After a surprisingly busy summer and a hiatus from race reports, I wanted to share the tale of two Half Ironman races I did this year. Actually, I’ll make it a trio, with a recap of a third 70.3 event in my backyard, where I had a great day as the captain and bike leg of the Tri Girls Rock relay team. As a first year member of Team Zoot, and a continued member of my local triathlon team Raise the Bar, it has been a racing season like no other. Most importantly, I’m still training and racing with a grateful heart, no matter the outcome. Brief recaps follow with links to the full race reports. Past the recaps you’ll find a summary of other opportunities I’ve had this year.
IM Chattanooga 70.3 (5/23/21)
This was my first race in two years due to COVID, and I was more than ready having trained steadily throughout the pandemic as a method of staying sane and relatively stress free. Originally I’d planned to do Victoria 70.3 in Canada, which was a PR course for me. With borders closed, we had to choose another race and this one was a good match with the date. While planning and preparation are key elements of getting ready for an event, you never know what race day will bring. Cue a flat tire and heat exhaustion. Definitely some lessons learned in TN and a test of grit and determination. Read here for all the details of a tough day, with lessons learned and a few bright spots. Race report
IM Santa Cruz 70.3, 9/12/21
After Chattanooga, I had big plans for this race with a goal of top 10 in my age group, hoping to get a roll down spot for 70.3 Worlds in New Zealand in 2022. Worlds got moved to St. George Utah weeks before the race. A disappointment, but this race turned out to be anything but a disappointment! At 54, I had the best triathlon race of my life – so far 😊 Race report
IM Washington 70.3, 9/19/21
Ended the season with a half Ironman in our own backyard. For 2 years I had been looking forward to doing it as a fun relay with my local friends and Raise the Bar teammates. Despite some crazy weather, the day was an absolute blast! As team captain for Tri Girls Rock, I couldn’t have asked for a better day of racing, cheering and supporting friends and teammates on my local and Team Zoot triathlon teams. Race report
What didn’t happen in 2021?
For the second year in a row, RAMROD, a 150 mile bike event up and around Mt. Rainier was cancelled. Unlike in 2020, this time it was due to road construction and not the pandemic. Luckily in 2020, thanks to my bestie Diane Haensel, we had a very well supported DIY RAMROD event you can read about here. Hopefully, we will get to finally do the actual event in 2022. Also cancelled, IM Canada 140.6 in Penticton. On my list of things to do is my third full Ironman race. Only a drive away in a beautiful setting, this was going to be it, with many friends racing it as well. Closed borders postponed, then moved and eventually cancelled this race. I didn’t defer to 2022 given the uncertainty of the pandemic, and happily took the refund – that’s right a refund – that IM Canada offered. The ‘R’ word unheard of from IM in North America.
Gratitude for Coaching Opportunities
And last but not least, three coaching jobs and a role supporting a new non-profit benefiting underserved youth, filled my heart with gratitude every day.
A wonderful year of run coaching some truly awesome people as they navigated the pandemic themselves and all life threw at them, as the owner and coach of Grateful Heart Adventures. Come join us, we’d love to have you on the team!
Assistant Coaching for my daughters high school XC team has been a blessing of many kinds. Spending more time with my kiddo and kids I have known since elementary school, while getting to know so many others doing something I love has been a great experience.
Being a Girls on the Run coach this past spring, was everything I’d hoped it would be. Run and life coaching a diverse, great group of girls has been on my list of things to do for years. Finally having time to do it, it was rewarding on many levels. Giving back to the community in a sport I love made me very happy.
Taking on the role of Program Development Lead for a new non-profit, Run for Shoes, I am able to give back to a different group of youth. We are crafting an 8 week running and life coaching program for underserved youth, planning a launch in Spring of 2022. I’m inspired and in awe of the folks on our team, some of which I’ve known and admired from afar in the running community for many years.
Whew – you made it to the end! Thanks for reading 😊 If you have any questions or are interested in joining my Grateful Heart Adventures team, please reach out here or at gratefulheartadventures@gmail.com
Coach Lisa
Grateful Heart Adventures 