Because I’m not good at taking a break and there are a bunch of fun races to choose from during the summer, I did my fourth race in four weeks on Saturday, June 24. I’ve done the Loopty Loop 4-hour trail run a couple times and have enjoyed it enough to put it on my calendar as a possible race to do each year. I waited until the week of the race to actually commit this time.

Since I’m roughly following a marathon training plan and had 14-20 miles scheduled for my long run over the weekend, Loopty seemed like a great way to get those miles. I knew a potential issue would be my temptation to do too much. The race course was a 5K loop and people could run the full time they’re allotted or stop whenever they’d like. In 2019 I called it good after a little more than three hours of running. When I saw the results I realized I could have possibly won the race if I had continued. I returned in 2021 with that goal in mind and was successful!

When I know that there’s more that I can do it’s hard for me to settle and not give it my all. However, the 13 miles that I ran at the Grand Rapids triathlon a couple weeks prior was the longest run I had done in a couple months. Nearly doubling that might not be the smartest choice but I’d just wait to see how I felt.

One great thing about this race is that Bloomer Park is in my city of Rochester Hills and only a few miles from home. With an 8:00 start I didn’t have to wake up crazy early. This year the race was based out of the stone shelter by the main parking lot. That was different from the prior two times I had done the race and the course was different as well. We ran 6.3-mile loops in 2019, 5K loops in 2021, and a totally different 5K route this time. It’s kind of nice to change it up since there are a bunch of great trails to choose from throughout the park.

After I collected my bib, shirt, and a pair of sunglasses, I hung out in the shelter to wait for the start.

The shelter provided cover if it rained, it had bathrooms, and the start/finish and single aid station were all in the same area.

Move-It Fitness hosts a bunch of trail and ultra running races that have a super friendly, laid-back vibe. I always love doing their races!

Geneva, the awesome race director, went over things before the start. About five minutes later we lined up in the starting corral, she counted down, clapped her hands, and we were off!

I’m glad I started near the front because we quickly came to a very narrow opening in a fence that we had to squeeze through one by one. I was probably among the first five people to get there and got right through so I didn’t realize that a backup developed until I saw the pictures later!

I had never run that trail before and discovered a pretty adventurous downhill stretch. It was easy to build momentum for a quick start to the race. I watched the feet of the guy in front of me to see where he landed. It was a single track trail with an uneven surface and plenty of roots and rocks to avoid. After we got through that extreme drop, the course leveled out into mostly single track trails that were a bit more tame. I had run through the park a couple days before the race and took pictures while I was there.

There were a few of us almost in a pack following each other for a mile or so and I was a little self-conscious that someone behind me might be fast enough to pass. I didn’t want to feel like I was blocking anyone! When things finally opened up a bit more a woman finally passed. I knew that at least a couple women were ahead of me. Although things could change over the course of the race, I figured I might not be up for the win this year. It all depends on who shows up! It’s fun when I can pull off the win but I recognize that there’s only so much that I’m capable of and if others are faster, there’s no competition there. There was an 8-hour option for the race as well, but I figured they might not start that strong if they’d be going for so long.

It was approaching 70° at the start of the race and within a mile I was very aware of the humidity. At least the trails kept us in the shade and they weren’t too muddy. It rained steadily the day before the race so I wondered if the trails would be sloppy. Other than a few puddles that could be dodged, the trails were in great shape.

By the time I was halfway through the first loop things had spaced out among the people at the front. There was one gradual climb that didn’t seem too bad, then there was “popsicle hill” which definitely provided a challenge. In years past people would provide popsicles at the top of the hill later into the race. No popsicles this year, but the name remained.

Aside from that hill, I thought it was a really nice course. There were the typical roots to dodge but it seemed like a course that I could handle multiple times.

I got through the first loop in 29:45. The course came up a little longer than 3.1 miles which is no surprise when running trails. Although I was running the 4-hour race, if I came in at 3:59:59 or under I could still head out for a final loop. That meant I needed to run under half an hour per loop if I wanted to stand a chance at running nine loops. Nine would get me to the marathon distance. Both this year and last year I wondered if I could pull that off, but I just didn’t have that kind of speed. My second loop was 30:31 so I was already just over an hour for two loops. I knew I would only slow down as the day went on. I also knew that I didn’t really need to run a full marathon with only a half marathon’s worth of training!

