Vitals:
total distance: 70.3 miles
total time: 5:38:55
swim: 1.2 miles; 33:21 mins
t1: 3:21 mins
bike: 56 miles; time: 2:49; avgs- pace 19.9mph, 182 watts, HR 155bpm
t2: 1:42 mins
run: 13.1 miles; time 2:11; avgs: 10:02 min/mile; HR 145 bpm
The low down:
Race morning- up at 05:15 to get things ready and pack the car. We got down to the lakefront around 06:25 and I got inked with race number and race age. I got into the transition area to set up my spot, then to the potty to change and loose some weight. I got out and my support crew had grown by 200% as my brother and Darcey came early to hang out. Shortly after, Josh and Jenny appeared. I got into my wetsuit and headed down to the beach front to get into the zone. Desiree took this opportunity to take glamour shots.
Race morning- up at 05:15 to get things ready and pack the car. We got down to the lakefront around 06:25 and I got inked with race number and race age. I got into the transition area to set up my spot, then to the potty to change and loose some weight. I got out and my support crew had grown by 200% as my brother and Darcey came early to hang out. Shortly after, Josh and Jenny appeared. I got into my wetsuit and headed down to the beach front to get into the zone. Desiree took this opportunity to take glamour shots.
Now if you remember back to my 1st triathlon
about a month ago, the swim wasn’t really pleasant for me. So the anxiousness started to build. They played the National Anthem and then set
the 1st corral to start- women.
10 minutes later, men over 40 and then my corral last- 5 minutes behind
the over 40s. 3, 2…1 and we were
off. I ran/walked out as far as I could
and then started swimming at my own pace.
The field was relatively spread out, so I didn’t have too much jockeying
to do to defend my space. I got into a
rhythm and just concentrated on sighting and good swim form. Before I knew it, I was turning the 1st
buoy. I kept comfortable and then found
myself rounding the second buoy to swim straight into the swim-out chute. I looked down at my watch and swim time was
only about 33 mins. That’s awesome
considering I budgeted myself about 40-45 mins for the swim. I ran up the little sandy hill pulling my
wetsuit down to my waist and make it to the carpet to drop down onto my back
and have assistance pulling my wetsuit off.
I collected myself and headed to my bike and during this
time I pulled my wedding ring off my necklace to put it back onto my
finger. A quick transition with a few
seconds to just breathe before I pulled my bike off the rack and mounted to
start the bike course.
I anticipated the task at hand of about 2:30-2:40 budgeted
for the bike leg. “Stay comfortable and
consistent. Take on nutrition.” These
where the thoughts going thru my head to meet my goal. The turnaround on Wilson
Lake was much sooner then I thought
and we were back onto Cherry
Lake Cherry
Lake- Cherry
Lake
Running shoes on, hat on, race belt on, and water bottle in
hand- off I went. Hear the legs felt
even more flat as they felt like they weighed 100lbs. I got thru the 1st mile, and then
second however as stumbled forward, my stomach worsened and I started to
walk. I passed by my support crew and
they were cheering me on but could tell that I was not in a pleasant
place. Rose found me on her bike around
mile 3 and “rode” far, but close to me and encouraged my, gave me a salt tablet
and told me to just slow down and recover.
Miles 4 and 5 were spend mostly walking and by the 1 hour mark, I had
only gone just over 5 miles. I stopped
at every water station and cooled myself off internally and externally dumping
cups of H2O on myself. I kept telling
myself that the next water station, I would ask for a cellphone and call
Desiree to pick me up as I was done.
Oddly, my stomach started feeling better and my legs could get into a
rhythm. My turnover was better and as I
passed the lakefront to start my second lap, I was feeling more
comfortable. Team Dinh was out cheering
my on and Kara found me and decided to do some jogging at a similar pace as
me. The miles started to diminish and before
I knew it I was at mile 10, then 11. I
worked on staying comfortable and keep my legs turned over. Mile 12- only 1 more to go. I pass Kevin’s house and one last hose down
and I’m rounding the trail for the home stretch. I see the finishing chute and Team Dinh is
there waiting and cheering. I cross the
finish and raise my arms up in relief that if was over and I’ve accomplished
what I set out to do. I was greeted by
Team Dinh with praises of great job!
We hung out for just a little bit before rushing home to
clean up and get ready for Chris and Maria’s Wedding.
What an experience. I
learned a lot from this race. My
training with runs of the bike have been about 7:30-8:00 min/mile pace. However, that doesn’t always translate to
what you’ll be able to do during the race.
Other factors such as an empty tank and stomach issues can definitely
throw a speed bump in your plan. I wanted
to quit but stayed in and completed. As
Desiree said, part of the ironman/half-ironman experience is dealing with your
demons and getting past it to do your race.
I remember watching The NBC special Ironman World Championship where a
pro female finished in the hundreds where she finished top 5 the previous
year. She states, “why should I quit
just because things aren’t going my way just because I’m a pro.” She walked a lot of the marathon. I had a similar mentality- “I’m going on for
about 5 ½ hours now. I should be
finished soon. There will still be
people out here for another 2-3 hours.
Do what you need to do to finish!”
My goals now are to take a little time off, but continue to
train and add in a better nutrition plan that should sustain be and that I
would feel better to avoid running on E!
Thanks to all those for the support.
