I am a cyclist. From here on out I’m done with the “I’m a runner on a bike” line. How did I come to this revelation? On my way to placing 6th in my age group and qualifying for the World Championship Duathlon in Spain! YES! I did it. But, like many things you want badly enough, it was not easy to come by.
First off, many of you read my trip into airline hell on my way out to Tucson for the race. After arriving 12 hours later then expected, I collapsed into bed bleary-eyed and defeated. I woke to this:
I’m not in CT anymore!
With this view and a fresh pot of coffee, anything was possible. After breakfast with palm trees and plenty of warm sunshine, I went to the packet pick-up and expo conveniently down the hall in the gorgeous hotel. Luckily, my bike (with two brand new shiny tires!) was waiting for me. I was like an excited mom picking up her kid from school for the first time. I was that happy to see my bike. There was a buzz of excitement at the expo and after getting my packet and swag bag, I made my way back to the room with my bike.
Hello dear bike! Oh how I’ve missed you.
I immediately tried to figure out exactly where the race start was in relation to the hotel. Good to know, right? I realized it was about 5 miles away but no biggie on my bike, which I wanted to test out on the road anyway and shake off my nerves a bit. Also, during my six hours at LAX the previous day, I spoke with a nice stranger who asked me how I was going to deal with the elevation in Tucson for the race. Um, the what? Isn’t Tucson a flat freakin desert? What elevation? After a quick Google search I realized that Tucson is over 2,000 feet above sea level! My hometown? It’s 286. Air is overrated in endurance sports, right? After an emergency call to my best friend back East I was relieved to find out that A.) she also did not know about the elevation and B.) after she finished laughing at me, assured me that I would be able to overcome it. Ok. Sure.
Without further delay, I get simple instructions from a USAT (USA Triathlon) employee about the race start in relation to the hotel. She assures me it’s a totally do-able ride and is only about 5 miles away. Perfect. Except when I go back to my room to get my bike with it’s two new tires, one of them is flat. FLAT! Ok, don’t panic, there’s an entire crew of people downstairs who literally live to fix bikes. I bring it over to the crew who is there just for that reason and, a sweet angel of a man actually shows me how to fix a flat! Hallelujah people, I’m becoming a cyclist! It’s hard as hell and there’s no way I would ever be able to do it in a race under that kind of pressure (especially since I don’t have a pump on my bike!) but at least I now know the basics and actually did it myself. Go me.
SWAG! How did they know to include my Chomps?
With yet another obstacle behind me, I hop on my bike and hit the road. Which is actually more like a highway and the wind is whipping off the towering ridge of the Catalina mountain range. No worries. Head down and onward. I make the first turn and then start looking for the next and final turn. Not seeing it. One more mile, then two, then three and I stop. I check my GPS but there’s no signal. Shit. I ask two complete strangers because I’m now in a McDonald’s parking lot in the middle of Tucson in 85 degree weather the day before a very important race – lost. They are extremely nice but don’t know where the road I’m looking for is either. They think it’s still further along so off I go, hoping and praying it’s the next light…and then the next, but it’s not. I’ve now ridden 10 miles away from the hotel, in the heat, the day before a very important race. The only things giving me solace are my two inflated tires, my cellphone and the money I packed because now I’m starving.
Doesn’t everyone do a 20-mile “warm-up” ride in the desert? I’m smiling because I now know where I am and there’s this:
One of my old haunts when I lived in LA! You evil temptress.
I head back toward the hotel actually yelling into the wind since no one can hear me and I need to get all this aggression out somehow! It was very therapeutic. Not only did I exercise my demons but I found the elusive Innovation Drive I had been searching for. I missed it because it was not marked by even one damn sign except a very small one that can only be seen if you’re coming from the opposite direction. What the &*^%!
So, 20 miles under my belt and sweating like a pig but – a pig in shit because I had zero trouble breathing! I promptly text my friend “Air is for wusses” and am confident once more.
That night, I check my tires for air no less then 957 times before I go to bed. I wake-up no less then 957 times during the night because I’m a ball of anxiety and excitement…and deathly afraid I will sleep through my alarm or that there will be a solar flare which will render my cellphone useless and therefore the alarm will never go off. Neither of these things happen since I’m up before the alarm at 4:45am raring to go!