I was on my own for nearly the entire second loop and really enjoyed how peaceful and pretty it was out there. I carried a 21 oz. bottle with an electrolyte mix on my waist, and one bottle kept me going for the first three loops. A great thing about a loop course is being able to leave my own bag along the course. I dropped a bag with several bottles just off the path near the start/finish line and was able to quickly swap my empty one for a fresh one. After a couple loops I also started to eat a Clif Blok around the start and middle of each loop.

People were really kind about stepping off to the side to make room for others who were going faster. It never got congested and there was only a stretch or two where it was just too narrow to pass immediately. I ran fairly comfortably for the first five loops, ranging between 29:45 and 31:44 per loop. I knew that the fifth loop earned me a 25K key chain!

I had run over 16 miles by the time I got into my sixth loop so it was no surprise that I started to wear down. The humidity had me feeling a little gross but I don’t think it affected my running too much. I was smart about staying hydrated. My legs just got tired and started to feel stiff. I had reached the point where I was pushing beyond what I had properly trained for. Every little climb started to feel major and popsicle hill felt harder every time. The downhill stretch at the beginning had been kind of fun on fresh legs, but it pounded my knees and didn’t feel so great after several rounds.

The seventh loop was already pressing my luck. Tired legs meant I ran more of a risk of tripping on a root. I kicked my fair share throughout the whole race and had a slight scare with one or two, but none of them took me out. Doing a trail run without wiping out is always a win. When I finished the seventh loop I still had time for an eighth and couldn’t bring myself to quit. A ton of people were out there doing the 8-hour race and many of them hiked it. I could surely walk the last loop if that’s what it came down to. Before I started my final loop I stopped at the aid station for my only time during the race. My electrolyte drinks were good for keeping me hydrated but I really craved some plain water. I stopped to drink a couple of cups which were cold and refreshing and made me feel better about heading out for more.

I felt like I was already trudging through the seventh loop and my time was even slower for the eighth. I think I actually held up fairly well though and some of that extra time came from spending a minute or two at the aid station. I reminded myself that most people hiked part, if not all, of the loop and it was fine if I needed to as well. My running was barely faster than walking on some of the hills by that point anyway.

Halfway through my final loop I saw one of the faster women ahead of me. She was rotating between walking and running. It made me wonder if I stood a chance to catch up. She still looked really strong when she ran though. I caught up enough to chat with her before the end of the loop and learned that she was doing the 8-hour race. Based on how well she was moving, she was killing it. Eventually she picked up the pace again and I kept dragging along the best I could.

I successfully completed eight loops and was informed that I was the second place woman! My official time was 4:20:40 for an official distance of 24.8 miles. My watch gave me almost an extra mile so I viewed it as just half a mile short of a marathon!

Sixteen women and six men completed the 4-hour race. I tied the winning woman for the most mileage out of both men and women with 24.8 miles. The winner finished 20 minutes before me so there certainly was no real competition there! It was nice to chat with her for a bit after the race.

The 8-hour race had 17 women and 23 men. The top male completed 15 loops for 43.4 miles and the top woman completed 13 loops for 40.3 miles. Those people inspire me to do more!

I sat in a chair and drank some water as I took some time to recover. Eventually I pulled myself up so I could start to enjoy the variety of treats. I’m always up for pizza and cake, ESPECIALLY Bumpy Cake which is one of my favorite treats.

All of the treats and sitting for a while made me feel better and I headed out knowing that some people would still be going for several more hours. I have only done one ultra run (anything beyond the distance of a marathon) and it was a 6-hour loop course that Move-It Fitness hosted. Despite feeling pretty beat up by the 4-hour race, I thought about how I want to do something more ambitious like a 50K again. Going in properly trained makes a huge difference, of course. I kind of did this race on a whim without preparing as much as I should have. I enjoy working toward time goals and trying to run fast marathons, but I also really like the more relaxed vibe at the trail runs as well. Changing it up and getting some of both helps keep it fresh and keeps me motivated!

– Janet
Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz and Twitter @reidphotography

On Saturday, June 17 I got to run in a cool race that pits Detroit’s Big Three automotive companies (GM, Ford, and Stellantis/Chrysler) against each other. The Corporate Cup Relays feature 5K and 10K road races in the morning followed by track and field events in the afternoon.

