Well, I thought I would start this race report with one of the few highlights of my trip to Bellingham this past weekend. I was out at the swim start the day before my race, preparing to dive in for a light swim, when a group of the 13-15 year old competitors swarmed onto the dock. A cute little girl approached me and asked if I was competing in the 13-15 year old division the next day! I, of course, was thrilled that she did not realize that I was as old as I really am. I assured her that I would not be racing against her because I was 31 and way too old for her race. However, I am not sure she really believed me because she then asked (with a confused look on her face) "then what race will you be in?" Before I could explain that I was racing in the pro division, one of the young boys turned to her and said, "Don't you get it, she is in the 31 year old division!" The young girl's question made my day and definitely put a smile on my face.

The race the next day, however, did not put a smile on my face! I went into the race feeling very confident that I was going to have a great one! I had been feeling better and better ever since the Tri the Parks races in June and the New York race in July. I just felt like I was improving each week.

From the start I struggled and it kept getting worse. I did not feel all that bad during the swim, but I did not have a good one. I came out behind the group that I usually come out with and was once again by myself to start the bike. As I was running to the bike, my legs felt wobbly and my arms felt tight. I was breathing hard and just did not feel like myself.

I was able to stay positive by thinking of other races where I felt bad to start with and then felt better as the race went on, but it continued to get worse from there. I felt terrible on the bike! While I had been looking forward to the big hill (I typically love climbing), I could barely get up it each time. It is not a good day when I am actually looking forward to the downhills on the course (historically the downhills have been a big challenge for me). I could feel my body shutting down in the same way that it did during the Hawaii race in April and during the run in Arizona in May. It is hard to describe and I will spare everyone the details, but it is not tiredness or the normal pain one experiences when pushing hard in a race. It is just a complete shut down and I do not know what causes it. It does not seem to matter if it is a big race or a small race or if I feel good or bad before the race. It just comes out of the blue!

I have been working with some people to see if we can find answers. We have some ideas, but nothing definent yet. In the meantime, I had promised the people helping me, as well as my parents that if my body shut down again, I would not push through it to finish painfully and slowly. I have done this too many times before and the doctors that I talked to said it is making things worse for me. I have never dropped out of a race before, so when I realized I was in trouble on Sunday, it took me a few laps to decide to stop. I kept thinking one more lap. I also kept thinking "where's a shoe flying off your foot or a flat tire when you need it"! However, by the end of the 5th lap, I knew it was pointless to keep going. As I crested the top of the hill, I told my Dad that I was not going to be able to finish. I went a little bit more and then pulled off the course before starting the final bike loop.

While I was extremely disappointed, I never really doubted my decision. It was very difficult to stop, but I just knew it was the right thing to do as I had tried it the other way too many times before. I have seen many of the other girls drop out of races before, but it did feel strange to me because it was my first (and hopefully only) time. I am just going to have to keep working on finding some answers as well as just enjoying the races where I do feel great!

The race obviously did not go the way I wanted, however, I do have one other highlight from the trip that I wanted to mention. One of my high school teachers from Pace Academy, Coach Jaffe, now lives in Washington with his family. Coach Jaffe and his wife were nice enough to drive a good distance to come cheer me on in my race. It was so great to have them there. Of course, I would have loved to have had an awesome race in front of them, but having them to talk to after I pulled out, really took my mind off of the disappointment. They were both so encouraging! I am very appreciative that they made the effort to come see my race! It really meant a lot to me!

I am definitely ready to put that race behind me. I am now preparing for a Team Aegis race in Boston over Labor Day weekend. I will also be busy with the start of high school cross country which starts today. I will be working with the Walton High School team again and I cannot wait! We have such a special group of kids!

On another note, for those of you who know my dog Juneau, she ended up having to have surgery yesterday to remove a tumor on the optic nerve in her eye. Unfortunately, they had to remove the eye as well. The good news is that she is doing great! I was able to pick her up this morning and she is right next to me as I write. The doctor said she did wonderfully! I have been so impressed with her great attitude. She must be in a ton of pain, but she has been so tough! I wish I had her pain tolerance because she really has been amazing to me! While it will take some time for the swelling to go down, I think she still looks as cute as ever. I was able to tell a lot of you about the surgery before, so I am extremely appreciative of all the prayers and good wishes for her! Thank you all so much.

Take care!

Until Boston,

Kelly