Lucky Peak Reservoir, Boise 70.3
What a weekend! It was one filled with lots of new beginnings, highs and some lows, fun times, and new experiences as well. But most of all as Coach P put it “it was a step in the right direction, an OK race.”
I arrived late Friday night and my friend Kristin picked me up at the airport. We got back to the hotel and pretty much went to bed. Saturday morning was SO CRAZY! This is how quick it went, we were literally on the go from 9:15AM-8PM.
- We got up, put our bikes together
- ate breakfast
- headed to the pro meeting (SO NICE to see some of my friends, including awesome teammates Lins and Katya)
- waited in line for 1 hour and 10 mins to pick up our race packets (YES seriously 70 full mins)
- went back to finish putting together our bikes (my brakes were off and couldn’t be tightened, something was off)
- Kristin’s wheels didn’t take air so…..
- we went to the local bike shop (AWESOME GUYS there, check them out if you are ever there – George’s cyclery)
- drove to T1 (a good 25 min drive)
- talked to Coach P
- tested our bikes out
- climbed a 1/2 mile dirt/gravel rode carrying our bikes up to T1 (everyone was complaining, not just me;-))
- dropped our bikes off
- ran back down the hill
- stopped to get something to eat at the grocery store
- just made it to T2 with 1 minute to spare to drop off our runing stuff, PHEW!
Absolutely hectic, non-stop action!! We were tired, but it all had to be done. We ended the night with a fun dinner at PF Chang’s 
Kristin is so much fun!
Sunday morning came so quick and we were lucky enough to get a ride from Coach Bruce and Coach Dan of Lifesport all the way up to T1, no climbing the hill on race day! It was super windy and cold up at the top of the reservoir. This made for a very choppy swim!
As soon as the gun went off, I took off and wanted to stay close to the front if not at the front of the pack. I got punched in the back once so I immediately picked up the pace and before I knew it, I was leading the pack to the first buoy. As soon as I turned right at the buoy, it was super choppy and I couldn’t breathe. When I race I really only breathe to one side and unfortunately it was the wrong side for this race. I started freaking out that I couldn’t catch my breathe and thinking that I didn’t belong at the front (SO DUMB). I have never freaked out like that before, but I think the combination of being at the front, the cold water, and my new wetsuit choking me really caused this. Within seconds of my meltdown, I had let 5 girls go by. I tried to calm down and go with them, but it was too late. By the time I got myself together, I was now on my own to chase the leaders. I was so upset since I know I am better than this and have swam with several of those girls before. I got into a good rhythm, finally, and swam with one other girl during the last 800 meters. I exited in 6th place and had the slowest T1. I was frozen and had a tough time taking off my wetsuit and putting on socks. Geez, it was slow. I lost an extra 30 seconds to everyone else’s T1 times here.
The first part of the bike was super fun. It was a fast downhill to get off the top of the reservior, before we began to climb up again. During the first 10 miles I got passed by Desiree and Linsey. Both of whom were so sweet, saying “great job E.” I tried to keep them in sight for as long as I could. But their pace was too fast for me at this point. I felt ok on the bike with my new saddle, but I did realize that I need to move it forward. I kept sliding off the tip and having to move back every couple of minutes. That was annoying, but I knew there would probably be something off since I only rode the saddle a bit before I raced on it. My fault, but I had no choice, my other saddle was unbearable. Overall though, it didn’t hurt close to as bad as my old one so that was good news!! I do have major deep cuts where the seams of my Splish suit are, since that is where all my weight is supposed to be with this saddle. Probably not the best idea to wear a skimpy Splishy with this Adamo on my first real test. Anyway, the rest of the ride was a mixture of flats, rolling, and a couple hills. I must say it was Frustrating to get passed by 7 pro women that I should be able to ride with. But I worked as hard as I could and I thought I would be pleased with my time, however it was a little slower than expected. Coach P thinks it’s because I kept moving around to not fall off the saddle and my postion was off because of this. Oh well, it was still a good effort with all things considered.
The run was amazing! Tons and tons of spectators lining the 2 loop course. There was never a moment where someone was not cheering you on. It was super cool! Many of the pros said that the crowds and noise was bigger and greater than in most IM’s they have done. It was truly amazing!! It was almost as loud as the crowds in Kona! SWEET! I loved it!
I felt ok throughout the run, much better than I did at Oceanside and WF, so all I could say was that it is an improvement and a step in the right direction. That is all I could ask for at this point. I’ll take it for now and know that I can do better and WILL do better each race!
Have a great day!
E
28 Comment(s)
Trigirlpink said:
Yay! I’m glad to hear you had a good day. Lots and lots of hidden talent waiting underneath and it will come. You stick with it chicka chicka! Your attitude for one, will take you a long way.
NICE RACE!!!
Anonymous said:
Way to go. I saw you out there. Did you hear me cheering for you? You looked awesome! Keep it up, you will blossom!!
Your buddy,
Blayne
Melissa said:
Nice job on the race! I enjoyed reading your report, you have a great outlook on racing and performance. Wow, sounds like a crazy swim!