I have participated in the road races a couple times in the past as part of GM’s Chevy Running Club. The last time I ran for them was in 2018 when the races took place around Belle Isle in Detroit. I began to work for Stellantis (then known as FCA, previously known as Chrysler) in 2020 but the event did not take place for a couple years because of COVID. When it returned in 2022, I was very reluctant to sign up. I had been told that I may be laid off sometime during the year so I wasn’t very enthusiastic about the idea. I only signed up because I wanted to support Ron, the leader of the running club. The event was supposed to take place in the city of Berkley which changed its mind about allowing the road races a week beforehand, so I was off the hook anyway.

I was indeed laid off just before Christmas in 2022 but made my way back to Stellantis a couple months later in a totally different role as a contractor. That meant I was still eligible to participate this year. However, with my first half iron race six days prior to the event, I was wary about committing. Ron told me that I could sign up and if I hadn’t recovered enough I didn’t have to show up. I felt surprisingly okay when I ran a couple times before race day so I decided to go for it.

I developed a whole new level of motivation the day before the race when I received official word that I will get my old job back in July. I’ll be a Stellantis employee again, and most importantly, I’ll return to the work I love most as a photographer. That wonderful news lit an extra spark for me and made me even more excited to run as a part of the team.

It was a beautiful morning in the 60s when I arrived at Anderson Middle School in Berkley. It was nice to catch up with some of the people I know from the Chevy Running Club as well as people from my current team. I received a Stellantis tank top when I checked in.

As I jogged around the school’s track to warm up, I was pleasantly surprised to see my friend Marty. We worked together at GM and I had checked in with him the day before the race when I realized I’d be running within a couple blocks of his house. It was so great that he came out and I enjoyed catching up with him for a bit before the race. 

I had two races on my schedule – the 10K followed by the 5K. I’ve doubled up on those distances at a number of races when the option has been available. I’m always pushing myself and if I know I can do more, I feel like I should. Never mind the fact that I haven’t been doing any kind of speed work and didn’t know if my persistent hamstring issue would flare up if I ran too fast. I questioned if I might be capable of running times within a minute of my PRs. I told myself that even if I may not be at my fastest, my “okay” still might be good enough to help the team.

The 10K started at 7:45 and as we lined up on the track, most of us mumbled that we weren’t going to be fast enough to move up to the front. Then half of those people took off and certainly DID belong up at the front!

We started with about 300 meters around the track and I felt so rusty that I wished I was running a 400 rather than a 10K! I wasn’t so sure a speedy pace was going to work for me. We headed out to the neighborhood roads in Berkley with 80-some participants. I ended up running 7:36 for the first mile. That was faster than anything I’d run in a while and I didn’t know if I could sustain it for five more miles.

It was fun to see that Marty had gone out on the course to cheer for me. He made me laugh when he said there were a couple women ahead of me but they didn’t look very fast. He was also there when I came through on the way back and told me that the women were still there, but he thought they might be getting tired. I felt really lucky to have him there supporting me and making me laugh.

Thankfully the streets of Berkley are as flat as can be and it was very quiet on a Saturday morning. I glanced at my pace a little bit at the beginning but not much beyond that and just kept pushing. I tried to convince myself that I have endurance on my side and I’m good for running longer distances. Hopefully that would help pull me through. As I got down to the last couple miles I gave it all that I had. Marty was there waiting at the finish as I came in at 46:22.

When I look at how my splits broke down it shocks me that I pulled that off. Marty said two women had finished ahead of me and they were both Stellantis runners. Fortunately we were all in different age groups which meant each of us scored age group wins. Scoring is based on how we place in our age groups so I was excited that I was able to contribute!

As I recovered, Marty came over to me and I realized his sister Maureen was with him! How cool to have their support – it meant a lot to me and it was great to see both of them.

I had 20-30 minutes before I’d have to run again and spent most of that time catching up with people I knew. The crowd grew for the 5K which is always larger than the 10K. Walkers also join the race five minutes after the runners start. 123 runners participated and 55 walkers. For a corporate-only event, it was a pretty good crowd. A few runners from Rocket Mortgage also joined the event. There are usually a bunch of other companies who participate in other divisions but I think Rocket was the only company outside of the Big Three this year. 

