USAT Worlds Long Course Race Report

I had great intentions of writing this race report while in Las Vegas, but I just wanted to enjoy the rest of my trip by relaxing and spending time with my dad, his girlfriend Sue,  and Ron….and not think about triathlon for a few days. ;) Don’t get me wrong, I still love the sport, but it has been one long year (actually three years) of Ironman training and my body is screaming for a much needed break! So, I did just that….I took off a week of exercising, did some gambling, enjoyed some adult beverages, ate greasy food, and slept in almost every day. Guess what…….I loved every minute of it! J

My final triathlon of the season was USAT Worlds Long Course in Henderson, NV. I qualified for this race at the Halfmax in Myrtle Beach last year. I’m not quite sure why Worlds long course is longer than the half iron distance. I found out a few months before the race that the distances were a 2.4 mile swim, 75 mile bike and 18.6 mile run. Hmmm, how did they come up with those distances?? When I heard that, my goals for the race changed. There was no way I was going to be able to train hard for this race after training hard all year for Ironman Louisville. So, my goals for this race included: 1) Enjoy the experience of being on Team USA 2) Take in the beautiful scenery on the bike course 3) Finish without getting more injured. I accomplished all three!  Although, goal number one started off a little disappointing.

Thursday before the opening ceremonies was the ‘Parade of Nations.’ Typically, from what I hear, this is when all the countries get to walk in parade fashion, wear their team/nation’s colors and get a proper representation. Well, USAT gets a huge FAIL for this part of the experience. The ‘Parade of Nations’ consisted of all teams sitting together at dinner (which they did not have enough seating for and apparently ran out of food by time the last people got to the pasta line), and then each country getting a shout out with two representatives walking down the middle of the convention room with a flag. Well, to get the so called ceremony started, the USAT director asked that each country send two members from their team to the back of the room to be the representative and get their flag. The director proceeded to botch certain names of countries, forgot to name a few and laughed about it once he was aware of it, and then didn’t even have flags for every country  that had athletes racing. This was utterly embarrassing and unacceptable! The announcer also tried to give a shout out to about ten athletes who were supposed to do very well at the race, but had failed to contact them before the event to be sure they were present for their acknowledgement. One out of the ten athletes was in the room when he called their names. Once we got to the mandatory athlete meeting, I was so annoyed that I just started tuning them out. They couldn’t even get that part organized. The woman who started out didn’t know what she was talking about half the time so had to keep turning it over to the race director. The race director (Silverman race director) is amazing and he should have just handled the whole ceremony and meeting himself! I was really looking forward to this kickoff event and hoping it would get the excitement and adrenaline pumping for everyone. It did the opposite….USAT didn’t make the US look good, it was embarrassing to be a part of, and from the comments I heard, everyone just felt annoyed and disappointed leaving the room that evening.

The race was Saturday morning. I wasn’t really nervous, I was more worried that I would hurt my neck swimming 2.4 miles and feel like crap doing it since I couldn’t swim much because of neck pain two weeks before the race. Plus, it was going to be cold!! When I woke up the temperature was in the low 40’s. Brrrrrr! Since T1 and T2 were in different places, I had already dropped off my bike/run gear the day before so didn’t have much to do to get ready in the am. We got some really cool tattoos to put on for our numbers, age and gender. I didn’t really get a good picture of them though since I was so bundled up for the race. USAT told us we could wear clothes over our uniforms and compression gear/tights. So, I wore my long sleeved DC Tri jersey and kept my compression socks on for the whole race just for warmth. I usually only wear them for recovery purposes. When I was heading to T1 a woman I was walking by told me the swim was canceled. I thought she was joking so just laughed and told her wouldn’t that be nice. She told me she was serious and I let out a big cheer…..I was saved from the swim!!! That seriously would probably have been one of my worst swims ever! Whew, a blessing in disguise! Normally, I’m a bit disappointed when the swim is canceled (even though I don’t really enjoy it) because, well, that’s what makes it a triathlon. But, since this was not an ‘A’ race for me, I had been long ready for off season, and was still struggling with my neck/hammy/back irritations….I was all about the swim being canceled for this race!  Plus, it was freakin cold out there! My phone said it was 39 degrees when I was walking into the race site, so the temperature had gone down since I first looked this morning. This is ironic since it was just in the 80’s a few weeks before the race! I like cool races but not winter like cool!

