IronMan Arizona Race Report

I've done it. I am an IronMan! 
Here's my story of the Arizona adventure. It's a long one but after 14 hours of a race, I've earned the right to write a long blog entry. Read it all or scan the photos, your choice.

A year in the making...
It's been a whole year in training. In learning how to swim in a wetsuit. In buying and learning how to road bike. In running more than 3 miles at a time. And of learning how to eat calories like there is no time tomorrow. But it's mainly been a journey of my mind.

People ask why I signed up. For me, I set out on the journey to celebrate life. That living was better than dying. That a strong mind can overcome anything in life.

So 1 year of training had rolled by and the day had arrived to compete.

I was bricking it! My health had taken a setback in the past 2 months, with visits to 2 doctors a week for diagnosis, treatment, check-ups, and various medications. This obviously put a kink in my training, as well as my mindset. I felt like I was back to the start of the year when I just hoped to finish. I hoped that muscle memory would be what got me through the day...and called it an "extended taper"

Pre-Race Activities
The days before the race were a whirlwind of activity. Registration, packet-pickup, bike pick-up, bike tune up, massage to loosen muscles, pre-race meals....Good to keep you busy for 2 days.

registration for the big event

I even got to meet Coach Troy. "Ride like a goat" I said to him and he laughed saying I had obviously had  done a few of his bike training videos. I got a lovely picture with him and Nigel and some good words of wisdom from him about the course "it's a fast course". Thanks Troy....that helps a lot.

Coach Troy "Ride like a Goat!"

I also ate lots of food. Nothing fancy or new to keep the stomach on an even keel. But I ate and drank often to have a storage of calories ready for the 10,000 calorie day!
One of the meals was with the San Diego crazy crew. Barrie and Steve who had signed up with us...no that's right they were the instigators in this.....I think I need to thank them really. And the support crew they brought along, always nice to have people cheering for you to keep you moving forward.

The Arizona Race Crew!

Race Day Arrives!


4:00am
Alarm woke me up...yeah ok...I was already awake and just waiting for the buzz of the alarm. Made up the drinks for the day (2 large bottles of CarboPro) and food parcels (Chicken tortilla wraps, cheese sticks, bananas, chocolate pretzel bars, and twinkies!).
Grabbed all the bags and drove our way to the start line. Nice parking nearby and the town was starting to awake with Ironman participants.

6:00am
Oh man, those lines for the bathroom are terrible. Everyone waiting, waiting, waiting.
Nigel took it upon me to point out the men's urinal and said "see all these guys in the line waiting here, you know what they are doing if they aren't going over there." Thanks Nigel for the lovely imagery at this time of the morning.

Long wait for the bathroom

6:30am
Standing at the funnel waiting to get in the water. Not moving anywhere, but happy to not get into the water too long before we start. I was feeling a wave of panic and just closed my eyes and thought of the 2 angels on my back that are looking over me this year. Love you Mom and Dad.


6:55am
Still not in the water. Heard the gun go off for the pro swim and saw a surge in the people waiting to get in. The announcer starts to say "3 minutes to get in the water...go" and everyone started jumping over the edge into the water.
I jumped into the cold water...a brisk 61 degrees...and started to swim towards the start line.
Aim was to stick in the middle /back section to avoid the "washing machine"

7:00am "Boom"
The music was playing and the gun went off. 2600+ people all moving forward. An incredible moment with adrenaline going through your veins (good thing too to fight off the cold water!)

Human Washing Machine...aka IronMan Arizona Swim start

Here is also where the adventure started. Nigel and I were intending to swim together. We were next to each other at the start but then Nigel started having a panic attack. No matter what we did he just could not move forward. 15 minutes went by...and then I started to panic whether we would finish or not.
Nigel asked me to keep going and leave him...a final kiss and I was off.
Nigel stayed and got the kayak doctors to give him oxygen.

Medic!!! Medic!!!

I personally think it was the duct tape on the wetsuit to repair the gaping hole in the back....good ole duct tape. Or is it?

Duct Tape...Magic or Machiavellian?

