Oregon 70.3 2025

My first 70.3 back postpartum as a mother of 2 kids! I signed up for this race last year, when I was pregnant with Riley. I didn’t really know what to expect from this race. But that made it easier in some ways. No pressure, no big goals, I just wanted to do this for me. Training is my outlet, my “me” time, the thing that makes me a better mom for my kids. I was very lucky to have a healthy pregnancy and was able to stay active throughout my pregnancy. I was very diligent in doing strength training and pelvic floor work almost daily until Riley was born. Immediately after she was born, I continued to do pelvic floor exercises. Then around 6 weeks postpartum, I resumed biking, swimming, and run/walking. So, when people ask me, how long did you train for? I am always training… This is a lifestyle.

Saturday:

The day before the big race! We got to the athlete village early for Ryan's IronKids race! I love that Ironman incorporates the kids into race weekend. Ryan always looks forward to HIS race. This year he did the 1 mile! I raced with him and when the gun went off, he went full throttle! Weaving between kids and making a breakaway! Luckily he soon slowed down so I could catch up to him! When he got tired, we did “slow running”. Still running, but just not all out sprint. He ended up finishing with a 9:14 pace! So proud of him!

Next up it was time for a  quick bike ride on the course. I met up with my teammate Kimberly and athlete Andrew. We did a 30 min easy ride on the course. I ended up getting stung by a bee! It was throbbing pretty bad, but luckily didn’t affect my race at all.

We had lunch at Jersey Mikes, checked my bike in, and then had an early dinner with Olive Garden. In bed by 8pm and asleep by 9:30!

Sunday: Race Day!

Race morning, we all got up at 4am. Both kids slept through the night, and we had to wake them up and get out the door in time. I actually got a solid 6 hours of sleep! I fed Riley and then got my race kit on, ate an English muffin with peanut butter, and a banana. I am usually so nervous race morning that I can hardly eat. But I almost had no nerves. I was more nervous about how Riley would do during the race and the logistics with the kids. It was the longest she would be without me.

I got to transition just before 5am, in the pitch black. I pumped up my tires first thing. 2 people in my row had popped tires. ALWAYS let air out of your tires the day before! I got my transition ready and went to the bathroom 1 more time before heading out. I nursed Riley before I got my wetsuit on and then lined up in the swim corral.

Swim:

Time: 20:21

12th place age group

I chatted with Kristin and Justin, local triathlon friends, and we walked the 1.2 miles to the swim start. I wanted to be near the front of the swim corral since I needed to get in the water asap so that I could finish the race and feed my baby again. I was probably one of the first 30-50 in the river. We walked down the staircase Ironman made and jumped off the dock into the fast-moving river. I had a pretty descent swim. I noticed a lot of athletes moving to the left of the river and figured it must be because the current was faster over there. But I didn’t want to spend energy to get over there and then all the way back to the right of the river to exit. I was swimming 500 yards in 3 minutes, which is ridiculously fast. I reminded myself to have FUN, people sign up for this race for the swim, so enjoy it! The exit actually approached faster than I thought, and I swam a little fit further than I would have liked. I did a good job of sighting though and made my way to the middle of the ramp and out of the water in a blazing time of 20 minutes! That was fun!

It was a long transition to the bike. I sped walked up the ramp and ran around a maze of cheering people. The wet suit strippers helped take off my wetsuit and then I continued into transition to go find my bike. I quickly got my helmet on, socks and bike shoes, used my transition neighbor’s sunscreen, and was out of there!

Bike:

Time 2:53:36

25^th place age group

Avg speed 19.3 MPH

Avg cadence 86 RPMS

NP: 147 watts

Calories: 300/ hour

Carbs: 75/ hour

I started the bike and I saw my family cheering for me! I was excited to see what I could do on this course after a long 18 month hiatus from the sport. I settled into a pretty good rhythm and just focused on spinning out the legs, breathing, and getting down nutrition asap. The weather was spectacular this year with cloud cover and temps in the 70s. I loved the rolling hills on the course and biking through the farmland. The halfway mark was a tight 180 turn up a hill and then back down, but I managed it just fine. It was fun biking back to transition and seeing so many Coeur teammates and friends racing! I took in all 3 bottles of my nutrition and lots of gels. I decided to stop at the last aid station and go to the bathroom. I was definitely hydrated!

Going into T2 I quickly racked my bike and switched my shoes and grabbed my hat.

 Run:

Time: 1:56:12

22^nd place age group

avg pace: 8 :49

Calories: 250/ hour

Carbs: 70/ hour

I ran out of the transition area and saw Tim, Riley, and Ryan! I gave Ryan a kiss and told Riley to have a good nap 😊 My heart rate was a bit high the first mile, so I told myself the exact same thing that I told Ryan during his IronKids race, run slow! You don’t have to stop, but you don’t have to push hard on the gas either, keep it steady. I told myself that several times out there on the course as well. The first 6 miles were actually really pleasant, and I felt pretty strong out there. I wasn’t really sure what to expect on the half marathon since I had only run up to 90 minutes a few times postpartum. So, when I was clocking some 8:30 min miles, I was more than happy with how far I have come in such a short amount of time! I was also really happy with how my nutrition went during the half marathon; I alternate with non-caffeinated and caffeinated Maurten gels and water at every other aid station. At mile 9 I switched to Coca-Cola and that gave me the energy I needed towards the end of the race. My legs were feeling really fatigued by mile 10 and I did my best to just keep moving, even if it was slow running. I hiked up Taco Bridge and I got the 2^nd wind that I needed to run to the fi

nish line!

Finish time: 5:19:44

16th / 92 age group

113rd / 827 female

597th / 2197 overall

I went right through the finish line and immediately to Riley. It felt so good to hold her again even though I was sweaty and tired. I nursed her in the lawn and scarfed down a fig bar and water. I was very proud of the day and ALL of the work that went into making the day happen.