The big weekend had arrived…months of training and trash talking to culminate in 8 hours of swimming, biking, and running….for the t-shirt, medal, and lifetime story of “Wildflower Long Course” participant.
The pre-day event was filled with the usual stuff…collecting my race registration, pitching the tent, and chatting amongst friends. We were camping with our training crew, coach, and some extra support crew in tow that made our whole group of 12 a fun crowd.
I took the opportunity to go to the massage tent and got advice about the knee….a run 2 days ago had still shown signs of pain after 2 miles even with the recent cortisone shot…so my anxiety was high about being able to finish the run course. The team there moved the knee around and then used kinesiology tape (aka Rock Tape) around the knee. I hoped that the patriotic Stars and Stripes were on my side.
We all ventured to bed…and those with ear plugs slept well…the others got to hear the event crew set up until 1am…and then the ever so generous volunteer wake up siren at 4:30am. Guess we’re up then!
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| Paper Playlist...Beatles, B-52s, Black Eyed Peas |
Race Start - Swim
Our crew walked to the transition and ten we split up into our respective waves and areas.
There were over 16 waves (1700 racers!) for the long course and I was the last wave of the bunch. Wildflower chooses to put the women at the end of the waves, like it or not, so I was expecting to be last in to the finish line of the group by quite a stretch...at least I'd have a good homecoming crowd!
Tick-tock.....each of the group starts...then it's my turn at 9:15am. Got a quick splash in the water to adjust to the
water temp of 63 degrees. It was lovely in the 70+ degree morning that was building up standing in those black wetsuits.
Bang...and the group was off. I started off in the back-right of the group as suggested. You get a chance to breathe and don't get squished into the dock on the left hand side. What I hadn't realized was this group was all the same age and gender (F30-34) so there was not such a wide split of abilities as I had expected, so I was in the middle of the swim pack for most of the way.
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| swim start |
I decided that in the end was a good thing...I didn't get the issue of feeling like I was "at the back and useless" like I can in some groups, and I also got to use the group for sighting. I have quite a bad hook in my swimming which means I veer off the course quite a bit...the kayaks have to touch me to tell me "way off course lady". So this time I tracked in the middle.
I had to pay the price of being the the blender a bit, but my attitude adjusted to elbow jabs, leg kicks, water splashes quite easily. It was interesting to note how aggressive you can feel in a swim...
Kept to the standard pattern of focusing on swim stroke (where hand enters, the pull of the arm, and breathing every 2 with a switch of sides every 10 strokes) and counted a standard pattern 1-2-3-4 to keep the mind occupied. My right shoulder seems to take 1/2 mile before it warms up lately (another injury to add to my growing list....I sure am going to become one of those people!).
At the turn point, I have the mental moment of knowing I can do this and being comfortable to pick up the pace. My training crew are also a bunch of competitive guys talking how fast they are going in this and in that...
so it kind of registered to me I should push myself in the race and not just stick at a comfortable pace.
I pick up the pace and get
instantly hit by high choppy rolling waves created by the wind. Gulp...water in the mouth. Much better than salt water so no gagging here....just adjust with a different stroke and higher lift of the head. I have to stop 2x to adjust the goggles (this is the 3rd pair this season...can't seem to settle on a pair that fit my face) and 2x to have the traditional pee (TMI for some but it's the truth, and you know you do it too!). Keep chugging away and out the transition I get.
My watch doesn't work in the water so didn't know my pace, from the clock I thought I had hit just under 1 hours at 57 minutes but turned out I did much better than expected so congrats to me.
Swim Time: 00:47:40
Race - Bike
The T1 transition was ok. I seemed to take longer than in other races I've practiced on, partly because of the long distance to get to the bike form the water, but partly mentally decided I'd rather get it all right and take 1 extra minute than find I forget something I need on this brutal 56 mile bike ride.
I did get to see the lady (Margot) next to me who is also training for IMAZ and was surprised that my first long course was Wildflower...more to come later.
T1 Time: 00:05:26
Off on the bike then....I've got the plan and am off to stick to it. Ate my transition food of a banana, drank some of my mixed drink, and am spinning a high cadence to get into the groove before the first hill.
First hill, uuurggh...but I get through it and know the next 15-20 miles are lovely....so looking forward to it.
After leaving the park and onto the main roads, I first feel the wind...a light headwind that feels refreshing on the face. By Mile 15, where I had planned to get some good speed up of a 17 mph, the wind kept me down to a 12 mph. Not good! I knew from the start that I had to keep to my 4 hour plan to be in the cut-off range on the bike....they set it 5:20 hours after the last wave of females...giving me ~4:30 hours to complete the bike. Last time I did it in practice to was 4:10 hours so I was expecting to be in the same range today.