7:00 - 9:00am
Swim swim swim...got to make the 2:20 hour cutoff. I was back of the pack and swimming to make time, make the cutoff. The sight of the sunrise was beautiful and serene in the moments of swimming and breathing every 2 strokes.

watch the sunrise and sunset in 1 day

I realized I was going to make the cutoff and took a moment to pause and refuel with a gu tucked in the arm of my wetsuit. Then I came up to the ramp where you had to be pulled up.
Man was I dizzy but I made it! 


SWIM TIME: 1:49 hours

It's a long way up those stairs after 2.4 miles

Here's a fancy picture of me getting out of the water. The fabulous wetsuit strippers do their job quickly yelling "arms out" "sit down" "go and run that way"....all in a matter of seconds. I'm running in a direction towards something...still dizzy at this point.

Swim complete! now which way to the bike?

Get to the changing tents and it is mass carnage....there was way more naked flesh than I ever wanted to see. But it was lovely and warm with heaters to warm up the bodies. My aim was to take my time, an extra 5 minutes was fine with me to ensure that I went through the steps on my checklist (yes this is Lucy...I ALWAYS have a list). Some dry clothes, food in my belly, and sun cream smothered on me...and off I go.

T-1 TIME: 9:04 minutes

lots of bikes in the transition area

9:00am

Bike bike bike! I was going to make it...so pressure off. My goal was to take it in 3 stages:

• Loop 1 - go easy-peasy lemon squeezy and focus of fueling
• Loop 2 - go at goal pace ~16-17mph
• Loop 3 - decide what's left and adjust 

Of course plans never really "go to plan" in an IronMan. Loop 1...stomach was not having food. Not a good sign. I managed to eat 3 bites of chicken after 30 miles and 1 disgusting gu force-swallowed.

starting the bike ride

1:00pm
Loop 2 and looking forward to the special needs bag of food. The magic of food in a bag...and THE best thing ever was the Twinkie. Glorious food of sugar and sweet...you gave me a burst I needed for the next 50 miles! Go Twinkie Girl!

Twinkies taste GREAT after 67 miles of biking in an IronMan

I was glad about a spur of the moment decision - ZIP wheels! WOW - these bad boys were great. They had a free spinning hub (techie talk for wheels that keep going round and round). The aero position of my tri-bike made a flat ride great against the winds that picked up in the afternoon.

Biking in the desert 

The 3rd loop came round and suddenly I was hungry! Ate the 2 chicken tortillas, chocolate bar, banana, Carbo drink bottle, and of course LOTS of salt tablets. The secret sauce was taking these tablets on a regular basis to ensure I did not get de-hydrated.

Body aches...the legs felt good, but the neck was in pain. Aero is streamlined on the body but an odd angle on the neck with strain to hold that head up. I cupped my head in my hand to help - and folks commented "hey don't be bored!" but it was only to keep the head up!

BIKE TIME: 6:53 hours

4:00pm

Finished the bike ride! Woo hoo. I now had to do a 26.2 mile run. A bit daunted for sure! I needed to find my bag in the sea of bags, then go into the changing tent again. Took my time, made sure I put on the right gear as it was going to be in the dark!

T-2 TIME: 8:06 minutes

Find your bag and get changed for the run

The Plan was a 6 hour run-walk
I started the run and the crowds started talking "you look great Lucy" "strong pace Lucy". Wow! what a great energy boost to have the crowd cheering me on. And thank you race coordinators to adding participants name to the race bib. Genius!

Another great spur of the moment decision was to buy some compression socks. I bought them to keep me warm at night and to hopefully help keep the calf muscles a little tighter and in place to carry me through 26 miles. Those babies are what made the difference...I'm sure of it!

Starting the run when the sun was still out

I started to run and went for 3 minutes. Tired and mind was just saying "no way am I going to run for 5 minutes!" So I just didn't push it and said "ok Lucy if 3 minutes is what you can do, then we'll go with that" and I did a 3 minute run - 1 minute walk.

Still running after the sunset 

As the sun set in the desert, I told myself that I had to keep it the 3 min-1 min pace up. No changing this if I had allowed myself to have a short run time. And I just kept chugging away. For 26 miles I pretty much kept doing this. The intense focus of this and using my watch to time myself kept my mind active.
And the fans on the course were amazing!

