So it’s over, my first year as a Professional Triathlete and one of the craziest 8 months I’ve ever had. I’m still not sure how I got through it without getting sick or dying for that matter. I think the blog updates through March and then began the whirlwind of racing, training, camps, and adventures. As if I needed any more to do, I also started coaching this year.  Last winter, I was approached by a woman I met at Charlottesville TeamHPB Camp in 2014 asking if I would be interested in coaching her for her second Ironman. Once I got over the shock and then some reassurance from my husband that maybe I could be good coach, I agreed. She was also totally fine with my limited experience and seemed excited about the idea of us learning from each other. This put me at ease and we immediately got to work.  So far it’s been extremely rewarding, but also a little stressful. At times, I care more about her racing and performance than my own. But, the experience has been so positive, I think I’d consider taking on a couple more people next year if the opportunity is there.

So what else have I been up to all summer? Here are some highlights:

In May, due to some very poor planning and re-arranging my race schedule, I ended up doing two massive bike trips and two half Ironman. It was crazy. The first weekend in May I road Skyline drive in Shenandoah National Park, 109 miles and 105 miles. The following weekend I raced Challenge Knoxville, finishing 10th and my first professional paycheck!! Then, Alyssa Godesky and I met Hillary in Bowie NC and took 3 days to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway to Charlottesville (~300 miles), PHEW! Then I capped it off with Raleigh 70.3. In hindsight, I only remember how awesome and fun the entire month was, but I’m pretty sure by the end of it, I was very sick of the inside of my car.

Me and Alyssa riding Blue Ridge Parkway. Hillary’s the only one skilled enough to take pics while riding…

June was filled with training and then Ironman CDA. Anyone who followed that knows we had one of the hottest races in history with something like 110F temps. I take racing in heat very seriously since I’ve made mistakes in the past and have imploded. My plan definitely paid off and I finished 6th, way better than I expected and to this day super ecstatic about that whole performance.

Ironman CDA podium, I’m one left of the podium looking blinding white. That’s what SPF 100 will get you.

In July, Nate and I joined Alyssa in Charlottesville for the annual East Coast version of Team HPB Camp. This is a highlight of every summer and this year in particular since we saw participation double. This camp just keeps getting better and better. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time and I’m hoping 2016 will be even more fun.

Charlottesville Team HPB Camp 2015

August was sort of a womp womp, I spent most of the month training for Ironman Wales adding Timberman 70.3 to realize some fitness and hopefully make a little money. Unfortunately, 5 miles into the bike I ended up with a flat and a hole in my tire which left me stranded for 40 minutes. The  hardest part was getting back on my bike and racing hard even though I was so far behind the other girls. I knew I would be even more pissed if I dropped out, so I was proud that I managed to screw my head on straight and pull off a decent run.

My parents drove off without their lawn chairs, so Nate was just letting them know of his new acquisition. They said they left them for us so we had somewhere to sit, yah ok.

Capping off the tri season with Ironman Wales. I have to say, I think this year went pretty well, not to mention I had fun literally the entire time. I think next year will be just as great and probably even more busy since that’s how things seem to go. Of course, I can’t just end like that and we have one more epic adventure planned for the end of October, so stand by 🙂

This one’s just funny. Nate apparently wants to play Rugby next year.