I take a quick shower, choke down as many carbs and proteins as I can, and start the process of tattooing myself with my race numbers:
You can guess how easy these were to remove afterward. They were on my legs too!
I finally head out the door with my bike (and two inflated tires) and backpack filled with everything I need to transition at 6:15am. I step out into cold air and darkness. I have to ride to the start, there’s no other way for me to get there, so I just suck it up and start riding. I pray that I’m not killed by a semi (or more likely in Tucson, a senior citizen) en route since I’m sure no one can see me. Not smart but a girls gotta do…
By the time I get to the transition area, I can’t feel my hands or toes. No biggie, I have at least an hour until my wave starts which is surely enough time for my blood to resume normal flow. I set up my bike real nonchalantly like I’ve totally done this thousands of times before. I try to ignore the fact that all around me are Team USA Tri and Du-athletes. How do I know? Because they look like goddamn Olympians in their “Team USA” warm-ups and tri-suits that actually have their names on them with TEAM USA all over their asses. I shit you not. Luckily for me there were also a ton of regular humans racers like me and everyone was very nice and just as nervous and anxious as I was. Athletes are awesome like that.
We laugh at you mere mortals trying to compete with us!
My new friend Jen from Ohio took this of me and saved you all from another selfie.
Start time! It was just like any other race (which is what I was telling myself in my head!) and when the horn sounded I took off like a shot. I knew I needed to be extra competitive in the runs to make up for my less then stellar time on the bike. I quickly realized that my fears of being last would not come to fruition…at least not on the run! I thought about a good friend of mine who told me she would be running a 5K as fast as she could at the same time I was but on the east coast…and on a treadmill…we were linked and I had someone “with” me, toeing the line. The first mile flew by in 6 min flat and then started to go downhill. What’s that you ask…there’s hills in Tucson? Oh you bet your sweet ass they found the few there are and made sure they were a part of this race both on the run and the bike. Damn you USAT course makers! The further we ran downhill the more I realized how much climbing back up I was in for. Luckily all that hill training I constantly do back home was filling me with confidence and, perhaps, an edge. I sped into transition with a 20:38 first 5K in the books. I took less then a minute to get on my bike and out onto the double loop course.
Tires don’t fail me now!
I nestled into my aero bars and peddled like hell! Eventually, like in all the bike races I do, I was passed by several women. It’s extremely challenging to keep your mental game up when you’re now getting passed by all the women you just passed on the run. I knew it would happen but when it does, it sucks. I shook it off and just.kept.peddling. Up and down hills, across bridges, and up and down more. I also did my share of passing and held my place by the second loop. My legs were screaming and my back was aerodynamically pissed when I flew myself into the transition once again. Bike time: 1:08:05. My husband was there cheering me on and smiling like crazy. It was just the boost I needed.
Back out on the run, I now knew what was ahead of me. The sun was in full blaze and I was feeling the true meaning of endurance. This is where volunteers can make or break a race. The volunteers at this one were fantastic. They must have either been athletes themselves or have graduated from the University of Motivation with a degree in proper water hand-off. There was plenty of water and not one volunteer missed a hand-off to me. This is rare. Not only that but the team at the top of the hill, which signaled less then a quarter mile to the finish, was actually demanding we “Get up that hill! Get up here now! Come on, get up here with us!” Perfection.
As I rounded the corner to the finish cute I thought about all my friends and family; the people who support me so unbelievably and unconditionally. All the text messages, phone calls and comments on my site to “kick ass” and “search and destroy” and “we’re all rooting for you” came back to me at just that moment and I thanked each and every one of you for helping me reach my goal. I hope you heard me!
When all was said and done, my stats were:
1st 5K (3 miles): 20:38
23 mile bike: 1:08:35
2nd 5K (3 miles): 21:52
Overall time: 1:53:12
Age group 35-39 place: 6th out of 25
Female overall: 33rd out of 133
Best of all? I qualified to represent the USA at the World Championship Duathlon in Spain this June!
I did it! Now I need wine.
I want to do it just so I can have a one-piece tri-suit with TEAM USA and the name BURDICK on my ass. I swear to God I will never take it off, even when I go to the grocery store and Target! Just try to stop me.