Remember that camp fire question "what's your worst race story?"....well at mile 16 mine began.....flat tire as I was getting my groove on. Urrrghhh.
Ok, keep a level head and plan for 10 minutes....take your time and do a proper job so you don't have to do it again. I see a SAG vehicle and I wave him down as back-up but I pretty much am nearly done at this point. He's not SAG but stands and watches me (like that helps!) whilst I check my watch.
SAG rolls up as I'm on the final bit...the inner tube was pinching on the tire and I my fingers were just not able to get in under the tire rim. The SAG guy grabs it and starts his business....pulls the tire off and starts again. Fills it up and then says "great, I'm off the the next one"....of which I get on the bike and start to roll off.....to another flat tire!!
2 flat tires....my 10 minutes of lost time just became 20 minutes!
We start again and check the tire and tape and tube triple time....he had equipment in his truck that could use which was great as I wanted to keep my back-ups in as a just in case....
I took the extra 10 minutes to mentally rest and eat some food (Peanut Butter sarnie - yummy) so try and spin it into a positive rest break.
So 20 minutes later, I'm off.
My music play list and my pacing are now out the window. There are few bikers on the road now and my cut-off calculations meant I no longer has that 20 minute time buffer to make the cut off to my planned pace.
So I played "chase people down". I set the goal to get past 10 people to make up for the 2 flats...and floored it between Mile 26 - 36. My pace was cooking and I had passed 6 people...admittedly this was back of the pack but it's what I had.
Then just as I start to see a line of people ahead of me (and thus the feeling of more people to pass), my tire blew again.
Urrrgggghhhhh.....WTF!! *%$%
I'd just passed the aid station at Mile 36 so got off on the bike and ran the bike back up the hill so they could call SAG. I had enough equipment, but I'd rather have back-up...my luck so far was not good! A truck is luckily there and asked "do you want to stop"....what? stop....no way!! I just need an inner tube and air!
The SAG vehicle had a racer called Jason in it that was pulled from the race at Mile 41 (Nasty Grade) as a spoke on his wheel broke...and there is no replacing that. He came and talked to me as changed my tire and
I saw the look on his face of the defeat and resignation after the months of training....and I was determined not to get that same face.
The SAG guy starts to change my tire but I soon realize he's not that well practiced....so I take it from him and the tire is off in like 5 seconds flat...there is NO time left in my buffer bank here....I get a tube from him and borrow some compressed air. I also get the important information I need...the official cutoff time for the bike. It is 2:45pm for the women....it's 1:15pm right now....
3 flat tires and 30 minutes gone....with officially 1:40 hours to finish 20 miles and nasty grade....doable...just
I shout to the Tri Gods as I get on the bike that they've had their fun...time to find someone new. They wanted me to earn the right to wear the medal for this race and I damn well have earned it....not go away and let me finish!
There is no proper form at the this point, there are no happy sing songs....there is just mashing as much power as I can out of this bike and working out the math in my head for what mile I need to hit by when to know I can make it.
A little humor or rather mesmerizing moment occurred before nasty grade...as I saw an older biker male wearing mesh biker shorts.
..so his whole bum was exposed. I mean, sweaty crack...hairy bottom...all there....It seemed like a black hole to me....sucking me in towards it.....but I had to go and tackle nasty grade.
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| Like the mesh biker pants cyclist I saw on the course.... |
Nasty Grade....I know this...I've done it...I'm slow and I walk a bit of it....but I get back on and I just keep going.
Energizer Bunny who is meant to beat us up the hill is no longer beating a drum....instead just looking limp in the heat and standing drinking a bottle of water....
I don't stop for water....I just go. The downhill sections are where I push my usual fear factor of the speed (when I hold the brakes and slow down) out the window and take the hands off the brakes a good touch...not completely...I don't want to crash or die....
but a tip from a team mate said "look ahead of you and see the bend in the curve rather than straight in front of you" and I did and it made me more confident and faster in this much needed time.
My last 8 miles and 35 minutes...meaning I have just over 4 minutes per mile. I count off the time to pace each mile...the first mile take 5 minutes....the next one takes 5 minutes.....no way am I missing this.....and I push it hard!
I pass Margot (my transition neighbor that was surprised I was doing this course and tell her time is limited....as I pass her...will she make it??)
I start to enter the park and finally meet a person that is informing people about the impending cut off and how their pace is against that...."you have 11 minutes left, so push it if you want to make it"
4 more miles and 11 minutes.....I know the last mile is downhill but the rest is not and there is some long grinding uphills that I can do...but in the needed pace?? PUSH IT!!!