Luckily, the changing tent at the start had a heater in it. All the female athletes were hovered around the heaters drying out wet clothes that had been sitting in the cold rain all night. It hardly ever rains in Nevada, but unfortunately, it rained the evening before the race. This is also what caused the water temp to plummet over night. The start ended up being a time trial start from oldest to youngest. Once they called your group of numbers, you had to stand by your bike and then hike up a hill to the start where the race director greeted everyone with high fives as they went by. He’s a cool guy! My friend Amy, from Iowa, started right behind me. It was nice to have a familiar face close by. We chatted a bit while in line (teeth were literally chattering!) and finally it was time to start. It was nice that they didn’t have us start out going the opposite way and got a little bit of a warm-up before we started climbing out onto the course. The day before I had gone the opposite way for my pre race brick, and was a bit worried when my heart rate soared to zone 4 right away starting with a nice long hill. A few minutes into the race start, I rounded the first corner and saw my dad, Sue and Ron. I felt bad for them because I knew they were probably cold waiting for me to start too. (Luckily, I found out later that they were entertained by watching some fool attempt to climb a palm tree like a monkey and then ask how he was supposed to get down. Ha!) I was so happy they were there to cheer me on! This was going to be a very challenging race!

Since I didn’t drive the course at all and kind of zoned out at the athlete meeting, I didn’t have much of a mental vision of where the course went. That didn’t bother me though and I knew that it was just going to be up and down the whole time anyway no matter what. All I knew, was the last 20 miles were going to be the hardest and that part of the course included three steep hills right in a row called the ‘Three Sisters.’ So, I tried not to wear myself out too much before getting there. I also knew that I was not in my top Ironman shape anymore, and had only done a few long rides, so knew I had to watch myself with all the climbing and stay within  limits of my training. There was no racing hard or pushing the limits on this course. I knew if I pushed it too hard on the bike course, I’d really struggle on the hilly run.

The first 55 miles of this course are breathtaking! On the first really long decent, you see Lake Mead out ahead with its crystal clear, bright blue water and the mountains all around. I know I said ‘wow amazing!’ out loud several times. It really was a beautiful site and looking around helped get me through the constant climbing. I do not think there were any flat sections of this race. It really wore me out and by time I got to the ‘Three Sisters’ I was so ready to be done. Right after that section, you are on a paved bike trail for quite some time. Then, the course started heading back into Henderson and I just couldn’t get my speed up. My legs were definitely starting to drag. Finally, I start to see runners and knew T2 was getting close. After handing off my bike to a volunteer I ran into the changing tent and took my good ol time! I knew it was going to be a long 18.6 miles and it wasn’t going to be as speedy as my marathon at Louisville. Just like the bike course, this run course was no joke! I took a quick stop at the porta-potty, waved at Ron, my dad and Sue, and headed out to the course. The first few miles felt pretty nice and speedy…..that’s because they were downhill. I soon found out that this course consisted of a little over two miles down hill and a little over two miles uphill…..times four! Ugh, talk about needing to keep your mental toughness. It definitely helped knowing I’d see my wonderful cheering section twice each loop around.

There were a lot of fast athletes on the course since it was Worlds. Normally, the run is where I start passing a lot of people. Not this race. I was getting passed quite frequently. There was one woman out there who amazed me. She was in the 50 year old category and she passed me when I was going about 7:40 pace like I was standing still! I saw her several more times throughout the race and she still kept booking along at the same pace. I’m sure she finished at the top of her age group. I hope I can be that fast when I’m her age!

