Well it has been two and half weeks since IRONMAN Coeur d’Alene and my body is still in recovery mode. In years past, my IRONMAN race was always the last race of the year so I didn’t have to worry as much about recovery and getting my body back in to training mode. The major muscle aches and soreness from IMCDA wore off about 3-4 days post race, but fatigue and some deep muscle tissues are still causing problems. No matter how much sleep I get, I’m still so tired. Most days all I want to do is nap, but I know I have to stay motivated and get back in the swing of things for my upcoming race this weekend and the IRONMAN World Championships this October (88 days to go if you’re counting).

This weekend will be my second time racing at the Door County Half Ironman. For those of you who do not know where Door County is, it is located on the peninsula of Wisconsin. It is an absolutely gorgeous venue with great spectator support and amazing race organization. I finished 8th overall (4:30:06) last year after enduring a rough (choppy and rainy) swim, posting a decent bike split, and barely hanging on at the end of the run. This year I hope to build off my course experience from last year as well as my race at IMCDA a few weeks back. There’s always very good competition at this race, and this year is no different. My goal for this race is to improve on my 8th place overall finish, but I’ve also never won a race before and this would be a great venue for my first win. However, I would have to put together a nearly perfect race to do so. Excited to see what happens!

Here’s an outlook of the course and my thoughts on each:

Swim: The 1.2 mile swim is held in the clear waters of Horseshoe Bay at Murphy Park. The swim features 3 turns with buoys every 50 yards. Having so many buoys last year was a big help due to the waves and chop on race day. I’m hoping for flat and calm water on race day this year, but that usually doesn’t happen.

Bike: The 56 mile bike route travels along Door County’s scenic backroads, through the main retail district in Sturgeon Bay, along the shipping channel, out and back on a wooded back road and gradually ascends 200 feet up the famed Door County Bluff before returning to Murphy Park

Run Elevation Chart. Note the 2 huge bluffs at miles 6 & 9

Run: The 13.1 mile run course takes participants north to the Egg Harbor Dock, up Harbor Heights Road, through the village of Egg Harbor, up the infamous Bluff Pass Road (200 foot climb in 1/2 mile), and through the stacked stone fences of Horseshoe Bay Golf Course before a downhill descent to the finish line.

As always thanks to everyone who supports me and helps me get to the starting line!