Buffalo Springs 70.3 was one of the toughest races I've done during my four years in the sport of triathlon. To put it bluntly, it was a race that I'd rather forget, put to the back of my memory bank and not have to re-visit too often!
The race was held at Buffalo Springs Lake which is positioned in a canyon. Since Texas is essentially flat I was surprised to read that the course was to be so hilly. However, when Josh and I drove the course the day prior to race day I soon found out why when dropped down into a huge canyon. As such, much of the day was spent climbing in and out of the canyon during the cycle and run.
The week leading into the race my body wasn't feeling 100% and I didn't have my usual bounce of energy, however I was still looking for a solid result in Texas to add to my 4th place at Kansas 70.3 two weeks prior. Race day conditions were brutal; super hot, windy and dry. I have never raced in conditions like it and combined with my body feeling flat, the day was a true battle both mentally and physically.
Race start was moved forward to accommodate for the predicted high of 44 degrees that would hit at about 3 o'clock. So at 6.27am the gun went off for the 15 Pro Females. I felt pretty good in the swim and exited the water mid pack. Once onto the one lap 90km bike course the winds were picking up. Within the first 5km of the bike I had passed a few of the girls and was sitting in about 5th place and feeling pretty good. However as the ride went on, my energy levels started to drop considerably. The brutal winds combined with the rising temperature took its toll and I ended up exiting the bike in about 7th place.
Once out onto the run I new it was going to be one tough, long 21.1km. The run consisted of 3 hills, each ranging between 6-9%. The sun was beaming down like nothing I have experienced in a race. I was feeling pretty horrendous and have never felt so low running, but I was determined to get to the finish. I knew that as long as I kept putting one foot in front of the other and focused on getting to the next aid station then I would would make it to the end. Unfortunately I dropped quite a few more places on the run and ended the day in 12th place pro female.
After having one of my best races at Kansas 70.3 two weeks ago, it is tough to hit a such low in terms of race result at Buffalo Springs. I am really disappointed in myself for putting in such a poor performance, however as I have said before it is these races that I learn the most from. I'm still young, and while the positive in that is that I've got a lot of years to learn the trade and get stronger, I also will inevitably experience many more bad days before the good one's roll in consistently. This is all a part of racing and is a part of the building blocks to becoming a top-level professional athlete. Whilst I may not appreciate it at the moment these types of races will help mature me as an athlete both mentally and physically. With my next race less than two weeks away it is crucial that I put yesterday's performance behind me, get my body feeling 100% again and focus on the positives.
Thank you to Ruth Ann, Aubrey and Geoffrey for providing such amazing hospitality and support while in Texas, it was greatly appreciated.
Once again, thank you to all my sponsors and supporters. All is still on track for qualifying for World 70.3 Champs and with Muncie 70.3 as my final qualification race this will hopefully be confirmed with a solid result there.
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