One of those races that helps you start to regain the confidence you lost 💕 I came into this second pro race really with one main goal: finish (and not straight into the med tent from there). I didn’t prepare for the 90°+ heat, and race temps north of 80 have typically been a recipe for disaster for me (read: passed out on the side of the course, revived by an iv, etc), so my mind was less on the race itself and more on making sure I’d be able to make it to the finish on two feet. Coming off a powerless bike where I was mildly overheated from the Snow Canyon climb, I felt like I was in survival mode already. But after a couple miles easing into the run, grabbing every cup of ice imaginable, a switch flipped. I came away with my second fastest run ever, a strong negative split, and a P13 finish at the North American champs—a far cry from the “jog it in” run I was anticipating. I gave myself permission to push past the fears of racing hard in the heat that have been holding me back, and...