Quintana Roo triathlete Jocelyn McCauley recently finished 10th at IRONMAN Worlds in Kona. We couldn't be more proud of her. We asked her a few questions about her race, plus she kindly shared her pre-race insights as well.

QR: How did you feel throughout the race? Did it start great, end great, terrible all day, great all day, etc?

It was one of those days when nothing was clicking. I had a PR swim but started cramping early on which continued through the whole day. In the end though I made up 8 minutes in the last 9 miles to get 10th so I can’t complain too much!

QR: When things get mentally hard, what brings you back to focus?

Exactly, it’s when things get hard, not if! There are different mental challenges every race but my coping mechanisms are the same. I visualize my race at least 20 times before toeing the line. When I visualize, I don’t only see the good, smooth, happy moments, but also the hard, trying, and “I want to quit” moments. Planning for what you will think about during those moments helps when you are in those moments. There are a couple of things that redirect my focus: my family, the investments my team has put into my races, my friends, the people who want to and can’t, the hard times I’ve been through and learned from, the good workouts I’ve executed, and when things get really dark I pray to God for help.

QR: What was the hardest leg of the race?

Swimbikerun Really, it was just a hard day all around! There were dark moments in all three disciplines.

QR:How did the PRsix Neutron perform?

I am in my happy place on my QR bike and riding the neutron makes it even better! You can’t look at that bike without smiling and the smile just grows when you ride it and feel how smoothly it cuts through the wind.

QR: Did you know you were in the top 10, or were you focused on your own race?

I knew my position starting in the bike since they were giving us splits on the board. I knew going into the energy labs I was in 11th place. As I was coming out of the energy labs my sister told me that if I picked up the pace a little I could run into 10th place or higher. I flipped a switch and started going for that top ten spot. I usually focus on my own race until half way through the run so I don’t over pace the first part of the race and end up without anything to respond with at the end.

QR: Biggest takeaway from 2017 Kona?

I can keep going even when things aren’t going my way and I don’t feel good. I think we learn the most about ourselves when we have to dig deeper and try harder then we thought we ever would. On a bad day I’m still top ten in the world.

Read Jocelyn's Pre-Race Blog: How do you react to the hard?

Follow Jocelyn on Twitter | Personal Blog