Official 5430 Race Report

I did it! I finished the 5430. And it was hot, and it was hard, but I did it. I was really struggling with nerves beforehand because I had my times pretty much figured out, and I knew I was going to come in close to last. Luckily triathlon is so popular in Colorado, I managed to beat out 60 people! So I wasn't last! But I still had the seven hours and 45 minutes that I expected. (Actually it was 7:40--I went a wee bit faster than I anticipated in the swim, a wee bit faster than I anticipated on the bike, but slower than expected on the run, which isn't really that unexpected.) I was also surprised by the lack of women in this race. I don't feel as poorly about being in the back of the pack when the men outnumbered the women almost 4:1.

In the end, I don't care what my time was. I finished on a scorcher of a hot day, on a run course that doesn't have a single tree for shade ANYWHERE on the course, and I did it!!!!!

THE PLAY BY PLAY:

The swim: I was definitely fighting off the urge to cry before the gun went off. Knowing that filling my goggles with water pre-race was a bad idea, I was able to keep the tears at bay. Listening to other girls share in nerves and tears, helped, also.

While I know how to breathe bilaterally, I went back to the unilateral breathing just so I could get more oxygen and calm the nerves for awhile. I switched on and off later on. The bad part was that I took in a couple good swallows of water. I don't think it was sitting well in my stomach. I'm scared because I can't let that happen in Florida! Florida is a saltwater swim!!!!!

Anyways, swim and swim I did. I was so excited because I realized that I may have self-seeded poorly. I always start in back, but I was having to maneuver around women, so maybe I could have started a little, not much, but a little closer to the front. The first round of guys caught me at the first turn buoy. Boy, do they paddle hard! One guy paddled down my back instead in front of his chest. I tried to move out of the way every time a guy came up next to me after that. A kick or swat from a girl just doesn't seem to hurt as much as when a guy does it. Hopefully the guys will all swim ahead of me right away in Florida.

I was ready to get out when the 1.2 miles came to an end. I was happy. I did it. But I was ready to get out. I'm having a tough time imagining doing a second loop in the big big race in November. Ugh. Smiles abound when I got out!!! Final time: 46:27.

The bike: Not much to report on here. I knew that any over exertion at all would take away from the run that I struggle with already. So I took it slooooooowwww. Every man, woman, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, and grandmother passed me. I'm not used to that, because the bike is usually my strongest event, but this isn't a race for casual cyclists. I had to suck it up, and that's exactly what I did. I just maintained a nice, slow pace.

By the time I finished, there weren't very many people left on the course. Oh well, I still felt pretty good, and that's exactly how I wanted to go into the run. Nutrition on the bike was a struggle. I knew exactly how many calories I needed each hour, and I usually prefer some solid food on the bike, but I found myself stuffing half a Clif bar in my mouth, and then having to consciously tell myself to chew. I definitely struggle to eat or drink when I exercise heavily.

My butt was really starting to hurt at the three hour mark. I also had to pee really badly and they didn't have any porta-potties on the course!!! I couldn't believe that!!!! I know I've seen articles about how to pee on the bike, but I never thought I could actually do it, so I never read the articles.... I'll tell you what, I was ready to try it, if only it didn't look like I was going to pee on my water bottles. I did find a construction worker nasty and disgusting porta potty on the side of the road about 3/4 the way through. I didn't care. It was heaven in a grey smelly plastic house!

I finally finished the bike three hours and thirty-eight minutes later, and I was a happy girl. (Or should I say, my butt was a happy butt!) Even if I was just about to embark on my worst event.

The run: Well, it was cloudy for the swim, and the clouds had burned off near the end of my bike. It was now 11:00 a.m. and I was about to run half-marathon in the hottest sun of a 95 degree day, on a course with no shade. Baby steps. I took off ultra slow.

I was doing well. At mile 2 I even picked up a friend. I'm a strong believer in picking up friends. She must have had the same mentality because she was making small talk too, the kind that was worthless otherwise, but when you're trying to take you're mind off the pain, every little sidetrack is golden. I spent a little longer than she did at the aid station at mile 3, so she was off. I wished her luck!

