Linzanityfit Coaching

Musselman 70.3 Recap 🏊🏼‍♀️🚴🏽‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️

🏊 Swim: 36:35 (1:45/100yd, 20th AG)

Three minutes faster than my swim at Eagleman! Not quite as fast as my all-time fastest Musselman swim back in 2018 (34 minutes 😏), but maybe that’s still within reach one day.

🚴🏽‍♀️ Bike: 2:48:34 (20 mph, 11th AG)

I couldn’t quite find my normal power or speed on the bike, but I stayed steady and made the most of the day. Sometimes you just don’t have that extra zing and that’s okay.

The course was absolutely beautiful! I saw my husband three different times on the bike, and I have no idea how he managed to get to so many spots. Apparently he even caught me a fourth time… total paparazzi. 😂

Then rolling into T2, I spotted my parents with their noise makers and Ironman Support Crew shirts. Such a fun surprise!

🏃🏽‍♀️ Run: 1:44:23 (7:58/mile, 8th AG)

I knew I’d find my zing here. Time to start chasing.

The energy on the course was unreal. The first aid station was packed with my RAT friends cheering. Then Jessica Shields , Lynne Marie , and Rachael on the lead bikes gave me such a boost. My parents were waiting near the first turnaround, Michael Smith announced me over the microphone every time I ran past transition, Sarah Giambra McDonell and Rick were cheering near the Welcome Center, and my husband was perfectly positioned before the hill.

I was NEVER without seeing someone I knew every few minutes! It made the whole course feel electric!! 🫶🏽

At one point I was yelling to my parents, “Danielle’s parents are here! You should go find them!” 😂 Clearly I had my priorities straight.

Then my dad shouted, “You’re 9th in your age group!”

My immediate thought: Oh $h!t… I better get moving!

So I spent the next few miles hunting people down. I passed 27 girls, only for my dad to later tell me I’d slipped back to 10th. 😅

I just kept racing every step, chasing every second, and catching whoever I could. In the end, I worked my way back to 9th in my age group and ran my fastest half Ironman run ever by 2 minutes from last september. 13 minutes faster than Eagleman last month

⏱️ Total Time: 5:14:14
🥉 9th/65 AG
🏅 47th:605 Female Overall

Now, to get back to work.💯

What a fulfilling weekend at Musselman 70.3!

⏱️ 5:14
🥈 9th in my age group

Having my husband and my parents all over the course cheering me on made the day even more special. They’re total pros at spectating by now, and somehow they always make race day feel unforgettable.

One of the best parts of the weekend was seeing this amazing community show up. Five of my athletes had incredible races, seven of my athletes spent ALL day in the sun volunteering and cheering, Sarah Giambra McDonell and Rick surprise showed up to cheer on the run course (that was so sweet!!) and the Rochester Area Triathletes and Michael Smith were everywhere making this race run so smoothly. Every few minutes on the run course there was someone else I knew! The energy out on the course was absolutely electric!! ⚡️

I did this 4 or 5 times back in the OG days and last night I kept telling D 🔬🧬 , “We need to do this one every year now!!!” 🤣🫶🏽

Race recap and athlete spotlights coming later this week… I have so much to share! 🤩

Huge congratulations to my athlete, Karina Janicka Newhall on completing her very first 70.3 Half Ironman at Western Mass! 💙

Race day didn’t go exactly as planned with the swim being canceled and that’s usually her favorite part. But instead of letting that throw her off, she adapted, rolled with the punches of the day and had an incredible race.

She tackled the bike course with 2,500 feet of climbing, stayed strong coming in at 3:22, and then followed it up with a tough run in the heat, finishing in 2:03. More importantly, she stayed positive, trusted her training, and kept moving forward all day long.

Her family and some extended family came to cheer her on all day. Having that kind of support makes these finish lines even more special. How sweet is this photo?! 🥹

Your first 70.3 is something you’ll never forget, and you should be incredibly proud of everything you accomplished. This was a day that showed not just your fitness, but your resilience and determination to continue to get the most out of yourself!

Congratulations, Karina!! 👏🏅