This is how happy I am now that the season is over and I get to have some R&R! As I mentioned in my last post, I cant thank my friends, family, teams, and supporters enough for all the energy they have given me this year. This triathlon season was only my second season as a triathlete and it was an amazing, long, and fun adventure. Lets try to remember how the year looked:

• The winter training period consisted of the Texas A&M triathlon teams winter challenge. I logged a near 20K swim, 6-7 hours of bike training, and 35-40 miles of running for 5 weeks to put in a good amount of base.
• I started off the year in January with my first race at the Frost yer Fanny Duathlon. I won my first Overall Female victory. I ran an 18:30 3 mile, and then another 12:17 2 mile after the bike. I was pretty happy to see my speed hadnt gone away after lots of load during the winter months.
• February consisted of a couple of running races to get some leg work in. I ran the Cross fit 5k, which ended up being short (2.75 miles) in 17:30 and the GLOW 5k in a new PR of 18:20.
• March was the last month to tidy up on training because Collegiate Nationals was only a month away! I raced in Champions Tri in Austin, TX for my season opener olympic distance. For the first time I broke down the 2:20 barrier and finished in 2:17 and 2 overall female of the day. I even got my first flat tire, during the race and still finished! I also raced The Mean Green sprint triathlon, and won my first Overall Female triathlon victory! Dustin also won the male spot =)

• April 9 2011. Collegiate Nationals. One of the hottest and hardest 10am race starts ever! I finished 16th in the nation and a top 5 graduate student!! This helped lead my Aggie team to a Top 5 National team finish! Whoop!

• April I also raced in the East Kona Triathlon just to keep my legs fresh because Captex was up next on the agenda. I won my 3rd overall victory.
• May was hard on training because school was finishing and I also took a nice little trip to Aruba where I tracked down a virus and ended up sitting on my butt for a week. As soon as I got back to the states, I was feeling better and ready to train again, but captex was only a week away! I couldnt train much, because I need to rest some too. Captex is always a hard race and this year, I can say the same thing. The winds were so crazy, we almost 1) fell off our bikes and 2) came to a dead hault on the run! It wasnt the race I was looking for, but I swam my first 21 minute swim and also crowned the Female Texas State Collegiate Champion, along with my girls Kate and Sarah for 2nd and 3rd!

• June I raced the Sugarland Tri, and again won my 4th Female Title of the year. I did this same course the year before, and ended up with an almost 3 minute improvement. June I also used for again some base training, as I loaded up with a couple 20 hour-per- week training sessions. I incorporated many strength and flexibility sessions to restore and strengthen my body.
• July was Tri-Waco, which again was another race I had done in the past. This time the run and bike came with much more ease, but the swim not so much. An official tried to DQ me and I got held up for about 5 extra minutes. I ended up 2nd overall for the day, but was happy that I was still able to have a positive mindset and finish the race.
• August I joined with my new team sponsor: Endurance Films. I raced the Rivercities triathlon, which I have come to learn was probably one of my best performances to date. I won my 5th Overall female win of the year, a pair of oakleys, and a cool article in Runner Triathlete! I also had the privilege of flying to Burlington, VT for the Collegiate Summit, in which they happily let us race in the Age Group National Championships. I finished 14th in the Nation in my age group, and learned that there is some fast little chickas out there.

• September was a fun month of back to back races leading up to my peak race. It began with the Rose City Regional Sprint Championship. I took 2nd overall to Ashley Johnson who is an amazing triathlete. We both took home some cash flow and broke the course record by over 8 minutes! The following week I raced in the Houston Olympic. I was in the elite wave and knew there would be some tough cookies out there (Sarah Gray, Michelle LeBlanc), but because it was not my peak race I just wanted to have some fun and see some improvements. The swim was rough and the run was rougher, but my bike split was a new PR! 1:04! I got my first big fake check, so I can check that off the bucketlist. ;)  I also ended up placing in the series at this race as well because it was double points, so that was a double surprise bonus!
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  • October finally hit, and Dallas Toyota Open was here! My focus race for the whole year. I again competed in the amatuer-elite wave and almost got swallowed away in the swim. Note to self: always start on the outside, even if you think you wont get swam over! I was inspired to get redemption on my previous run, and ran my way all the way to 3rd place! I found this video on from some area coaches that finally "recognizes" my hard work (1 min in) =)  I also raced Try Andys Tri and finished in the runner -up position to another BA triathlete Mandy Heintz. This was the same course as the Sugarland Tri in June, and I again squashed mytime into an PR.
  • I finally ended the season with something I have only done once before. A Half-Ironman. Austin 70.3, was one hell of a season finisher. My legs, body, brain, chest, shoulders, EVERYTHING, says you left 110% out on that course. I finished with a 30 minute PR, and 5:02 finish. 2nd in my Age group and 10th Overall Amateur in the race! Woo!
  What a season! So many races, so much time, so much money- but yet SO MUCH FUN! This season was well worth every single dollar, training session, mile, hotel, dinner, ice cream, blister, etc.... I wouldnt trade the friends that I have made this year, the knowledge I have gained, and the perseverance I have learned for anything. I absolutely love everything about the triathlon community and am looking forward to re-vamping my training for the next year. As for now, I will go lounge around and remember my:
  *17 Races
  *5 Overall Wins
  *8 Top 10 finishes
  *498 Training hours currently in my TP log
  I am done!