People really flew past me at the start of the 5K and I was a little iffy about my hamstring. I was lucky that it didn’t give me any issues beyond the start of both races. I know a 5K is pretty much an all-out, torturous effort and I’d just have to hang on. I’m pretty surprised that I pulled off a first mile of 7:12 and sped up a little more after that. It was an out and back route so it was fun to see the faster people on their way back in and root for some of my teammates. 

I had kept myself positive during the 10K by saying that endurance would help pull me through, and during the 5K I remembered that I’ve often found it effective to race my way into shape during the summer. I don’t do speed workouts enough on my own and they usually intimidate me – especially during hot summer afternoons. Somehow the race environment seems to be more effective for me.

While I usually just focus on running what I’m capable of, I had a little more of a competitive spirit during this race. I had to try to score points for my team! I didn’t know who was in my age group but pushed myself to catch one of the Ford runners. When we finished on the track, one of the GM women had a powerful kick that I couldn’t even attempt to match. Maybe she was younger than me so it wouldn’t matter anyway. 

I placed as the fourth overall woman and second in my age group. I was still able to contribute to my team with my score. I finished in 22:27.

I hung out for a bit chatting with teammates and we took a big team photo before I took off. 

Ron shared the results with us on Monday and our team tied with GM but they won the tiebreaker. So close! It was fun to be a part of the event and fun to see that I found some speed I didn’t think I had. I actually did end up within a minute of my PRs like I had hoped I might. Going that fast is usually torture, but somehow I didn’t totally hate it while running either of these races. It might motivate me to do some more shorter races this summer to keep working on my speed.

– Janet
Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz and Twitter @reidphotography

Grand Rapids was the location of my first marathon 10 years ago and coincidentally it was also the place where I chose to do my first half iron-distance triathlon on Sunday, June 11. The Grand Rapids Triathlon is not an Ironman-branded race, but the half covers 70.3 miles just like the trademarked races. 

For years I’ve told myself that I could do it. 1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles of biking, and a half marathon (13.1 miles) of running. I had done all of those things individually. I took a gradual step closer when I did a 1/3 iron-distance race in Ohio in 2021 and another in 2022. I thought maybe 2022 would be the year I would attempt a 70.3 but I didn’t commit to anything and another year slipped by.

In the fall of 2022 my friend Lisa let me know that a price jump was coming for the Grand Rapids Triathlon and her husband Anthony was going to sign up for the Olympic duathlon. Grand Rapids kept coming up when I tried to figure out where to do my first half and signing up early to save money would be smart. Instead of continuing to tell myself that I knew I COULD do it, it was time to finally DO it. I signed up on Halloween to get that price break and to make sure I would finally commit.

As the spring rolled around I had mostly neglected biking in favor of saving my legs (and time) for running as I prepared for the Boston Marathon in mid-April. I needed a little time to recover from that, then I suddenly had about seven weeks to prepare for the 56-mile bike ride. I peaked with a couple longer rides of 50 and 56 miles which reassured me that I could at least get through the bike segment. My regular swims are usually at least twice the distance of what I’d do in the race so that was no concern and running shouldn’t be either. I reminded myself that I had put in a lot of work and I should be fine.

The race is based out of the village of Ada, just outside of Grand Rapids. I went to packet pickup the day before the race at Legacy Park where Lisa and Anthony happened to arrive at the same time that I did. We caught up a little bit and Lisa was kind enough to take my picture with sweet Santiago, who I believe belongs to one of the volunteers. I had a Samoyed when I was a kid and seeing him made me SO happy.

I grabbed dinner at Noodles and Company and was thrilled to discover that Detroit Cookie Company was right by it. I stocked up on some treats to enjoy after the race. Then I settled at my hotel which was about 10 minutes away from the race site and I tried my best to get some decent sleep.

There is no on-site parking for the race so athletes are advised to use a shuttle. I parked in the shuttle lot around 5:30 and found some other athletes who rode their bikes from there to the transition area (less than two miles) which seemed easier than dealing with a shuttle. Rain had been a major concern of mine and I was relieved that other than a few drops, it held off before the race. 

I got set up in transition and used a garbage bag under my stuff and wrapped one over the top in anticipation of the rain. When I felt like I’d done everything I could, I started the walk to the river and Lisa found me. I was glad to see her which helped distract me from some of my nerves. 