I walked only the aid stations on the first of two loops. I was happy about that. My time wasn't very good. I would have to do the exact same time the second loop to get my goal of 3 hours. I knew that wasn't going to happen. I saw my husband as I started loop two and he asked how I felt. I told him that my legs were getting stiff. I wasn't kidding. I've done several half-marathon races prior to this, and my legs always stiffen up around mile 10. That's how they felt and I was only 6 1/2 miles in. Deal with it kiddo.

There were a couple hills from miles 7-8, and I had told myself I was allowed to walk them on the second loop. Only, my legs completely cramped up and when I started to jog again I could only make it about 15 steps. It was awful. I tried again, same thing happened. For a moment the thought of not finishing crossed my mind. "You can NOT walk the rest of this race!!!!" A girl came by and asked me if I was alright. "Yes, thanks for asking. I think I just need some water." Five people passed me right there, and I couldn't help but think I was five positions from last, and now they all passed me. Things were getting bad...

I think my body temperature was getting the best of me. It was so hot out. I had thought about buying salt tablets at the expo yesterday, but I also know you should never try anything new on race day, so I didn't. Bad choice, I think they would have been good for me. I walk/jogged to the next aid station (is that how it's going to feel in the Ironman????? Boy, if I wasn't scared before, I am now!!!!) When I got to the aid station, I took about 10-15 cups of ICE water and wet down every inch of my body, down the shirt, down the shorts, you name it, it got drenched. It was the best ever. I managed to lower my body temperature and I found the energy to jog again.

Luckily, the next aid station wasn't terribly far ahead. I went through the same routine again. The volunteers were so awesome at that station. They had "Car Wash" signs and wet sponges and a sprayer. "Gatorade? Water? Flat Coke?" I told them I wanted it all. I passed on the chips and pretzels, but I took all three beverages questioning how all three were going to sit, but that seemed to sit just fine. I was suddenly doing better than ever!!! The next aid station had some moms and their kids, they were a little confused at the number of water cups I wanted to douse myself in, but I didn't care. I asked for more Coke at the next aid stations, but they didn't have any more.

At the last Olympic distance race I did, I had some water buffalo syndrome going on. I was real hesitant to drink a lot at the aid stations on my first loop because I thought it would weigh me down, sit in my stomach and cramp up. It was funny how on my second loop, I didn't care, and it didn't seem to bother me. I just couldn't seem to get enough to drink on my second loop. Never did weigh me down.

Mile 10. I don't' know what it was about that sign, but I was a happy girl. Somehow I knew that I could do 3 more miles. I love hiking and biking up mountains, because it always amazes me when I look down and see how far I just traveled upwards. I tried to imagine my race this way. Look how far you came!!! You just swam 1.2 miles! You biked 56 miles! And you just ran 10 miles! You can do this!!!!!

Not sure where I got the energy from, but I suddenly had a new goal. All along I had just tried to take it one mile at a time. Thirteen one mile jogs, right? Well I had three one mile jogs left. I just had to make it to the next aid station. And if I could pull each of these one miles off without walking until the aid station, I could really boast to my friend Amy, my husband, and to my coach. Funny how I don't really think they cared, but at that moment in my mind, they cared. They're also the people in my life that would be happy for me if I was happy.

And you know what? I did it! No walking (with the exception of those aid stations--I continued my full body shower standing at the side of the table like it was a buffet table.)

I did it!

7 hours, 40 minutes, 34 seconds.

822/884

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Afterthoughts: Good swim, well planned bike, even if it was slow. The run? I did the best I could, and that's the best I could give. Can't ask for more than that. Miles 7-8 were scary though.

I've wanted to do this race for two years now. I did it and I'm so proud of myself. I was very, very sore that evening and the next day. It enforced the absolute NEED I have for extrinsic motivation. My friends that support me and cheer me on really do help my feet keep moving. Is that a bad thing? Or just a human thing?

Someone told me to be careful if I wanted to do a half-Ironman before my full, because when I finished, I might not believe I can do the full. That's not true. I believe I can do the full. I do, but I believe it's gonna hurt like I've never felt hurt before. School has now started and I have a much more limited workout schedule. This race enforced the fact that I need every ounce of training I can fit in between now and November. I can't afford to cut corners. Because if I'm not devoted to the training, I won't be able to finish the big daddy. I'm glad I had this experience.