Have you ever entered a race just for the swag? What’s the most ridiculous thing you ever wore in public?
Truly awesome and huge congrats. So very exciting that your qualified for Spain and seriously am so proud of you. Hope the flight home was much better then the flight there, too 🙂
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled!! Thank God the flight home was uneventful…as it should be.
You.Are.A.Rock.Star! Congrats! And you better book that flight to Spain now because I want to see Burdick proudly displayed on your bad ass to represent the U.S.A.!!! So proud of you!!
Thanks so much Nicole!! I will wear it proudly!
ROAR-you failed to mention 33rd out of 133 before- another amazing stat! I can’t wait to see that suit-I think it should be purple, made by Athleta and say ROAR somewhere! You are such an amazing competitor and I couldn’t be more inspired by your crushing defeat and your ability to stare fear in the face and say, ‘bring it on’. You are an ATHLETE-nothing can stop you! Bring it on Spain! *I’ll check out the elevation before you start training…
Ha ha ha!!! Yes! I will be checking all elevations from now on!
I’ve told you time and again but I could not do all this without YOU! Thank you (once again) for talking me down off the ledge and reminding me to ROAR! You deserve a matching suit with “support crew” on it!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! what an awesome story this morning, you blew the socks off that race!! (is that an expression? i dont know, its still early, so im sticking with it) you know, you really make it hard for normal people to come up with excuses. like allie kicked a duathlon’s butt, i can certainly go to the gym today. or allie kicked a duathlons butt, i can certainly get to work on time today 🙂 ah so happy for you!!!!
I think you just invented an awesome term. I’m so stealing that! Thanks so much Charlotte now go to work and then hit the gym!!:-)
YOU.ARE.AMAZING!!! I am not even lying, but the second I realized I had ridden off course I would have quit. I know, I know, it was only during the warm-up, but STILL!! Seriously, I am just constantly blown away by you and your commitment to fitness! You rock! Now, are you headed to Spain??!!-Ashley
Believe me, after that flight and then getting lost, I just wanted to cry!! Thank you so much for always supporting me and making me laugh!! It goes a long way!! As for Spain, I’m 99% sure I’m going. I mean, how could I not?? Just some logistics to work out…
This is amazing!!! Your times are inspiring and making me feel lazy!! LOL Thank you for stopping by on my SITS day…hope to see you again soon!!
Ha ha!! Thank you!! Enjoy being queen blogger today!! You’ve earned it.
This is AMAZING! You are so inspiring. And what a crazy stressful day before… seems like that’s often how it goes before an awesome race. Huge congrats, Ali!! I LOVE that you qualified for Spain!! Definitely wear that get up all over town. 🙂
Thank you so much Laura!! It does often happen that way, doesn’t it? That’s why you can’t give up or give in. What doesn’t kill us…:-)
WooHoo!!! I’ve been excited to read this ever since you told me your place yesterday – and qualifying to go to Spain?! So awesome!!! You are a total rockstar and your local paper better give you front page coverage!!!
Way to go!!!
Ha ha!! LOVE the comment about the paper – you are awesome. Thanks so much Kim! I was so excited to tell you!!
So great! Congrats on a stellar race out there. Heck yeah you can hang with Team USA! Very, very happy for you.
Thank you so much!! I so appreciate it!
Congrats Allie! You are totally a rock star and pretty chiseled too 😉 You are too funny. I was anxious with all the mishaps, but I was more excited to hear how you’d overcome them. Awesome finish. You so deserve a Team USA suit and your name on your behind.
Thank you so much Hope!! It just goes to show that you should never give up!!
Congrats again Allie!!! Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. ALL the HARD, HARD work/training and yes it has paid off with an unbelievable year of accomplishments/PR’s. YOU ROCK and inspire me soooo much.
Keep going Girl. Watch out Spain!
Thank you so much Fydo! I was in tears when I got your text. Just that you were thinking of me made me feel like I could do it!! YOU inspire ME!
{Melinda} You are a BEAST! 😉 So awesome to see someone’s hard work over many years pay off for them!! So happy for you! You are an inspiration!
Thank you so much! All the years of hard work definitely have paid off. It was worth all of it!
You look amazing hun! Great job! You went all around the world to do this but, job well done! I am happy for you. I am thinking my Cotillion dress was quite ridiculous, lol!