Bands and music along the course, cheering fans, and the magic Dr Hoyt Icy Hot magic masseurs! mmm love you ladies for keeping the legs moving forward!

Love you when you rub this on my legs at Mile 20!

I saw a few familiar faces along the run....Barrie early on, Nigel 3 times as I lapped him, and Steve as he was running in towards the finish line. The final lap had a message show up on a board from a friend "Lucy you are an inspiration" and that helped me pick it up for that last few miles.

RUN TIME: 5:07 hours

I came in towards the finish line and felt fantastic! I enjoyed the crowds and slapped all the hands of the fans in the crowds.

Lucy, you are an IronMan!

14:06:43 hours

Post-Race Activities

Oh man...the high of finishing was amazing....but I seriously crashed hard. No-one told me about this!!!

I was dizzy and could not get any food or drink to settle. I staggered around and waited for Nigel to finish (14:55 hours - impressive after the swim start)...and then threw up in a bush! This photo was before I was sick :)

The medal of an IronMan!

Pretty much rested and rested some more. After 2 days and a great massage, the legs were fine. I rested up for the ramp up to...The IronMan Tattoo! Hooray...had been thinking what to get all year...I wanted the M-dot on the leg and something that included the Arizona.

Check out the tattoo! 

I put it on the right hand ankle...so as I pass you on the bike or run you see a flash of my Red IronMan tattoo...boo-yah!

Another Ironman?
I had to ask myself this earlier this year because you have to sign up 1 year in advance....I thought "I can always not do it, but I can't sign up later"

So I've signed up for Canada next August.  Here we go again!

Top 20% Runner - OMG where did that ever come from???

Just finished a race tonight running around the city of San Francisco for the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge.

It's a 5k (actually 3.65 miles) and I treated it as (1) a fun time and (2) to test a fast pace

I set the goal to be under a 10 minute mile pace...perhaps I was not aggressive enough...ended up as a 8:32 minute per mile pace....feel great about that one.

And then I saw the results...I was placed 503 / 3168 females...which means I was Top 16%.

Wow! Yes I'll concede this might be a fun corporate run, but still you always get the crazy fast pacers in any race, so I am super chuffed that I was so high in the rankings.

Now I have to train to keep a fast pace...with distance....after doing a bike and swim.

General Training Update
General training has picked up now. Joined a power cycling class that I'm trying to do 2x per week and also joined a swim masters class (the 1x per month in San Diego or a race was not going to cut it) and let's see what I get in the schedule.

Running seems to be more fun lately - varying up routines with intervals and locations by driving to new cities and trails to explore.

I'm telling myself to do more core and strength and flexibility...if I keep telling myself I might get to it...

60 days to go!

Big Kahuna 70.3 Race Report

Another race under the belt...decided to do this race a couple weeks back as a pacing pace towards IronMan Arizona...which is 70 days to go BTW! Eek!

Short story here...and read on for the juicy details

Short Story 
Based on the 3 timing devices I used (really gotta buy 1 decent one), my estimate of times was:

Swim    00:45 hours (1.2 miles)
T1         00:10 hours (Beach run+)
Bike      03:10 hours (sooo close to under 3!)
T2         00:05 hours (standard bike to run)
Run       02:20 hours (uuurggh need to work on this!)
Total     06:30 hours


This *might* be in the top 50%...or close....so pulled out a good performance. And beat my Wildflower time of 8:18 hours by a good margin (but must allow for 3 bike flats and a much harder course)
Juicy details says more.....just keep reading.


Juicy Details

Pre-Race
Waking up at 4:30am...uurgh. But I'm starting to get used to weeks of sleep with less than 5 hours a night, so this was a luxury of 8 hours! I was ready to go!

Morning pre-race routine starting to become a natural instinct and not needing a checklist as much to ensure I don't forget something like helmet, suncream, etc...

Routine was: Eat (ensure, peanut butter muffin), fill up bike tires, get dressed, apply lots of suncream, have transition kits and goodies in appropriate bags ready to pick up and use, get to transition, lay out the whole caboodle, chat to strangers about their race history and get excited!