Both the half and Olympic races took place on Sunday and mine started first at 7:00. I was thankful for the early start since it would be such a long day. We had a race meeting then lined up in pairs behind signs that corresponded with our expected paces. That helped keep things really organized and less congested in the water. Thanks to Stellafly for photos along the race course.

Every few seconds the volunteers released two of us and we went down a slight ramp into the water. We were off and swimming as soon as we got down that ramp! It was a little shock to the system but the water was around 72° in the Thornapple River and felt fine with my sleeveless wetsuit. 

Unlike the race I did a week earlier, there was no sun to battle and it was easy to spot the buoys and the path we should take. I had a few moments of getting closer to people than I liked, but spreading people out and sorting us by pace made the swim a breeze. I had 1900 meters to swim and my routine weekday swims have usually been around 4000 meters. I’ve been preparing for a 5K swim coming later this summer so this distance was no problem for me. I had a great swim at my last triathlon and I wished that this swim segment could be longer because I felt so good. It was a great way to start the race! 

I completed the swim in 35:49, a pace of 1:51/100m. My pace was a pleasant surprise because it was much faster than I ever do for that kind of distance during training. The race environment, a current in the river, and the wetsuit may have all contributed.

When I got back to the ramp at the end of the swim there were two volunteers ready to pull me up.

I unzipped my wetsuit and pulled my arms out, then sat on the ground so two more volunteers could yank my suit off. I’ve never experienced the convenience of wetsuit strippers and it was AMAZING! I usually struggle for at least a minute or two because I can never get the legs off over my feet. Thanks to the volunteers that thing came flying right off!

We had been told that a shoe corral would be an option because the transition area was around .35 miles from the river. I took advantage of that and had my socks and shoes off to the side as I exited the “stripping” area. Since I love to run so much, it felt great to go flying down the path versus cautiously doing so in my bare feet.

My first transition time of 7:05 seems long but that included the run back from the river. As I headed out to ride I realized I had messed up the recording of the triathlon activity on my watch. I marked the transition as I left the swim, then out of habit I hit the button again when I got to the actual transition area. That put me into bike mode, so when I left transition, hitting the button again put me into the second transition. There’s no going back to fix it. I fumbled with my watch at the beginning of the ride and got it into bike mode to record all but the first couple miles. I still wanted to have a good guide for my distance and speed even though the segment wouldn’t be fully recorded. I’d just do the same during the run – record it separately as a run activity.

The elevation map for the bike ride looks MUCH more severe than it actually was. When I scoped out this race initially, I realized that the climb of 200 feet occurred over 10 miles which really wasn’t that bad. The course had more rolling hills along the whole course than I realized it would have. That kept it challenging but it wasn’t anything too severe for me even though I ride flat routes the majority of the time. 

We rode on a two-lane road that was open to traffic. There wasn’t much and the police directed traffic at any big turn or intersection. It made me happy whenever I rode past a farm that had cows, goats, horses, and even some friendly dogs running along the fence. 

I knew 56 miles might take me close to 3.5 hours to complete and it was going to be a long ride. I was SO thankful that it was cloudy and cool because I had two bottles on my bike and worried that wouldn’t be enough. There were a couple of stops where I could have grabbed a bottle of water or Gatorade which was reassuring to know, but I ended up staying hydrated enough with what I had. I had eaten one Picky Bar at the hotel and another in transition before the race. I ate one after 20 miles on the bike and another after 40 miles which seemed to work well. 

As usual, I rarely passed anyone – they passed me. When some were still catching me halfway into the race I reminded myself that I must have had a really good swim to maintain a head start for that long. I know that the bike is my weakness and I went through my usual moments of thinking how slow I am but I tried not to dwell on it. However, riding into a headwind from miles 30-36 did not help my insecurity. I felt like I was dragging SO much and it really kind of sucked. I slowed to an average of 14-15 mph while I’d been more in the range of 16-18 mph in the miles prior to that section. When I made the turn off that stretch I was SO relieved. 

Then it turned into a matter of counting down what was left. 20 miles to go! 16 miles – that’s “only” an hour left! When I passed the 50-mile sign I celebrated and told myself I was awesome for having done that much. I was extremely ready to get off of my bike seat. At least the rain held off for most of the ride and it just sprinkled a little bit. I was worried about water on my glasses blocking my view and there wasn’t enough to do that. By the time I finished the ride and it was time to dismount, there had been just enough rain for the volunteers to warn that it was getting a little slick. I am SO thankful I managed to avoid that lack of traction during the race. I finished the ride in 3:23:47.