I have to admit that I walked a little bit two times on the long hill at the back of the loop. Just enough to get some lactic acid out of my legs after the water stop and get going again. I kept telling myself that off- season starts at the end of this race so the faster I go, the faster it will be here! Finally, when I was on the last mile, I started to kick it in. Ron was playing one of my favorite songs on the Bose he brought and that made me smile. After I crossed the finish line, the announcer said, “Well, I see somebody got their nails done for the race.” I gave him a thumbs up and laughed as I staggered to the finishers tent. I never do my nails so it was funny the announcer pointed that out. ;)

All in all, the race was a decent experience. I’d like to do another Worlds course in a different country someday to see what that experience is like. And, actually train hard for it. For some reason, we didn’t get finisher medals at the end of the race, so another disappointment. I am definitely going to write to USAT to voice my concerns about the pre race activities and about not receiving a medal. Who doesn’t give finisher medals after a race like this, especially after they mention it in the athlete guide?!  If Worlds is held in the US again, I hope USAT gets more organized. Athletes spend a lot of money to participate in these events, especially, traveling from different countries.

After the race, we stayed for three more days and enjoyed ourselves. We went to the Cirque du Coleil, ‘Love’ show, toured the Las Vegas strip and enjoyed a day at the Hoover Dam. Off season has begun and this Friday I’m meeting my mom in Orlando. We will celebrate Thanksgiving and her 60^th bday together next Thursday. Then I spend a week in Clearwater for work. Not too shabby of an off season start and then holiday celebrations begin when I get back!

Beautiful view of the dam and new bridge

Speaking of holidays, check out this article in the online Tri magazine page, 16 http://bluetoad.com/publication/?m=16599&l=1  . I give a few holiday tips and answer a few questions in their, ‘From One Age Grouper to Another’ section. Thanks to my coach, Mackenzie Madison, for asking her athletes to reach out to the editor and answer her questions. Also, a huge shout out and congratulations to Mackenzie for finishing 2^nd (pro) at Ironman Florida! I’m so proud to be one of her athletes and I am truly inspired by her abilities and dedication coming back after a big surgery earlier this year!

Hoover Dam

Getting a beverage to go on the Strip

We found the guy from Saw on the Strip!

In front of New York, NY Casino

One more race!

Tonight is Halloween already. That means that Worlds long course is this Saturday!! It also means off season and vacation starts Sunday!

Since my Ironman, training has been filled with up’s and down’s. I took ten days completely off after the big race. A few weeks later, Ron was on a relay team for the Savageman triathlon. Without being on his bike for several months, he climbed 6000 ft. over the 56 mile course. I too, ended up doing the course but at least had some time to rest to watch Ron and the rest of my DC Tri friends climb the ‘Wall’, which has a 31% max grade! I figured that I needed to get back somehow and didn’t think it would be as safe to go back the way I came. So, I just rode the rest of the route back to the finish line. At mile 40, right before the ‘Killer Miller’ climb, I got a text from Ron saying, “This sucks!” Well, I guess that’s how I felt doing the course just three weeks after my Ironman with hardly any riding so, I can’t imagine the way his legs felt not having been on his road bike for quite some time. It’s very impressive that he finished that harsh course with little training! 

So, let’s see, what else has been going on…..I sang the National Anthem at Nation’s Tri and did not race since I know my body would not have been too speedy two weeks after my IM. What an amazing experience! It was such an honor to sing the National Anthem, at the largest triathlon in the U.S. on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 in the Nation's Capitol! Words can't describe the feeling I had singing that morning! If you're interested in seeing it, I finally got it loaded on You Tube.

 I got to volunteer at mile 4 water stop and represent High Cloud and DC Tri.  It was so fun to cheer everyone on and it was really nice that so many friends and even people I didn’t know were telling me ‘nice singing’ in the middle of their race. It was much appreciated and I know it’s hard to speak when you’re racing!

