Race Coverage

Sporty Wanderlusting...

Wednesday, 24 May 2017 23:10

By Cathy Yndestad (cathyyndestad.com)

Mallorca 70.3 Race Report - Travelling and exploring new cities has been delightfully routine since moving to Europe two years ago. Without knowing how long this euro adventure would last, we’ve made a pact to enjoy as much sporty wanderlust as possible. So far, it’s been a great ride!

We all race for different reasons, and after 15 years, I’m still drawn to the sport of triathlon. A movement filed lifestyle is critical for my mental and physical health, and triathlon has been the perfect therapy for me. Finding interesting race venues, while setting new race goals provides some direction and focus for my limited attention span.

With each season, and each unique race, my reasons for racing shift. Last year for example, I raced three triathlons (Rapperswil 70.3, Zug Tri, Alp D’Huez), did a few mountain runs, and spent a lot of time...

mindlessly climbing mountains on my bike while taking pictures of my beautiful alpine playground (posted on Strava). I did not do the focused training required for any meaningful improvement, and instead did plenty of research as part of my graduate studies internship. My less than ideal performance training did not stop me from pinning on the occasional race number, as racing provided guided opportunities to explore new areas – Racecations!!

This year however, I wanted a bit more structure and purpose with my training. I craved more from my athletic self. There’s still so much to learn and experience, and I’ve always felt that honing my own training/racing strategies helps sharpen my skills as a Coach. I’ll forever be a student of the sport. My formal master’s degree studies were coming to and end, and the timing was perfect to channel more energy back to sport.

At the beginning of the year, I decided I wanted to race the 70.3 World Championships in Chattanooga. Therefore, I needed to find a qualifying race, and subsequently perform well enough to earn my entry. That was the goal. Given the timing of a few other life events, Mallorca 70.3 and it’s challenging bike course fit my needs perfectly.  READ MORE