When I headed toward transition I found Lisa and Anthony waiting! It was so nice to see them and all I could say was that I hated sitting on the bike that long. Thanks to Lisa for snagging a picture.

I spent 1:54 in transition and groaned as I started to run. It’s never easy right off of the bike and it was especially hard after 56 miles. Even though it felt rough, I managed to run the first mile in 8:31 – not too bad. The run is usually my strength so I was glad to get to that part of the race. It went well for a few miles but there were some hills that started to slow me down. Both Olympic and half runners were out on the course and the half people had two loops to do. Even though I felt like I was struggling, I saw people who were having a harder time than I was.

The rain had picked up which I didn’t mind because at least I stayed cool. I ate Clif Bloks with 3x sodium every couple miles, drank an electrolyte drink from my hydration belt, and grabbed a cup of water now and then from the aid stations. After racing for so long I began to question if it was time to stop at a porta potty. I thought about how it might make the run feel more comfortable! I kept questioning it throughout the run but once I got to the last few miles I told myself I would be able to make it and couldn’t stop at that point. That’s one tricky part about doing a race that takes so long.

I kept running the whole time but it definitely got tough. By the eighth mile I slowed down to an 8:52 mile. I sped up a little, then had a couple miles over a 9:00 pace. I picked it up a little after that and it was probably a matter of the placement of the hills. They definitely wore on me. 

Whenever I wasn’t struggling too much I tried to smile, nod, or share words of encouragement with other runners. It’s cool how supportive people can be when we’re all pushing ourselves through the same difficult thing. I saw a guy who I recognized during my first loop so I was on the lookout during the second loop. I questioned, “Marathon Don?” when I saw him again. When he confirmed that it was him I told him that he was awesome. It was Don Kern, the race director of the Grand Rapids Marathon. It made me smile to see him out there and I caught up with him again for a short chat later as I left the race.

My legs were stiff and it was quite a grind to get through the run. I felt better running the Boston Marathon than I did running half the distance at this race. What a surprise – a half Ironman felt hard? I kept pushing and finished strong, running the half marathon in 1:53:33 and completing the race in 6:02:06.

At that point the feeling of accomplishment was minor since I was more preoccupied with feeling glad that I was done and wanting to sit down. Coming to a sudden stop after six hours of activity is probably not ideal and I wanted to make sure I didn’t fall over and pass out! 

I knew I should eat so I pulled myself up after a few minutes to check out the selection. I started with a muffin, croissant, piece of pizza, and chocolate milk. I went back for a second round of mac and cheese and another slice of pizza. 

Eventually I knew I better get up and I took another photo to celebrate the accomplishment.

After sitting in the rain for too long I knew I needed to get to the transition area soon to get my jacket. Temps in the 60s and a steady rain combined with my falling body temperature had me cooling down quickly. I didn’t want to move but knew I had to!

All of my stuff in the transition area was wet so that was a mess to clean up. Using the garbage bags had helped some though. I wondered if my legs would cooperate to ride my bike back to the car. Fortunately I was fine going at a slow pace in an easy gear and followed a couple other athletes who did the same thing. I was extremely thankful that the rain came later in the day because the lack of traction was noticeable for that short ride. It would not have been good for a 56-mile ride!

By the time I packed my stuff in the car, being cold and wet had become more problematic. Even though it happens often following my runs in cool temps, it’s worrisome when I start to lose color in my fingers. This phenomenon – Raynaud’s – tends to hit a little while after I’ve stopped activity and my body has cooled down too much. I had to crank the heat in the car for a good 10 minutes to bring the color back to my fingers before I started to drive home.

I definitely feel proud and accomplished for finally achieving this goal. Despite worries that I hadn’t trained enough on the bike, I knew I could do it and I DID. I certainly didn’t come away from the experience with ambitions to attempt a full Ironman. I won’t say never though. Nearly three and a half hours on the bike was more than enough and the half marathon that followed felt pretty rough. Yet it was rough in a good way that made me feel like a badass for pushing through. Part of me always questions what I could do to improve, driving me to want to tackle it again. I have a feeling there could be more 70.3 races in my future.