DC Tri Club members at after race party

The beginning of October was USAT Club National Championships at Myrtle Beach, SC. I signed up for the International distance. It was a 7-8  hour drive each way and my back and hamstrings did not like that! I was already having issues with this during my recovery. This race was VERY windy and flat….the perfect recipe for my hammy irritation. L I tried my best and raced to 4^th in my AG and 7^th overall. They only gave awards to the winner of the race, so no AG award for me. The best thing about this race was seeing over 50 athletes from DC Tri out on the course! I will link to my race report on the DC Tri site soon. Check out the rest of the elite team’s reports as well! Everyone rocked that course! DC Tri got 2nd in the club championships b/c people from Columbia, MO bring their whole club and slot people into every age group and race. They know how to work it strategically to get the most points, but we by far had the fastest times and podium finishers!

After the Myrtle Beach race, I was in a lot of pain for a few days. Luckily, that went away and I got in some decent workouts that following weekend into the beginning of the week…75 mile ride, 14 mile run with negative splits and 4600 yards in the pool. I got a massage appointment with George, at Capitol Rehab, knowing I would definitely need it to keep up my training for Worlds. It hurt so bad I almost cried, but I felt amazing the next day! Then the rest of the week was a pain in the neck…..literally! A week and a half ago I turned to shut off my alarm awakening me for a 5:15am trainer ride. The left side of my neck locked up and it hurt just to walk to the bathroom. No ride for me that day! I got into Capitol Rehab and  Dr. Booker told me some ligaments had moved around, which causes the muscles to tighten up. I got adjusted and went to work. Luckily, I didn’t have to be at my desk too long that day. The IAFF went to Capitol Hill to support the ‘Back to Work Act’ where Vice President, Joe Biden spoke. Fortunately, he was only about 15 feet in front of me and I just had to look straight ahead. ;) It’s nice to get opportunities such as this living in the Nation’s Capitol!

The next few days I went back to see Dr. Beck, who has kept my back/hammy in working order the past few years. He did some more adjustments and work on my neck. I admit I cried when I left the office….out of frustration more than anything. It did hurt during the adjustment but it helped! Ron made me go back the next day (I think he was tired of me being grumpy…sorry Ron!) and I told Dr. Beck I was afraid to come back. I didn’t mean it in a bad way of course. Dr. Beck is definitely not a scary person! J

That weekend Ron and I were supposed to go to the Fall Foliage Bike Festival in Shenandoah. My plan was to do a century on Saturday, 30 miles easy Sunday and then a 14 mile run. Umm that was of course before I hurt my neck so obviously, there was no riding for me. This ride would have been beautiful and the perfect training ride for the hilly ride at Worlds next weekend. Very disappointing! I just think my body is telling me it’s so ready to be done for the season. Come on, hang in there, just one more race!!

We did end up having a nice weekend and went to Lenornardstown, MD for a Cavalier Spaniel meet-up group event. I was in Cavalier heaven!! There were about 20 cavaliers at this event and at the end they had a costume party. After our horrible experience with not getting our dog last year b/c of an awful breeder, we held off on getting a dog. At this event, we got to meet three wonderful breeders so when we are ready we definitely know who to contact now. Here is Ron with one of the dogs we took a liking to. His name is Ernie. Apparently, Ernie is usually shy, but he warmed right up to Ron and me and cuddled on our laps for awhile. I love this breed!

