For those who know how this race unfolded for me last year,
I was coming back with some unfinished business to handle. The big goal was
Kona, although I was hoping to win my age group and improve on my top 10
overall amateur finish. Only one of those 3 things happened this year, and
thankfully it was the most important one!
Jim graciously came out as my sherpa again this year and we
stayed at a great bed and breakfast that was recommended to us by a fellow
triathlete, Alex Garcia. We were 1 block from the race start and in a house
amongst friends and fellow athletes. I couldn’t have asked for a better set up.
Race morning it seemed that the storm we were expecting was
going to blow over and we would have great conditions for the race. The water
temperature was still freezing (around 55 degrees) but warmer than last year so
I wasn’t concerned.
A funny thing happened as I stepped onto the sand to line up
for the start. I looked at the spectators, volunteers and all of the kayaks waiting
for us on the lake and I started to get choked up! I NEVER cry at anything
(funerals, weddings, movies, nothing ever gets me). What was happening? I was
just overcome with this feeling of how much I love racing. It was amazing and
it totally validated all of the pain, sacrifice, time and money spent. I do it
all because I love it!
When the gun went off I had a good clean start and was
relieved thinking I had managed a pretty pain-free entry. Boy was I wrong. Not
only did the typical mass-start melee ensue but we were swimming against horrible
current, chop and wind. Every time I tried to breath I got a mouthful of water.
I literally stopped 7 times before the first buoy b/c I was swallowing so much
water. This is not the type of swim performance that wins races. I was trying
not to panic and actually had to have a few talks with myself to pull it
together. Soon the nausea started to set in from the chop and the amount of
water I was swallowing. After rounding the first turn buoy I threw up! WTH??
That’s certainly a new one for me! As we exited the water to start the second loop
I was afraid to check my split given how horrible things had gone. I was
surprised to see 32 minutes. Not fast but not horrible, all things considered.
My goal was 1:05 and this split meant that was still possible, or so I thought.
The second loop proved to be worse than the first. Although I was no longer
battling the masses, the current and chop had picked up significantly. I was
swallowing huge amounts of water and couldn’t sight due to the waves that were
now rolling in. I got off course a little on the way into the finish that cost
me precious time, which was obvious in my final split of 1:08. Ouch. I knew everyone
had to deal with the rough conditions, so I sucked it up and headed to T1.
The first part of the bike was cold and raining. Not the
best thing after spending over an hour in 55-degree water. But I was happy to
be on my bike and have 1 leg of the race behind me. Things were going well
until roughly mile 25 when the straw to my speedfil slipped out of position,
wrapping through my spoke and around my skewer! Thankfully I was going uphill
at the time so I was able to quickly clip out before crashing. Had I been going
any faster it would have been a disaster. Although I was pissed that I had to
stop I figured I would fix it and be on my way. However, the neoprene part of
the straw was wrapped so tightly in my skewer I couldn’t get it out. I stood
there for what seemed like an eternity trying to rip that stupid thing out. I
tried to keep my cool but I couldn’t believe this was happening. Eventually I
got it out and was back on my way. I decided I shouldn’t try to catch up to the
people I was with before or I might blow up and pay for it later. I was also
afraid of drinking any water, as I didn’t want the straw to slip again and
cause a more serious problem, so I tucked the end of the straw into my bento
box to try to keep it in place. I had
been taking salt every 20 minutes and it was time for my next dose but as I
opened my bento box to get a salt pill that stupid straw flicked my bag of salt
into the air and it was gone. OMG. What else is going to go wrong? Luckily I had put extra salt in my special
needs bag and even though I planned on not stopping at special needs, at least
I knew I could get more salt!