You must post a picture of you in that dress now! Thanks Joi!!
First of all, congratulations on such an amazing finish! I am so in awe of your ability! You are a fierce competitor and to be able to go to Spain is unreal!!! Second, how on earth did your new tires get flat in the trip over to Az??? Third, that photo of the hotel is gorgeous. You must have had an amazing time!
Thank you!! I have no clue how a new tire goes flat. They think *maybe* someone didn’t close the valve all the way before putting the cap on and it caused a slow leak. I’m just glad it happened BEFORE the race!
After the race was over and I could truly relax, it was really nice to be at such a beautiful resort in the sun!!
Holy cow, Allie! Are you going to Spain? Can I come with you?? I guess we’ll have to meet in CT first so it’s not awkward when I follow you to Spain. Ah, I kid.
You are all awesome. When I’m anxious or nervous for something, I struggle with things like eating, sleeping and..doing anything active. How could I ever enter a race? I suppose if it were to be my “thing” I’d find a way.
That Vegas view is killing me. And the 286 feet thing made me crack up.
I think it would be kind of cool if we were to meet for the first time in Spain! Maybe I can hire you to be my “official” photographer? Now that would be a dream come true!!
Thanks so much Tamara!
Allie!! Congratulations!! That’s so awesome and amazing! So happy for you. And OMG just read your travel story too. What the what??? Your travel was much worse than my stupid subway mistake. I’m so glad that you decided to travel out there a day earlier and so glad you made it OK. I think that the trip to Spain will call for you to travel a full week beforehand, yes? You know, just in case?
Thank you so much Christine! Yes, I will absolutely be leaving ample time to travel to Spain and will probably hire a travel agent so I don’t have to deal with anyone but them if things get messy. I’ve learned my lesson.
Just saw your picture on Instagram with Kristi Yamaguchi!! How cool!!
I think I would have stopped at In and Out Burger and never reappeared. Salute to you!
I seriously thought about it!!
Thank you!
All I can say is holy crap! You are amazing!
I would have been a crying mess after not finding the road I was looking for. You sure know how to keep your mind clear!
I would totally wear the outfit everywhere too. But I have to say that I’m not sure I can top a unitard. 🙂
Who can, really? Ha ha!! Thanks Carla!
I don’t really enter races for the swag but some of the races I do every year have some pretty nice swag. The awesome after party doesn’t hurt either. I don’t think I’ve worn anything ridiculous in public but that really is a question best answered by my boys! 🙂
Also, you totally rock! That was so awesome. And you were worried??
I WAS worried!! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted and I don’t have a “real” race until the end of Feb so I’m just going on cruise control for a little bit.
Oh no – don’t ask the boys – they probably think everything is ridiculous!! Thanks again Kris:-)
Allie! I am so, so happy for you, and so, so impressed. I was on the edge of my seat reading your play by play, which is kinda silly because you told us at the beginning how it ended. Your enthusiasm was just that contagious. And Spain? Wow. Did I mention how happy I am for you?
That was the desired effect! Thanks so much Dana!! I was bursting (and blabbing all over FB and Twitter and Instagram) about the outcome of the race so why wait until the end?
I AM SO IMPRESSED. And do you need someone to come cheer you on in Spain? Can I drink lots of Spanish red wine while doing it? If so, I am IN. 🙂 Honestly, so impressed, very great.
YES! I absolutely need a cheering section and women who can throw down and drink afterward. Sounds like you can do both! Thanks Allison!
Spain qualifier?! I am so impressed. Congrats!!!!
Thank you! I’m SO excited…and now must start learning Spanish.
I have no words for how amazing you are. You are my fitness superhero. You have qualified for SPAIN? Please go. I need to tell all my friends that I know you.
You killed those 5k numbers– especially the second one after biking for so long!! omg!! are you sure you are human? I would have freaked out if I saw TEAM USA all around me!! But you my friend are SO strong and so awesome and I am SO proud of you, I am glad our words helped because I even told my hubby what you were doing and how I was wishing you had the best race ever. BIG HUGS>you did a great job. DESPITE the plane ride from hell.
I will stop gushing now.
