the bike is the fun part, right? I had forgotten my chomps and I was hungry when I got to T2. I NEVER eat the Hammergels, but I sampled apple, something berrie and the huckleberry along the run course to keep going. The run went through the Sandy Pines park, and was flat and full of people cheering and encouraging the runners along the route. Two loops through the park, and I was headed back to the finish.

I ended up finishing first in my age group! The post race festivities included a cold Pepsi, some snacks and I even won a raffle prize. See, I told you it was my lucky day!!