The rest of the first loop went smoothly and I clocked in
right around my goal time of 2:45 (hoping for a 5:30 bike split). The head wind
had picked up a lot on the second loop and I knew I was slowing down. Around
mile 80 I suddenly got super nauseous again. I felt like my nutrition was spot
on so I attributed it to all of the lake water I had swallowed earlier. From miles
80-92 I was miserable!! I had to back way off my power as I debated whether I
should puke and get it over with or try to figure out how to stop it. I chose
the later and began to ride slower, take
in more water and hope for the best. Around mile 92 or so I magically felt
better and instantly was able to increase my power back to my goal wattage;
however the time I had lost was significant. Final bike split was 5:45. My big
limiter is still the bike. No matter how much stronger I seem to get in
training I have never had a good bike split in a race. It’s so frustrating!!! Gotta
figure this out.
Heading onto the run I knew I had to make up time. The girl
who would eventually take 2nd place BLEW past me at mile 75 so I
knew she had a huge gap on me. Coming out of T2 there was another girl (in a
different AG) about 200 yards ahead. I caught her pretty quickly and the 2 of
us ran the next 6 miles together. She turned out to be great company and
motivation and since we were 2 of only a few girls on the course and were
running side-by-side the spectators were going crazy. We got so much motivation
from the crowd it was great! We were running faster than my goal pace
(averaging about 7:15-7:20/mile) but I had decided I was just going to go fast
while I felt good and hope I didn’t blow up later. I was feeling the best I had
ever felt coming off the bike until mile 12-13. Then I just got tired. Nothing
hurt and my nutrition was fine I was just plain tired. I decided to try
drinking some coke. This was risky b/c I never drink soda in real life and I am
really sensitive to caffeine but it worked! The combo of coke and water was
like a magic pill. All of a sudden my pace was back and I was no longer
considering giving up triathlon (during miles 12-15 I had decided triathlons
were dumb and this was going to be my last). Around mile 17 Jim yelled at me
and told me to pick it up b/c this was the moment I had been training for and I
couldn’t let it slip away. It really helped get me back into a competitive
mindset. The last half mile of this course is like non-other. Not only is it a
downhill finish but also it is through the main drag of downtown and the
streets are lined with spectators on their feet, at local bars, and in the
stands. Coming down Sherman Way there were 3 other guys and myself. I passed 2
of them and then I was just enjoying the last few minutes of the race. At that
point a woman seated at a bar along the course yelled, “ Go girl, pass that guy.”
It may have been bad sportsmanship on my part but I took off. As I passed him
the crowd erupted and started going crazy. It was hysterical. Who knew the last
few minutes of a 140-mile race could be so fun? I crossed the finish line all
smiles not knowing how I had placed but knowing that I had done the best I
could do on that day. It wasn’t until I saw Jim a few minutes later that I
found out I placed 3rd and possibly had a Kona slot. At that point
it was just icing on the cake. That night we went back to the finish line
around 10:30 and stayed till midnight to watch the last finishers come through.
It was a magical thing to witness and I wish I hadn’t waited all of these years
to experience it. The vibe and the emotions there were unlike anything else. It
was truly a great end to a great day.
Of course the looming question was Kona. I wouldn’t
officially know till the morning if I was in. I felt like I had a good shot
since there were 4 slots last year but they also decreased the total number of
slots this year from 75-50. It was a total guessing game and I didn’t want to
play. I just waited till 9am Monday morning and solemnly approached the award
area to see the final results. I almost threw up (again) when I saw 3 spots for
my division! I made it! I really didn’t want to get a roll down slot, as I
wanted to feel like I had earned the spot 100%. In the end I didn’t win and my
overall placement was lower than last year but I achieved the big goal!
I have a lot of work to do between now and October and the
thought of doing another Ironman this year is frightening. I have to figure out
a lot of things in the next few months (mainly why I still can’t ride a bike
fast) but I know I can do it with the help of my coach, Joanna Zeiger. I owe her a huge thank you for all of the
time and effort she has put into coaching me, it has certainly paid off! I
would also like to thank my newest sponsor, TriBike Transport for making the
logistics of racing a lot easier this year. I hope I never have to take my bike
on a plane again!
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