Poster at MCM expo in memory of Will Caviness

This past weekend was jammed packed with training and helping with the Marine Corps Marathon. Ron’s IAFF Burn Fund Fitness team ran the 10k and marathon so I helped at the expo booth and went to the pre race dinner. Ron did such a wonderful job planning this event for his athletes! At the booth, there was a nice poster he had made for, Will Caviness. Will is the fire fighter that tragically passed away at the end of the Chicago Marathon a few weeks ago. He was running for the IAFF Burn Fund Fitness Team and Ron was there at the hospital with his wife and when Will passed away. Very sad! It's comforting to know that Will’s wife and kids are surrounded by many family and friends filled with tons of love and support. Will and his family are in my thoughts and prayers! Here is a link to Will's Memorial Page on Facebook and where you can find more information on how to donate to his family. http://www.facebook.com/#!/captainwillcaviness

On a more happy note, congrats to all my friends who ran MCM this weekend! Many people had PR's with the cool weather. Luckily, the race was not on Saturday when it snowed. Crazy weather and I hope that was not a preview of what type of winter we are going to have. I did test myself mentally Saturday and ran 11.5 on the treadmill. I wanted to get off after three miles! I'm still fighting off a cold and was not going to run that long in the rain/sleet. On my three hour ride yesterday I started to feel my neck tense again. Unfortunately, I turned quickly to turn my alarm off again this morning and my neck tightened up in the exact same spot. :( Who knew an alarm clock could be so dangerous!? So, this week will be very easy workouts and I just hope I can get through World's long course without injuring myself this Saturday. I will definitely be ready for a break and some relaxation! Next post I'll be writing from Henderson, NV. At least it will be a little warmer there!

Ironman Louisville Race Report

So, today is the first day of Fall and it has been almost four weeks since my Ironman. Within that time I went through all the post Ironman finish phases…..I had my Ironman high, ironman ‘blues’ and now the ‘I need to start training again, but my legs are heavy and yelling at me’ phase. I wrote up my race report a few weeks to post on the DC Tri site but just now getting it posted on my blog. (Just a heads up...some of the things I have in my race report might have been written in previous blogs about my training.)

Where did the summer go?! I know…it was spent running/biking hours in the heat and early morning swim practices at Hains Point, training for my A race, Ironman Louisville! (Ok who am I kidding?!  I didn’t spend that many mornings at Hains Point and had to force myself to get to the pool a few times a week. Why can’t I like swimming more?!) I’ll start off my race report with my reason for wanting to do Ironman Louisville this year. I have never come out and said it in writing, because I didn’t want to jynx myself, nor did I know if I’d be close to achieving my goal.

Last year after Ironman Cozumel, I noticed some athletes with ‘Zoom Performance’ gear on at the resort we were staying at. I knew that Zoom Performance was a triathlon coaching business started in Des Moines, IA, close to where I’m from. I started chatting with one of the coaches, Matt Zepada, and telling him about my ‘Kona dream’ goals and trying to get faster at the Ironman distance, wanting to break 11 hours. Yes, I’m one of the many triathletes who would love to go to Kona someday, but also know it’s a very difficult goal to achieve. I had told myself and Ron that I wasn’t going to be doing an Ironman in 2011. Matt was very excited to tell me about Mackenzie Madison (my coach in case you haven’t read my other blog posts), and how he knew she could help me reach my goals. Well, of course I was on my Ironman high having just completed my 2^nd Ironman so I was getting real pumped thinking about training hard for another Ironman in 2011! After doing a little research, and discussing things over with Ron, we both thought that I should go for it and sign up for Ironman Louisville. Ironman Louisville is the last qualifier for Kona 2011 and had more slots to give away, making the odds of qualifying a bit better than some of the earlier season Ironman races. So, that’s how I came to find Coach Mackenzie and started off with my training in February.

This brings me to pre-race. Hurricane Irene was pounding the East Coast and our flight left early Friday morning. We got out of DC just in time before flights started getting canceled. Whew! I had been nervously watching the weather all week fearing that Irene would decide to effect more than just the East coast. My other fear was that it would be unbearably hot like it was last year. Apparently, it was around 100 degrees race day with the heat index.  But, by Friday I knew that the weather in Louisville would be just fine! In fact, it was more than fine. Sunday was going to be the coolest day of the weekend with a high in the low 80’s and no rain! I was very thankful to say the least.

