I’m writing this report on Steph’s birthday {08.13.15} – 4 days after the event. I have nothing but smiles to report on my first 70.3 Ironman. Funny that it went much better than my Olympic Race 2 month prior. On to the re-cap:
Friday, 8/7 – Travel Day
Slept in and hit the road at 9:30 – I was happy to sleep in given a stressful week and thinking I’d be restless in the 2 upcoming nights. We stopped and had lunch downtown Madison along the campus at Bassett Street Breakfast Club (super good) and arrived at Jim & Jeanne’s around 5 pm. It was nice to have a homey place to stay and visit with them. I had salmon + veggies for dinner at a local Italian place.
Saturday, 8/8 – Check-In Day
We set the alarm for 8 and were on the road at 9 for Indiana and then Michigan. The only road construction we hit was in this stretch and delayed us for 30-40 minutes each way. We found out that we crossed into East Coast time and it was already noon when our clocks showed 11. We thought about this on Friday but didn’t look into it for certain. We arrived in Benton Harbor at Jean Klocke Park around 12:30-1pm. Al pumped my tires and walked my bike to the start. I looked to see if other were checking their shoes + helmets and no one seemed to be including these items so I didn’t either. I was still uncertain about the “bags” rule. I got all checked in including my shirt, bib, swim cap and I was officially ready to do this! We walked around at the few vendors (I thought there would have been more) and grabbed a fruit smoothie along with the 1/2 cliff bar I received in my bag. That was lunch. I should have planned and packed a few more lunch items and bought them to the park with us but not a huge deal as I had a Lara bar and banana when we returned to the car around 3pm. We stayed for the “official program” which made me more nervous, I think! I think it was kind of like, “the more you know, the more you wish you didn’t know”. I was worried about the bike pit stops, passing and going the correct way (all things that happened in Fairmont but definitely weren’t a problem on Sunday).
We drove the 50 minutes to South Bend and the Holiday Inn Express. We had dinner at The Emporium which turned out to be pretty good. I had salmon (again), wild rice and asparagus, and split a side salad. We enjoyed watching TV in bed and I think I fell asleep around 9:30 with the alarm set for 4:30am!
Sunday, 8/9 – Race Day!
Fuel – Protein Smoothie (protein powder, banana, raspberries, spinach & guac) – 5:00am
20 oz water filled with UCAN electrolyte pre-race
UCAN Vanilla Protein 30-35 minutes before start
20 oz water during the ride
2.75 packets of UCAN during the ride
1.33 packets (put in 2 3 oz containers) during run
An orange slice at each stop
Water at each stop
The alarm went off at 4:30am and we were up and at ’em! I sleep well considering and it was “go time” and we were on the road at 5am. We drove in the pitch black back up to Benton Harbor and were greeted by a line of cars waiting to get in and shuttled to the start. You worry about the oddest thing – this time it was my helmet. I was all worried that mine was too old and wouldn’t be allowed so I brought a new one (which took up 1/2 the space in my bag) which I totally didn’t need. I googled when to apply the butt butter for a tri and many said to do it 1st thing while dressing so I did that with my body glide (another thing I was worried about).
I arrived in the transition and got everything set up. I was lucky to have the space next to me open so I had a bit more room. The transition closes 15 minutes before the race starts and they are firm on that. I had an additional 16 minutes so I was on the beach for 31 minutes. Luckily Alex found me so he helped me with my wet suit and we chatted until my wave lined up.
Omg – Lake Michigan – they said it was calm but it wasn’t smooth in my eyes. Alex explained that there still is current (yikes). I was the 5th of 17 waves to start and hit the water at 7:16am – it was fun to start with all women my age. My plan was to do as I’d done in training. Count 40 strokes, 40 times and I should be done! The water was a great temperature and it was easy to acclimate to. I stayed in the back and walked as far as I could and then plunged in! It wasn’t bad until the next wave of swimmers rush by me. That was a little intense especially when the men came by me. I definitely felt it every 4 minutes or so. I tried to stay calm and continue on. The buoys were pretty far apart so I did have to look up more than I wanted and got off course a couple times when no way was around me or to my right. They had the 1/2 way marked and then the corner turn so you knew where you were at all time. With about 3 buoys left, I started to get worried about my time. I asked 2 different people and neither knew the time. I ran out of the water and up the beach. Alex was right there and told me I just hit 1 hour! Yes, I did it! That was the best news! I finished 136 of of 168 in my age group but think most of the others didn’t start or finish. Upon the transition, I turned on my watch and got ready to run. I didn’t feel light headed as I did in Fairmont and got the wetsuit off much easier this time. I did learn that you hang your wetsuit on the bike rack after you remove your bike – good to know!
Alex was there cheering me as I exited on my bike and I was off! The bike was great. Oddly, it took me a while to get conformable on it. I was waiting my the Chamois Butt’r to kick in, etc. Before I knew it though, my mind focused on the task at hand. I was worried about passing situation but it was much easier and smoother than I thought. I got passed by lots of men in the waves before me but I also passed a lot of women (heck, I had 135 in front of me out of the lake) and just being with all of the people was very energizing. I random training ride cannot explain it. It was awesome! Of course, I was also constantly worried about a flat tire and saw several people with one on the side of the road. I had a girlfriend’s repair kit and had watched a few Youtube videos but knew I wouldn’t be able to do it myself. Every marked 5 mile point, I thanked my bike 🙂 I gave it everything I had (yes, I knew I still had the run) and finished in 3:01 – awesome!
13.1 – it was only a 1/2 marathon, right?! The funny thing is it doesn’t feel like a 1/2 marathon – it feels like the 2nd half of a full marathon. My legs were gassed and I was on the brink of major leg cramps the entire time. It was a 2 loop course so I saw Alex twice which was awesome! It was also nice to have so much runners out there. The trail part of the race was in rough condition and left a bad taste in my mouth overall about the course – lots of turning – I prefer something straighter – heck, just a down and back would be fine with me! As a result, my run was slower than anticipated but since I rocked the bike I had plenty of time to beat my goal time of 6:30 and do so in 6:23 🙂 It was an awesome feeling!
My legs hurt the way they do after a marathon – I didn’t think it would be that intense but it was. It was super hard to sit and stand or walk but did so to get around to everything. I refueled and we were on our way home (or back to Chicago!)
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