Yeah! You get to hang with Kristin. She is a cool chick, eventhough I’m mad at her for moving away…and you can tell her I say so
Ha ha!
Good luck at the Escape this weekend, after Boise that swim will be easy!
E.L.F. said:
What a great stepping stone into your next race where truly you will shine. YEAH!
rr said:
Way to leave it all out there Eileen.. and you DO belong at the front of that pack, and next time you will be more confident in that! Glad the run went well too — I can’t imagine what Coach had to say about the forgotten HR monitor.. you are bad
Nice job!
Courtenay said:
hey eileen!
whoa i have been totally out of it for like 2 or 3 weeks – and i totally missed the opportunity to wish you good luck at boise!
anyway, i love reading your report – you had a lot to deal with during the race because of the new equipment, but you didn’t let it get in the way of having a good and positive experience. good job!
and i was wondering if a long race in a swimsuit would cause saddle issues… i wish there were no such thing as saddle sores. i mean really if it’s not one thing it’s another – not enough padding causes tenderness, too much padding causes rubs and tenderness too, angle of the saddle, saddle shape, seams in the saddle… argh! i’m curious to hear how you like the new saddle over the next couple weeks. i hope it works out great! what did you switch from? i use fi:zi’k arione and arione tri, both of which i actually like, but there are days when i just can’t get comfortable for the life of me (part of it has to do with what cycling shorts i wear though).
ok enough rambling about saddles. talk to you soon!
Ashley said:
Awesome – this post is full of positive energy and LIFE! Way to go, way to get it, keep it up!
Patrick said:
Nice suit Swanson! Did you get a free bowl of soup with it?(caddyshack humor)
All I can say is Poor Coach Paul!!
Eileen Swanson said:
Whateve Dolphin Boy Pat
HAHAHA! You are such a dork 
Damie said:
Getting better….I like that. The right attitude:)
Great job!
Patrick said:
You are lucky you don’t live in Kona sister….
You and Bree are the same…she too says that her saddle is where all her “weight” is!!!
LOL
BreeWee said:
E!
I think you should tell coach you want to trade him for his dad…
Eileen Swanson said:
Wee, yup I told him….
Anonymous said:
E, Great job and glad you had a great race!! Looks like things are coming together nicely for you!! Yeah! Jen H.
Mominator said:
Way to go E! You did great!
I am glad to hear the saddle is working out well also. “Major deep cuts” makes me cringe though!! YIKES!
Pedergraham said:
Nice racing and it sounds like it was a great experience–except for the trips up to Transition. Hope you are having a nice recovery.
-Danielle
Kristin said:
Eileen – thanks for the fun trip! I’m sure there are more to come! Hopefully I’ll see you this weekend.
Cy said:
E-Nice job-Each race is full of learnings, and you will rock out there next time. It certainly sounds like it was a nice venue.
Anonymous said:
sounds like you are well on your way to great races. nice work. you are so brave always keeping a great perspective and never giving up. way to be!
Sarah said:
E, I totally thought about you on Sunday and I kept checking your blog because all I could think was “ooooohhhhhhhh, I HOPE SO MUCH SHE HAS A GREAT DAY!”
esp since I knew you were racing w/new equipment…things can either go great, okay or just plain bad. I’m glad it turned out to be a little better than okay.
As for your race itself, great job! I know that choking feeling and it is SO SCARY. Way to pull it together and get through it. I just know by the end of this year you’re going to have grown so much. You’ve already come so far!
Keep it up! Hugs!
S
BreeWee said:
Dolphin boy is not my B-atch! BUT we can share him…, honest when I say every girl needs a friend like him! AND don’t feel left out, we all need a friend like you even though your chicken sucks!
Eileen Swanson said:
Whatever Cheesy Wee!! My cooking is good
LOL
Mel said:
Yahoo E, You did awesome..ha funny story for you my husband was at the airport heading back home from Boise and I told him to keep a look out for you the tan hottie with Splish suit on and even showed him your photo…and if he found you ask if you could whip up some of that yummy chicken that Bree talks about (JK) anywho, he saw this girl at the airport that he thought was you and asked ” are you one of Mel Crandell’s blog buddies” she said “NO” with a weird look on her face ha ha!! Sorry you did not get to meet my freak
Patrick said:
I’m nobody’s Bioooootch!!!
Puppet for hire!! $$$$
Jerk chicken anyone?
oh wait I have a sudden craving for Almonds& walnuts?
what the…@#$%
pdiddy
triclancy said:
Glad you enjoyed the race…I wanted to try that one out this year, but it wasn’t in the cards. Next year though…sounds amazing! Congrats on getting faster/stronger/better!!!
Sarah said:
OKay you guys are having waaaaay too much fun with your inside jokes.
BreeWee said:
E!
I miss swimming with you so much! Too bad you wont be in Japan to pull me 2.4 miles, BUT you will be pulling the other chicas at CDA!
By the way, the set was hard like OZ and I will totally annihilate you if you ever tell coach no problem ever again for a bunch of ugly 100’s that I was drowning on!
Isela said:
Great race report! Congratulations.