Saturday the day before race day!
We started the day at Ryan’s Iron Kids race! He did the toddler trot which was about 80 feet. I helped guide him to the finish but he walk/ran the whole way all by himself! He signaled "up" to me a couple of times but I told him he could do it and he did! He got his medal and post race pancakes!
10 AM I met with my coach and some of her athletes for a pre race swim. The water was so cold! 58 degrees! It took a couple of minutes to get my face used to being in the water but once I got used to it I was fine.
12 PM We got Pita Pit for lunch and I got a white bread sandwich. I was going to eat potato chips but Ryan took them from me :P
1:30 PM I checked my bike in and practiced running from the swim exit and bike exit to get acquainted with the area around me. Then I met up with Kory from the tri team and we chatted for awhile by the lake.
5:30 PM Olive Garden Dinner with breadsticks, pasta, and a bottle of Skratch.
Race Day!
4 AM Wake up! Luckily Ryan was still sleeping so he could sleep in and stay with my mother-in-law while we all went to transition. I had a half bagel with cream cheese and a banana. I drank a bottle of Skratch 90 minutes before race start and finished it 75 minutes before race start. I also took a Skratch bar with me and ate half of it at transition.
5 AM Arrived at transition. I pumped up my tires, checked my breaks, and got my transition area ready with my shoes, helmet, sunglasses.
5:30 AM One last bathroom break and I jumped in to test the water. The water was cold. They announced the temperature was 59.5 degrees. It had gone up a whole degree since the day before. But still enough to take your breath away when you put your face in. Once my face went numb, I couldn’t really feel the cold anymore and could keep my face in the water.
5:45 AM We lined in in the swim corral to get ready for the race to start. I lined up with the 30-33 group. The cannon went off and the race started! As we started moving forward the song “Lose Yourself” from Eminem came on and everything went wild! It really pumped me up for what was to come!
Swim 34:31
20th place age group
I dove in and started swimming towards the first buoy. It was very chaotic swim. I tried to find a group to swim with, but I was either getting swam over or trying to swim through people. At one point some guy grabbed my foot several times. I finally popped up to see what was going on. He said “sorry”. I laughed inside and moved on. I ended up swimming inside the buoys until the red buoy turn around. (*You only have to go around the red buoys, the other buoys are only set up to help guide you*) That helped me swim relatively straight and I ran into less people. Coming back, I did the same thing by staying inside the buoys. I knew I needed to start moving over towards the exit and literally ran into the last buoy :P I exited the water and didn’t know my time because I swam without a watch! I love not having to fiddle with it and have less things to keep track of.
T1 4:36
I stripped my wet suit off. Had a little trouble getting it off my foot which was annoying. I took a quick bathroom stop. I was going to run on the right side of my transition location like the people all around me were doing. But, with the bathroom detour I stayed on the path and then made my way to my T1 location. Once I had my helmet, shoes, and sunglasses on I was out of there.
Bike 3:14
45th place age group
My goal for the bike was to hit 160 Normalized watts and try and finish under 3:15. My previous Bike split was a 3:23 in 2017 and I really wanted prove to myself how much stronger I have become. Once we got out of the neighborhoods, I had a hard time getting my watts to where I wanted them to be. I had to keep telling myself to get out of Ironman pace and push a little harder! That helped motivate me. I drank some water and 20 minutes in started on my nutrition with a Skratch bar. As we turned back into town I was looking forward to seeing my family. Tim and my FIL were standing on a corner and almost missed me go by! I was way ahead of schedule! Soon we started the big 2 mile climb up HWY 95. It was long but I was well endured for that climb. Right as we turned around at mile 35 to head back into town I started cramping up. I had to get out of aero and really stretch it out. The worse part was that the wind was starting to pick up, so I was out of aero and into a head wind. I knew I was going to smash my goal and didn’t want this to keep me from getting there. I took a salt tab with some water and did some deep belly breathing to help break up the muscle cramps. That seemed to work, and it eased off a bit. I wasn’t in the clear though and had to stay on top of my electrolytes and continue to focus on my breathing. Throughout the bike I ended up drinking 1.5 bottles of 1.5 serving each of Skratch hydration, 2 bottles of water, 2 Skratch bars, 4 salt tabs, and 1 Maurten gel. Going down the final hill I reached 40 MPH and pushed it hard into transition. I finished a minute under my goal time and was within 2 watts of my watt goal! I really couldn’t have asked for a better bike and I am happy with how I performed.
T2 3:26
I grabbed my run nutrition, run shoes, and bib. I was 20 steps away when I realized I didn't have my visor and to turn back for it! I lathered on some more sunscreen and was out of there!
Run 1:59:17
39th place age group
My big goal for this run was a 1:50 but after pushing the bike I told myself I would be happy with anything under 2 hours. I started the run, and my legs were heavy. I tried to keep a fast cadence with keeping my HR in mind. The first aid station hit, and I grabbed water, pretzels, and ice. It was starting to really heat up out there. I grabbed ice at every aid station and shoved it down my shirt and held it in my hands to help keep me cool. The CDA community is the best on the circuit. They make this run course so much fun and that’s what keeps me coming back. People are holding up hoses from their yards spraying you. Along with sprinklers, slip and slides, and music blasting! It would be a hell of a lot harder if it wasn’t for them. It was also so fun seeing so many friends out on the course! Paul, Rosanne, Emily, Erica, and Jenn! I ran into Kimberly at mile 7 and we ran together for a bit!
Another reason why I love this course so much is the 2 loop course and getting to see my family so many times! I love getting so many high 5's from Ryan! I had to pee throughout this whole run and kept telling myself if I REALLY needed to, next aid station. But I was feeling good and just wanted to move forwards. At mile 12 I knew I was going to be close to hitting my goal of under 2 hours and just had to keep doing what I was doing! The turn came and I was on Sherman Ave! Straight onto the red carpet and through the finish line!
Finish Time : 5:56:46
35th Place/ 111
117th Female/ 671
778/ 2134
Things that went well
1. My mental toughness! When things got tough I problem solved to find a way to make it happen. When I got hit on the swim, I moved over. When cramps started and I took salt tabs. When my HR spiked on the run I walked a couple of steps. I kept moving forward the best I could and with a smile on my face! Just like Kipchoge’s philosophy I am a firm believer that running while smiling makes it less painful, more enjoyable, and more efficient!
2. The salt tabs really helped with the cramping on the bike. I could have taken them earlier but glad that things got better after I did start to take them!
3. My overall pacing was spot on. From the bike with my watts to the run staying in my prescribed HR Zones. I was spot on!
Things I need to work on
1. My nutrition has improved a lot over the years! I still have a lot of work to do to eliminate the side cramps but it's getting better!
2. I need some more work on the swim. I know I swam straight so I am a little disappointed that this was one of my slowest swims. I know the swim is a small part of the long day, but I would really like to shave some more time off and be out of the water sooner.
3. My run form still needs some work. Continued strength training will help keep improving this.
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