Pre-Race set-up

Swim
The 1.2 mile swim was in the Pacific Ocean in Santa Cruz. I've been swimming in pools, lakes, rivers, and some inland ocean parts....but when I heard the water temperature was 59 degrees...I took a big gulp and tried to prepare myself.

I put my feet in the water and it was FREEZING cold! My poor little footsies said "get out the water now!!" so I did and said I'll brave it in the swim start.
I got into the corral for my swim wave and this was a bit different...on the horn you had to run to the water and run / dive into that ocean. No time to 'warm up' just get in and go.

Swim Start...run and jump in the 59 degree water

OMG - it felt like a truck hit my chest! I couldn't breathe at all and started to panic. I was trying to swim but just could not get a breath, so face in water was NOT an option. I was trying to tell myself that it was normal and that you would settle in....but it felt crazy...and took at least 200 yards before I could even get my face in the water. Then trying to get a calm side breath pattern built in took 1/4 mile.
Take-away: Don't enter races that have an ocean swim with water at 59 degrees!!

Thank goodness the waves were not like this!!!

The ocean swell was pretty calm...but of course after the start..I was just a little out of it...and it made me feel dizzy and sick. Swallowed a bunch of water and had to stop to gag and throw up a bit. uuurggh...this was not my favorite swim so far!

The swim was around the pier and back...except it was a little longer that definitely played on the mindset of distance. At this point the age group behind us that started 5 minutes later had started to catch up (well at least those strong swimmers). With a whole ocean and a pretty small wave group size of 50 people you'd think we wouldn't be on top of each other...wrong!

I kept swimming off into the wide open distance and getting told to get back in line (terrible swells and sighting today) so as I got closer to the other swimmers, the inevitable swim on top of each other occurred. I'm used to this now and its now really a big deal. You swim, stop for 1 second and adjust. No malice or bad intent.

But a new one happened today...one aggressive guy decided that it wasn't enough to swim on top of me...he actually put his hand on top of my head...and pushed it down as he took his full swim stroke! Now that was a surprise (and a little scary). I survived, swallowed more ocean water, gagged, and then carried on...of course in the opposite direction to Mr Bad Man Swimmer

hmmm seems like Mr Bad Man Swimmer was here too!

Final Swim Time: 45 mins

Transition 1
Usually a transition is un-eventful (or at least we like it to be!). This race had a new twist for me. You had to run out the water on the beach (no real mats to speak of) and then run a few blocks to get to the transition area. I heard about this the night before so added some flip-flops near the each exit and used these to save my feet getting shredded. Good decision!

Arriving at the transition area there seemed to be a lot of water. More than expected from racers coming in with a wet suit...My transition area and towel was soaked drenching wet with my socks and hat and gloves wet. Why I hear you say? Turns out the sprinklers went off during the swim and the lucky people near them got drenched. That was me!

Just did the business and got out. Think total timing was 10 minutes with the run...

Bike
Right, this has been my focus area and strength for the past few months. Couldn't run so I doubled down on the bike. And this was the area I wanted to really test my limits on today. The route was on highway 1 along the ocean as an out-n-back course. Didn't know the elevation, but expected it to be pretty low (turned out higher than expected at 1900 feet overall but in little rollers rather than 1 big hill)

Recent bike rides had me getting to 50 miles in the 3 hour mark...so I wanted to get the full 56 miles in under 3 hours.


My plan of attack for the bike was: 10 mile warm-up easy with high cadence, then 20 miles of getting into a good 17-20 mph speed, then the back portion of the ride was planned as a negative split - as in push it hard!

What happened was the first part went well, the second part went ok, then I lost my bike chain and had to stop to fix it...getting all covered in grease in my haste to just get that blooming thing back on the bike.

At the turnaround point of 28 miles there was suddenly a drop in speed from 25 mph to like 12 mph...from a huge headwind. Crazy!! It lasted for about 15 miles so blew my chances to get below 3 hours...but I pushed hard...overtook bikers and said "go for it!!" I also wanted to learn how far I can push my bike to not destroy the legs for the run.