No, please continue gushing!! Ha ha!! Thank you so much. I’m going to do everything I can (bribe my husband) to get to Spain. My dad is already booking his flights and offering all the help with the kids plus, Spanish is his first language so clearly he needs to come with us!
I absolutely thought about you and ALL my blogging friends going into that finish line. Thank you so much for your support – it truly means so much to me!!
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us through your blog, you’re an inspiration and a delight! Just wanted to mention never look for signs in the freaking desert!! When Dave and I got married in Vegas, we decided to go for a ride in the desert the next day (I wanted to check out Area 51 and the Alien Super Highway, my wonderful husband indulged me). We drive for HOURS looking for a turn. Nope, no signs. Finally we lucked into finding a gas station and the guy there said the route we were looking for was clearly marked. When we turned around and finally found the sign it was behind a pole and only visible from the opposite direction we had been traveling LOL
Flights from hell and flat tires aren’t gonna stop you. Congratulations!
And just so you know, as great as your record was in the race, with your flat tire record you are officially banned from every coming near any of my cars.
OMG you are so funny – I am laughing out loud!! I don’t blame you. I shouldn’t be allowed in parking lots!!
Thanks Karen.
Stopping in from SITS. Sounds like you had an awesome race! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and reading. It was definitely a great race day for me!
Wow.Wow.Wow. You are awesome. And you are a damn good writer too as I feel like I was watching every move you made:) Congrats!!
You just made my day with that comment! Thank you so much Leah!!
Congratulations! Thank you for this post! I love stories like this, where I feel I am part of the action and have such an inspiring message. Plus I love the great smile you have in your pictures! I am excited for the place you finished in, but I am equally excited about the accomplishment. Way to go!
Thank you so much!! It made all the hard work and training and sacrifice worth it. I couldn’t help but smile!
Holy cow reading your story was stressing me out for you! Then I told myself she is tuff she will be fine and sure enough YOU DID AMAZZZZZZZZING. HOly smokes on your 5k time to then jump on a bike and keep up the endurance then to jump off the bike and kill the 5k AGAIN. By golly you are such an inspiration! to be honest you are the first person I’ve ever heard of doing a duathlon (this is all so new to me) but it looks super intense yet fun. CONGRATS on representing USA you are the perfect person to get to spain and kick some butt and show them that we’ve got hot moms that kick ass – dont mess 🙂
Thank you so much!! I really have grown to love the Duathlon – first of all because there’s no swimming and second because you get a break from running. It’s really a fun way to mix things up! Thanks again Holly!!!
Will you take me to SPAIN with you?!?!? When is this race???
Absolutely! It’s in June. I haven’t gotten all the details yet but I’m brushing up on my Spanish!
Congrats! I can’t believe you got a flat but I’m glad you learned how to change one. I never learned and I don’t think I am ever going to, because if I ever go biking, it is with my husband! (And I don’t want to learn. How lazy is that? But I am admitting it!) I am so glad the race went well and I think you should go to Spain!
Thanks so much Michelle! We are definitely going to Spain and I’m SO excited. I don’t blame you one bit about changing a tire. If I had someone to ride with who knew how to do it, I wouldn’t bother learning!!
Congratulations! What an amazing accomplishment! As I read your times I was like, ummm, yeah, someone would need to be chasing me for me to run that fast! haha You shouldn’t even consider not going to Spain, you’ve got to get that onesie!
HA! Yes, that’s exactly what it is – a onesie!! How did I not think of that? Love it!! And, yes, we’re SO going to Spain. We’re bringing the grandparents and the kids and making it a vacation. I cannot wait!! Thanks again Stephanie!!
Too funny, I can’t believe I found this while I was searching for info about worlds.
I ended up driving your husband to the start–he was standing outside the hotel looking a combination of stressed and clueless. After determining that he was not a serial killer, I offered him a ride. So glad that he found you and got there in time to cheer. I was doing the sprint so had a leisurely start to my morning. Are you guys going to Spain? I am too (with family) and I believe your husband owes me a Sangria so we should figure out how to meet up if you are going.
OMG hellooooo!!!!! I’m so glad you found me! Thank you so much for getting him there or he would never have made it. Planning is not is forte. YES we (hubs, kids, grandparents) are all going to Spain and he absolutely owes you at least a Sangria. I’ll email you to the address you used to comment here.
Looking forward to meeting you!