Race Day

It’s finally here! I had worked hard all spring/summer, got many century plus rides in, multiple long runs in the crazy heat and worked through some motivation/minor injury issues. Three weeks before the race my body finally broke down and I got a bad cold. Then I went on a work trip to NYC for a week. So, needless to say, my much needed taper was pretty much forced. I did end up getting in my last 20 miler in at Central Park two weeks out from the race and it felt great! Come race day, my nerves were a little less rattled with it being my third Ironman having an idea what my body was going to feel like with the demands this distance puts on it. I was excited and ready to race!

Swim course

Swim



Hillary and I waiting for the swim start

The water was above 80 degrees, so there was definitely no wetsuit being worn for this race. This swim is a time trial start, so basically, when you show up, that’s where you start. I found fellow DC Tri/High Cloud team member, Hillary Peabody, so joined her in line. Thanks Hillary for letting me hang out with you in your comfy lawn chairs! Ron and James were there to see us off to the start and take some pictures. A few other DC Tri friends, Kevin and Richard, joined us in line. We saw club President, Steve Carlson, but he didn’t jump the line to be with us. Guess he didn’t want people to yell at him. ;) It was nice to start with a group of friends and share our race start anxiety together. Athletes are let into the water two seconds apart. We all started at about 7:15 am. The water was warm and smelly, but not too choppy so I was calm and ready to get this swim started.



Hillary, Kevin and I ready for the swim



You swim 900 meters against the current, turn for about 400 meters around the island and then head back with the current the rest of the way. It wasn’t too bad of a swim and I actually felt decent the whole way. I don’t think I swam in the right area to get the current pushing me in, because my time wasn’t really any faster than I thought it would be. The one hilarious thing about this swim was as I was swimming along in the first half, I looked over and see some guy standing up and walking! A friend of mine who had raced Louisville a few years ago had told me about this area of the swim where you could stand, but seeing it while you are swimming takes you by surprise! He literally looked like a swamp man wading through the water! This gave me a little chuckle and took my mind off swimming against the current for awhile.  Although, I think I gulped a little water from laughing out loud! A few times in the last half of the swim, I’d be swimming along and all of a sudden run dead on into someone doing the back float. That’s the only problem with a time trial start. You aren’t always swimming with people of the same pace and get a little surprise bonk on the head that will all of a sudden slow you down. I do feel like this type of start provided much less congestion and I didn’t get pushed under water or as many elbows thrown at me as I have with a mass start. The rest of the swim was pretty uneventful and as with any triathlon swim, I was very excited to get to the steps that take me out of the water and get ready for the sports I really enjoy.

Swim time – 1:16:35

T1
T1 was pretty uneventful. The transition area was so organized! The man who was in charge of organizing the transition area is a friend of Adriana and Matt from High Cloud. He also organized a bike course preview the day before so I was very thankful to have been able to meet him and check out the course before race day.

At this event, you run down the row of your number and get your bag (handed to you by a volunteer), run to the changing tent and then run and get your bike. I’m still pretty slow at my transitions, but I made sure to get all my body glide, chamois cream and sunscreen on, because it was going to be a long day in the sun and saddle. I trained all summer in bike shorts, but opted to do the whole race in my tri kit to try to save time by not having to change.
T1 – 6:31


Bike

On the bike course

The first 10 miles of this course are flat. Coach Mackenzie and I chatted several nights before the race about my plan. I needed to be sure I didn’t hammer it the first part of the race and hold back. Having seen the course the day before, I knew it would be very easy to take off for that first half hour or so of the ride. I kept reminding myself to ease into it, keep my HR down and save it for later in the ride. At about mile 18 you turn onto the portion of the course that looks like a ‘tumor’ jetting out. This was a five mile out and back hilly portion. I don’t know if it was because this part was at the beginning of the ride or what, but it looked much more difficult in the car. This was surprisingly one of my favorite parts of the bike. I was dreading it after seeing it the day before. There were several steeper hills but going down them was so fun! This is where you could see where your competition was as well. Although, given the time trial start, it was hard to tell where anyone really was time wise. The sound of the race wheels going down the hills was so loud and made me smile. It’s such a cool noise!