Bike Details. Avg Moving Pace 17.5 mph

Nothing major eventful other than this...ate a lot...stomach felt good....and chatted to the bikers about random stuff. I of course played my music tracks in my head from my list on my bike! Go "Love Shack" and "Dirty Bit"

Final time: 3:10 hours (close but no cigar for the target 3 hours)


Transition 2
Nothing eventful. Great!
Time was 5 minutes or so.

Run
My arch nemesis of the run! Had to do this race JUST so I could see how my run is. Was I going to blow up? Was I going to collapse in pain from the leg? Who knows!

The leg pain had started on the bike which made me worried....took lots of pills and stretched out on the bike. NOTE: might be time for another bike fit, think it might be due to being in the tri position for most of the ride and the leg angle...

My plan for the run was to use a run-walk routine. I didn't have a target time/distance for the run or walk...just had heard many folks tell me that this was better on the legs rather than pushing too hard. And that your overall pace could often be better because of the rest on the legs.

So off I went. I started off fast due to coming off the bike and found myself son in some 8 minute mile pacing. Wow! My expectations for the run just went up! It lasted for 5 miles...

Run splits...kept a good pace for 5 miles..so practice needed to maintain

I found myself in a tag-game with another guy called Bill. He ran at a consistent pace and my run/walk meant we kept passing each other...so the usual banter and chit-chat occurred, helping pass the time and giving us both something to look forward to.

Course was a flat (total elevation 360 feet) along the beautiful ocean coast and then some inland trails. Was gorgeous to take in the views of the ocean.

Scott Wilder Ranch - the view on the run - gorgeous!

After mile 5 I started to flag and my pace got slower....took in salts, Gu, banana...but just could not really get back into a decent pace. I didn't give myself a hard time and instead just was happy that I was running and going to complete the whole 13.1 miles (which was actually 13.4 miles!!) in a healthy state.

A surprise for me though was how many people I passed! Running is NOT my best sport, and yet I passed all these people? An interesting thing to analyze when the full results come out...

Watch finally broke (aka ran out of battery). Got to get a decent watch! so at mile 12 I just winged it and hoped I got my final time right.
Had some fantastic supporters out there (Many Thanks Carolyn and Dan, such a huge uplift in emotion and fatigue when you see a friendly face!)

Final chute on the beach...yes you finish running on the beach!

"See you at the finish line" they called out. This one line got me through the final horrible section which is to run on the beach. Yes! After 70.3 miles, they make you finish by running on the beach.! Kids and families are at the beach playing on the sand so you spend your time bobbing and weaving frisbees and kids running. Then you get to look so graceful as you head into the final chute in the sand. NOT looking forward to that photo!

Run time estimate: 2:20 hours

Overall
A great race overall and really proud I pushed myself to see what I could bring. Lots of learnings to take to the 70 days I have left before IronMan Arizona!

Again - thanks to my supporters today - it was the smiles, hugs, and waves that got me to the finish line smiling myself! (FYI - I can squeeze a supporter of two in my hotel room in Arizona if anyone wants to come and stand around for 16 hours! LOL! I'm serious!)

Thanks to my supporters today - Carolyn and Dan!

Race Report - VineMan Full AquaBike

Ta-da...another race under the belt on the way to IMAZ this year. I feel so freakin' amazing right now. This was a major achievement for me and a big improvement in my overall fitness form Wildflower. What a rush!

Here's my race report with what happened...

The Race Mindset
I considered this race a "C" race...one to keep me progressing in my ability to complete an IronMan, but no pressure for a certain result or time. I selected the Full AquaBike of which there was 2.4 miles swim and 112 mile bike.
Still saying all this, I can be competitive and like to see myself improve over time...those who know me are smiling right now. Competitive? Lucy? No....
And I felt I had something to prove after my Wildflower race in April.

Race Day
Waking up at 4am is no mean feat...but as I was tired from a busy work week I had no issues falling asleep the night before at 9pm - giving me a healthy 7 hours of sleep.
I'd prepared myself with a checklist for the morning {drink ensure, take allergy tablet, fill cycle bottles, ...} which makes my 4am activities a clean system.
I was feeling the standard nerves and unsure if I was going to be able to finish the race - but also excited. I knew I'd trained for this and others had given me confidence and Facebook race cheers that it was definitely possible. Hooray for my virtual support group!