– Janet
Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz and Twitter @reidphotography

As a runner and a former swimmer who could ride a bike, I decided to start doing some triathlons in 2013. Ten years later, I’m so glad I got sucked into challenging myself with these crazy multisport adventures. Saturday, June 3 marked the start of another season with the Island Lake Triathlon in Brighton, MI. It’s the fifth time I’ve done the Olympic distance (1500m swim, 40K bike, 10K run) there, and it has been hosted by Epic Races for four of those years. 

This year I was chosen to be an ambassador for Epic Races. That basically means I help spread the love for their races and encourage others to join in on the fun. (I have a 10% discount to share if anyone wants to do an Epic race!) Despite being an ambassador, my recap is not biased in any way. I genuinely love the experiences they provide and have always raved about them in the past. There’s a good reason I’ve done this race with them four times now!

This year the race served an additional purpose – a practice run before making my first planned attempt at the half iron distance (70.3 miles) the following weekend. Even though I’ve done plenty of triathlons, there are so many logistics involved and a lot of gear to remember. I have checklists so there’s no reason for me to forget anything, yet the first race of the season is always a bit nerve-wracking. This race would remind me that I know what I’m doing and help ease some of my worrying.

Island Lake Recreation Area is about an hour from home. I got there around 6:00 which was an hour and a half before the start of the race. Having plenty of extra time helps reduce my stress levels. Worrying, stress…I realize now that people might question why I do this to myself? I really do think it’s fun – honest!

I admired the gorgeous sunrise as I collected my stuff at the packet pickup.

I was able to park in the lot right by the transition area so everything was close and easy. The transition area was set up based on gender and age group so I found my appropriate spot and picked a place to rack my bike.

It’s always nice to chat with others in the transition area. Some people are new and can use a little bit of guidance and reassurance. Others may have done a ton of triathlons but still have their own concerns. I talked to a woman from the Cleveland area for a bit and we took pictures for each other, plus she asked to take a selfie with me. 

Eventually I made my way down to the beach to get in the water for a couple of minutes. I’m not sure what the water temperature was but it felt just right with my sleeveless wetsuit and probably would have felt totally fine without one. I’ll take any help I can get though and the buoyancy of the wetsuit certainly helps. 

The pre-race meeting helped clarify how the swim course would work. It seems like Kent Lake has issues with seaweed growth every year and race directors have to get creative with marking a swim course that will avoid as much of it as possible. From the shore it always seems like there are a bunch of buoys out there in the lake and I can’t quite tell how it all works. It didn’t help that we’d head right into the sun either. I knew it would all be fine because the Olympic-distance men would start first and I could watch them while I waited for my turn. 

We had a “time-trial” kind of start where people are supposed to place themselves in line based on how fast they’ll be. I just figured I should go somewhere in the middle. People started every few seconds which is SO much less stressful than a mass start.

I started around 7:45 and attempted to run through the water where it was still a bit too shallow for swimming. That turned into more effort than I liked after a minute. I realized later that it may help to duck down instead of dragging through the water standing straight up. When I did start to swim, it was really hard to see where I should aim. I could barely see the buoys because of the sun and it was disorienting. I just followed the people in front of me and at some point I could see a little better. 

We swam between the orange buoys, turned around a couple of yellow buoys, then headed back. It always gets congested making those turns and the second one was a pretty major pinch point. We could only swim a couple people wide between the buoy and the volunteer on a stand up paddle board. I got a little frustrated but got through it soon enough. Then I swam back to the beach, got out of the water to run around a buoy on the shore, and went back into the water for a second loop. 

I had a few moments of annoyance when I got too close to someone and had to tread water for a few seconds to avoid a collision, or when I found myself wanting to get between a couple people but there wasn’t much space. Those moments pretty much always happen and I know to expect it. I think trying to get around people helps me speed up versus what I would do if I was comfortable with all of the space I needed. Despite my initial trepidation about not being able to see, the swim went really well. I snagged little strings of seaweed a few times but it really wasn’t an issue for me. 

I know the photographer Greg Sadler, so when I saw him on the shore it made me smile extra big for the photos. I got through the swim, which was around 1500m, in 27:04.

I ran into the transition area and dealt with the usual battle of trying to get the wetsuit off around my feet. The ankle openings are so tight I can never manage to do that smoothly and I wasted some time. I noticed that many of the bikes were still on the racks so I must have done pretty well in the swim. I was still doing okay even as I spent 3:10 in transition.