After the ‘tumor’ portion of the course you start the first loop that brings you into LaGrange. This was where all the spectators got bussed to and where you got that needed burst of energy from the crowd. Right after this town, I started to get passed by some of the pros on their 2^nd loop. The lead motorcycle passed with a video camera. My first thought was, “Hey, this is pretty cool. I get to be on TV.” I just thought they were randomly filming the race. Then I realized that the leader was coming up. Ha! It was cool to see him go through the special needs area. He was handed his bag on the bike, threw out his empty water bottles, got the new ones out and was on his way. Very speedy!

Right after this, I came up on one of the girl in my age group that had passed me early on in the race. I recognized her name as one of the faster girls. I’m not sure I should admit this, but yes, I went through my age group and made a spreadsheet that included everyone who I found that was going to be my top competition. Little did I know, three of the girls who beat me weren’t even on this list. Damn you Athlinks and Google for not providing me details on these women! ;)  I admit this is very ‘stalkerish’, but I want to know what type of competition I’m up against. It just helps mentally to know what other people’s strengths are. (Side note my wonderful boyfriend, Ron, was back in the hotel room throughout the race in between my loops figuring out where I was place wise and trying to figure out how far behind I was from everyone ahead of me. The time trial start gave him some math to figure out. ;) I debated passing this girl because I knew I’d be setting myself up for a chase the rest of the race. Well, I passed her, and that’s exactly what happened! I knew this girl had to be a fast swimmer given where she was in the race and also that she had to of slowed down since I caught her. We went back and forth throughout the entire next loop. Finally, around mile 90, I let her go. My HR was starting to get too high and I told myself to keep within myself, don’t get caught up in someone else’s race. I also figured I’d see her on the run. I wasn’t going to wear my legs out too much to ruin my marathon. (I found out after the race we had the exact same bike time!)

Earlier on in the bike I broke a race day rule and tried something new for nutrition. At the expo I bought some of the new power bar gummy things that have gushy stuff in the middle. I bought the coca cola flavor, thinking the extra caffeine/sugar would give me that pep I knew I’d need when the bike started feeling tough. On the second half of the bike course, we had some head wind that wasn’t expected so I decided to take a few of the gummies during this part b/c it was getting tough constantly pushing through the wind and hills. I started to get a stomach ache, so after three of the gummies, I decided to not take anymore. At that point I had a few hours to go before the run so wasn’t too worried.

After mile 90, the rest of the course was downhill and flat. I used this time to take in the scenery a bit and just keep my HR nice and steady. I was thankful that I made it through the 112 miles without a flat or any mechanical malfunctions and felt ready to get off the bike and run!

Bike time– 5:46:45; 19.38 mph

T2 – 4:19 - got more sunscreen and body glide on my feet!

Run

First few miles of the marathon

This is the portion of the Ironman that can make or break your race. I wasn’t sure how exactly I’d feel coming off the bike but was hoping I didn’t feel like I did in Cozumel. My legs felt horrible on the marathon in Cozumel and the heat got to me. I didn’t want a repeat of that. I knew my training had been different and confident that all the long training runs I got in this summer prepared me well for the marathon. I found out after the race that the temperatures were in the middle 80’s but fortunately, that didn’t bother me too much. Must have been all the runs I did in 90’s and high humidity all summer!