Breakfast and race snacks

Race Day Breakfast - Chocolate Ensure

Arriving at the beach area in the morning and the race day buzz started...tons of cars driving...and seeing the racers get their stuff together let me know "this is it, it's real!"
Walked to the race event and entered the prep area. The usual scramble of people in their morning panic... forgetting this and shouting at someone if they walk into them. Having done a few races and having a mental / written checklist means I still fuss and panic, but way less than I used to, and now I can take the time in to enjoy all the mayhem and beauty around me.
There was a small mist to the morning that made me feel like I was part of nature's morning cleansing routine. And the Napa location at the river was so ideal that I focused on making sure I enjoyed this race and it's surroundings.
I got myself body marked and prepared {body glide, drink red bull, eat banana, ...} as I heard the first gun go off for the Full IronMan participants.

Arriving at VineMan

Body marked up for the day

Personal Note - I would NEVER have worn a sleeveless top a few months ago, so a big positive step for me in my self-image and fitness level to be wearing one AND taking a photo!

6:48am - Bang! And the swim was off! A perfect 72 degrees water temperature meaning full wet suit was not too hot to be in but I also got the full effect of buoyancy. My wave was maybe ~50 women and I stuck to my usual back of pack. I heard a woman shout with 30 seconds to go "back of pack means a last place finish". I wondered why she'd say it, but it still caught my competitive action and I thought "I'll show her"
As the wave started, I had the usual thrashing and kicking and jostling for a comfortable position....taking a good few '00s yards to get there.
But then it was just perfect. I swam an even rhythm and counted and sang and thought of beautiful things and people in my mind. It was a magical moment when I felt like 2 angels were watching me and talked to my Mum and Dad for their spirit and encouragement in the day. I raised my head to breathe and saw the green lushness of the trees lining the bank. A very Zen moment.

I was told the water depth was between 3 -7 feet and was not sure how that would impact my swim. Would I freak out at seeing the bottom? Turned out the water was not very clear, so depth didn't matter for the most part. There were a couple of parts that my hand skimmed the bottom - of which I just thought "how cool is that!" and enjoyed it. I also took advantage of standing up a couple of times - not really for any leverage but just because it seems so at odd to be standing in the middle of an IronMan swim!

Elbow to the Face - Ouch!

After 1 lap I checked my watch and saw it was at 45 minutes. Nice! I ate my TOP TIP Stinger Honey Gu that I had placed in the arm cuff of my wetsuit to give me some energy for lap 2. And off I went! It was busier in the water this time (the relays and Barb's racers were now in the water) and I had to get a bit more jostling in. I met a guy who really had an issue keeping a straight line and as I tried to pass him, he decided to swim over me twice, kick me, then elbow me in the nose. Ouch! as my eyes streamed and I just kept on swimming, knowing I'd leave him for dust.

I came in at a time of 1:35 minutes which beat my expected time of 2 hours by quite a margin!

Transition
Only 1 key thing to say here - wetsuit strippers!!
Man how I love thee volunteers for the job they did. I was running out the water, trying to make a pose for the photo, and suddenly yelled at by people to turn around and zip, flash, off my top half. "sit down" they yelled and next it was off my legs. Fantastic!! It would have taken me a good few minutes to do the same job - so hooray!
The whole transition still took 6 mins with the wet suite strip, changing clothes (shoes, socks,..), eating, and getting bike out of transition area...

It's not me...but a picture of what the wet suit strippers do. Fantastic help!

Bike
I was a bit nervous here and it was cold at 8am in the morning with the fresh morning dew still out there. Was it going to rain or would the predicted 90 degrees weather arrive? I was wearing a sleeveless top after all...

I had my plan to take a sip of my CarboPro every 10 minutes and to eat something every 45 minutes.I also planned to keep the first 56 miles at an 'easy pace' and then start increasing towards a big push from 90 miles + for a strong finish.

Turns out that my legs felt great, but my stomach was not accepting much food. Good thing I ate a lot at breakfast to keep my calories high. I ate 2 bananas, 2 Stinger GUs, 1 Cola Chews, and Carbo Pro drink. I stuffed what I could at the 60 mile special needs pick -up where I had a peanut butter sandwich made. But I paid the price after mile 70 when I felt my energy deplete.