2 more miles and 6 minutes....go-go-go....
Lynch Hill....Great! Will they slow me down for safety? There are tons of runners and I am heeding the very strong warning to "not cross the double yellow line" so am heavily shouting "LEFT!...LEFT!" to every single runner. They stand between me and that cut off......
I swing in....and made the cutoff by 4 minutes! I learn later that Margot, my transition neighbor made it by 20 seconds!
Bike Time: 04:33:19
Race - Run
I wasn't sure if the transition time was included or not and did not want to chance it...so I changed quickly and tried to get out onto the run course. It meant I forgot to take off my bike shorts (run shorts underneath), but hey...I was on adrenaline rush!
As I ran out the transition I heard the announcer for the finish line say "Chris Jones of San Francisco" and worked out my team mate had made it somewhere around his 06:07 hour goal. First person in...5 more to go...
T2 Time: 00:03:45
Run strategy was to do more of a walk. There was not much in the tank for Miles 1-3 as I had pushed it hard to finish the bike so was really just trying to get my hear rate down and breathing rhythm in place.
I reset my watch to ensure I could watch my pace....3 hours is do-able but only whilst keeping a good walking pace of less than 13 minute miles.
My watch said I was walking a 12 minute mile....then it crapped out....battery low
That Tri god was not allowed back...I told him I'd paid the price and it was my turn to finish this.
I mentally focused to record the pace I was at to ensure I could keep coming back to this....
I paired up with a fellow racer, Karen from Modesto, and told her my 12 minute walking pace strategy, and she stayed with me until Mile 7. It was soooo much better having someone next to you, keeps that mental energy focused on something else...
Knee pain...??? What knee pain! Thank you to the shot, the rest, the tape....what ever it was that made knee pain very very minimal. Felt it on the last 1 mile running down Lynch hill....only! woo hoo!
Instead I got a big fat hot spot on the ball of my right foot at Mile 3 that got bigger and bigger....making me adjust to walking on the back of my foot or on the side....and making it hard to keep that 12 minute walking pace up.
Dehydration kicked in...now learning about salt....need to get that into the practice schedule now.
I kept on walking with the occasional job in a flat or down hill section...and
what kept me going at that fast pace was Barrie and his Wed hiking group....he always keeps us at a fast clip....and doesn't stop....keep moving he says....and I did just that and passed a good many walkers at my pace.
What kept Barrie Moving? The Cal Poly flashers from what he told us....not many of us were blessed with this...so congrats Barrie!
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| Flashers on the run.....I missed these sadly... |
Mile 9-11...Satan's pit. Torture to do that to us....walk down that big hill then to turn around and walk back up.....this is where I saw Margot (my transition neighbor). She was about 4 minutes behind me, found she'd made the bike cut off by 20 seconds, and wished her luck for the final.
At Mile 11, it was 5:10pm and I had until 5:45pm, so 35 minutes to make the final 2 miles. At my 13 minute pace (I was tired and dehydrated by now....so give me a break on slowing down) it would be 26 minutes.
Absolutely doable with a small buffer for upsets....but seeing how things had not gone to plan so far...I didn't believe I'd cross that line until I crossed it.
Jogged the final Lynch hill, then rested into a walk before the chute, where I did the final jog...at which point I felt the lack of salt turning into a wicked cramp in my left calf....I was still jogging in and the people where shouting...but I was so nervous I was going to get a sudden spasm and fall to the floor....now that would just be my luck!
Pushed myself and then saw Nigel in the stand - woo hoo!! Got a hand slap...ad they called my name and I came through into the end.
Made it with 12 minutes to spare!
Run Time: 02:48:14
Overall Time: 08:18:22
In the end I was off my goal to beat 8 hours by 18 minutes, but after the 3 flat tires I was happy to have finished. Check mark for the half-ironman distance (which many say is more like a 3/4 ironman!) and now back to the ironman training.
Thank you Coach Julie for being there throughout the past 5 months....and now onto IMAZ!
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| Coach Julie with Lucy and Nigel |
The Overall Crew Results
The crew of 6 all finished and had their adventures to tell...In asking them how it went...here's what they said...
Nigel "The swim...I didn't die...but the usual water gulping and panic attack happened...."
Steve "I beat Barrie"
Barrie "Not by much Steve....we'll see what happens at IMAZ"
Jeff "No comment...."
Chris "Not bad for no training and my first time swimming in 3 years....and I made my goal of being top 50% of competitors"
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| The Wildflower Long Course Finishers...woo hoo! |