Next it was time for 24 miles on the bike. Like the swim (and the run) the Olympic athletes did two loops of the course. Since this was my fifth time racing on the course the ride was very familiar to me. There are plenty of rolling hills to keep it challenging but nothing overly difficult. I do most of my riding on fairly flat trails and I can still manage the course well enough. I always figure the speed I gain on the downhills helps make up for my lack of speed on the uphills!

The first loop went well aside from a little out-and-back stretch just east of the transition area at the end that seemed to slow me down. The park was still open to the public and I had to be more cautious in that stretch because some people tried to park as we rode through. I think there may be a bit of a gradual climb there as well.

During the second loop I ate a Picky Bar that I had stashed in a back pocket. I was thankful that I didn’t hit any bumps to send my bar flying out of the wrapper. I learned that lesson the hard way at this race last year so I made a point of watching the road surface before I ate my bar. Things went smoothly eating, drinking, and riding! 

The out-and-back loop just before the end of the bike course seemed to slow me down even more the second time around. I’m not sure if it was due to dodging a couple of stopped cars or my tired legs, but I had my slowest mile of the ride in that segment. I started to wonder if my tires could be a factor. In the last month or two I realized that my back tire was flat the day after a ride and I know it shouldn’t drain that quickly. In the days before the race BOTH of the tires started doing that. I’ve been okay through a few longer rides but I know I’ve been pressing my luck by not taking care of it. It’s possible that I could have been losing air pressure, but maybe I was just ready to be done on the bike which is my weakest of the three segments anyway. I rode just over 24 miles in 1:26:24. According to my Garmin I averaged 16.8 mph which is actually a tiny bit faster than last year. Maybe my tires held up enough after all.

I transitioned from the bike to the run in about a minute then had a 10K to run. Plenty of people were out on the run course from a mixture of all of the different races – mini-sprint, sprint, and Olympic distances. It always makes me feel good when I can catch people on the run since it’s usually my biggest strength. I didn’t fly along especially fast this time though.

It was an out-and-back course on a paved path that was mostly flat, but there are a couple of hills that are challenging. I didn’t pay much attention to my pace and just did whatever I felt I could do at that point. After the fact, I see that I started around an 8:00 pace for the first mile and gradually slowed down with each mile, hitting 8:30s for the fourth and fifth miles. The temperature was in the mid-70s at that point which wasn’t necessarily too hot, but it still felt warm enough. I always dread the climb up the grassy hill at the beginning of the second loop. It’s just brutal. However, at least we flew down a hill right before the end of the race. 

As I approached the finish it made me smile when Alise from Epic Races screamed her head off with encouraging words. She was the best hype person! I knew I had to give Greg Sadler a big smile for my photos and I finished strong.

48:23 for the run which came in at 5.8 miles on my watch and an average pace of 8:22 per mile. I finished in 2:45:56 overall.

I took a minute or two to recover before heading straight to the food – one of the major highlights of doing a race with Epic! Pancakes, egg wraps, cookies, ice cream sandwiches – so many great options. I like to reward myself with treats at the end so I’m always happy when a race offers more than a granola bar and a banana. They had a beer garden area as well.

I chatted with a couple people about how our races went and swapped photo duties with one woman as we posed in front of the backdrop. I had a coaster to pose with since I collected one for winning my age group!

I headed toward the finish line to encourage others who came through. I found a woman who I know from the gym and chatted with her as she waited for another gym friend to finish. It was nice to catch up with them before heading out for the day.

I felt good during the race and know I gave it a solid effort so I was satisfied with how it went. Winning my age group was a bonus! In general, I placed somewhere in the middle of all of the participants: 51st out of 111. I was 6th out of 27 for women so I did pretty well there! It’s interesting to see that the Olympic race had a significantly higher number of men. The numbers were a little closer in the other races. It’s also interesting to see how I placed in each discipline. Usually the run is my best segment but this time I placed 33rd versus 24th in the swim. It’s kind of a pleasant surprise to see that I did fairly well in the swim. The bike is always my letdown – 86th out of 111. Oh well, I just do what I can!

This was a great way to begin another triathlon season. Things went so smoothly that it definitely helps reassure me as I head to Grand Rapids to tackle the half iron distance on June 11. I’m ready for this, I really am! That’s what I keep trying to tell myself!

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz and Twitter @reidphotography