A glimpse for what I look like after 9 hours of racing

I took salt tablets to keep the dehydration at bay and plenty of ibuprofen. I usually get knee pain after 40 miles and this time the perfect day continued. No pain! At mile 70 I felt some twinges but it never got to the pain I've had for the past few months....cue "time to start running" music.

So by mile 80 I was flagging. I kept my mind positive and knew I'd finish, but when I started to face strong headwinds in the 2nd round, I knew the negative split was not going to happen. I also felt quite delirious for the last 20 miles and have to work out how to combat this in future training rides...seeing non-stop black tarmac and white lines made me dizzy!

I finished Chalk Hill at mile 100 (what a place to put this hill!) and then pushed through to the end. Got to the main town and as I turned the corner was excited to get my name announced and photos finish...to find that it was the standard transition for the full IronMan participants...so nothing!
I crossed the line and no cheering, just a random person crossing the line. Big disappointment!

Nigel took my photo instead...

The finish!

Results
I was Bottom 5% in Wildflower and so far this is an improvement to be in the bottom 50% overall. Maybe I could even squeeze a top 50% if I learn how to run? Hee hee...gotta give me something to work on for the next 4 months!

Race Results

Focus Areas for IMAZ
Based on the 9 hour time, I would have another 8 hours to complete the run. I feel comfortable I can build up the legs to do that...but now of course I want to be competitive and go for the best time I can! Maybe beat some of my team mates...

• SWIM: Get the swim time down to a target 1:10 - 1:15 hours
• BIKE: Proud I finished strong with no pain, so now about getting more speed. Perhaps a crazy 6 hour (19 mph avg) target??
• RUN: Guess I better start adding some run/walk into my schedule now and see what pace I can get....

Could I target a 13 hour finish? Would that just be crazy? Let's just see what happens...

Photos: SuperSeal Olympic Triathlon

It's a long time past the Olympic Triathlon I did in March, but I just bought the official race photos...so adding them here.

If you want to read the race report, it's in this prior post.

Race Report: Wildflower Long Course

WARNING: This is a long report…it contains moments of X-rated stories, humor that only I find funny, and the group’s final times that may make some of you cry (aka Jeff). Read on at your peril...

For more photos of the weekend, go to my Picasa photo album.

Go the the end if you just want to see results, final comments, and the final photo!

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.

PRE-EVENT

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.

Stars and Stripes Knee

A big thank you to our fellow crew for volunteering – they made it possible to have THE best space to camp…at the Lynch camp grounds right net to the whole event, expo center, transition area….which meant instead of a 1 hour extravaganza on a bus to get to the race…we had a calm leisurely walk of 5 minutes.

Camp Ground B right next to Transition Area

Our support crew (Grace, Dennis, Jo, Kevin, and Bear) created fantastic meals for us with a feast of salmon, salad, and garlic bread for us before we sat round the fire and ate smores…or in my case my double dipped fire marshmallows.

Burn those Marshmallows!

Now sitting by the camp fire is a time to tell stores…so I asked the group to say “their favorite vacation” and that was well received but when I asked “your worst race event story” I got looks from the group that I should NOT have asked that question….as if I would jinx someone….and sure enough the next day proved it to be true with my horror race story!

Race Morning

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!

Race Morning

I took the morning opportunity to walk and get focused….taking the course map with me and mentally visualizing myself going through the whole race….from the swim start, to the transitions, to the food I would eat, and the smile on my face as I crossed the finish line at a goal of 8 hours.

I was planning for a 1-4-3 event…1 hour swim, 4 hour bike ride, and 3 hour run/walk with the transition time included. I wasn’t here to win any elite medals, but this was my goal for knowing my current physical condition and abilities. And a key proof point on the way to IronMan Arizona in November this year.

My secret weapon for the day was my play list….no music allowed on the course which is my lovely companion in training…so I created my paper play list to get me through various stages on the day….some of my team mates laughed at me (yes…you know who you are) but I also heard that they used a few of these songs themselves….so glad to help out the crew!

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.

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.

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!

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!

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"

The Wildflower Long Course Finishers...woo hoo!