As I was running out of T2, Ron let me know I was in 11^th place. That meant I had to run some girls down! I had already passed one girl in my AG out of transition so I was up to 10^th. The first two miles are an out and back on the bridge and the rest of the race is broken down into two loops. Right after mile one I found the girl who I had played frogger with out on the bike course. She was actually walking when I passed! This gave me some adrenaline and I probably ran the first several miles a little fast, keeping it under 8 min. pace. I slowed my pace a bit and just tried to keep it steady between 8:00-8:10 for awhile. I didn’t want to have to worry about any stomach issues popping up so took an anti-diarrheal pill. My left hamstring has given me problems throughout the season and it was starting to get a little tight. I had some Advil with me and couldn’t rip it open with my teeth after multiple attempts. So, the next water stop I saw they had a knife. I quickly ran over and ripped it open then was on my way again.  Throughout the first loop I passed a few more girls in my AG. I decided I should stop at the special needs and fill the two fuel belt bottles I had with me back up with Infinit. I wasn’t too sure if the Power Bar drink would mess with my stomach and didn’t want to take any chances. I may have lost a little time doing this, but the alternative could have been bonking the last few miles of the marathon.  I needed to stick with water, Infinit and gels….just like my training runs. No nutritional experiments on the run! I know better than to try that with my sensitive stomach.

Finish line!! (not right time b/c of TT start)

I came to the end of the first loop, which takes you right by the finish line. Oh, that is so painful! That mental downer only lasted a minute before I saw High Clouders, Adriana and Matt. Ron was also there and he let me know I was in 6^th in my AG! I got chills and excited knowing I had gotten closer to the top contenders. This gave me some motivation and energy to speed up a bit. On the 2^nd loop I saw many DC Tri and High Cloud friends and it was so great to encourage each other. My legs didn’t really feel like they were running a marathon until about mile 22. This is when my pace slowed a bit more, but I was still able to keep in under 8:30’s. At mile 24, Ron had found me and told me I was getting really close, to just keep going and finish strong. I knew since he didn’t tell me exactly how far I was behind, he wasn’t sure how close I was to the girl in front of me. He ran ahead of me on the sidewalk with his cowbell getting the crowd fired up. Finally, with one mile to go I knew I just had to reel it in. I knew I’d come in around 10:50 if I just kept that pace. The finish line appears and I’m all smiles. That crowd was amazing! The finish line of an Ironman is definitely my favorite part of the Ironman. Music is pumping, everyone is yelling and you know that all the hard training has paid off! I knew I had gotten a PR, pumped my arms that last block, got chills and took it all in. I had finished my third Ironman and felt pretty darn good!

Marathon – 3:37:36; 8:18 pace

Total time – 10:51:46; 5^th in 30-34 Age Group; 13^th Overall for age groupers  

Post Race

Ice Bath!

The volunteers are amazing at Ironman races and the finish line volunteers were so concerned and caring for everyone. They would not let me leave the area until I found Ron and they knew I was safe with someone. I found Ron, got some post race food, and headed back to the hotel where I sat in the ice bath that Ron had all ready to go for me. I hate ice baths but man do they work!  Ron’s support was simply amazing and I couldn’t have gotten through all this training and racing without it!

I was very amazed at how great I felt! Of course, I felt like I had just finished an Ironman, but I didn’t feel sick or like I needed to lie down right away like my last Ironman. I finally got to go down to the finish line, have a few beers, and see the last person finish. That’s a very emotional thing to see and very inspirational!

Blue Moon for post race drink!

Next morning was Kona slot allocation. I knew that my age group would probably get at least three slots like last year. I found out that four had been allocated to F30-34. This meant, one woman had to decline for me to get a slot. We went back to the room and I tried to nap and relax (yeah right!) Then at 11am went to the roll down allocation. All four women had accepted their slots! Bummer! I felt my heart sink. I was so close with just being three minutes behind the 4^th place female. Ron and I sat down and waited to see if there would be another slot from another age group. They got to F25-29 and said there was a slot that a woman in the F60-64 didn’t take so for some reason it was up for grabs and rolled to their AG. They called name after name and no one was claiming it. I was starting to get excited knowing that if no one in this AG took it, it would go to my AG. Finally, someone claimed it. I’m not trying to sound negative or rude, but I have to admit this really ticked me off. This girl was over an hour from the two other girls who got a slot in her AG. That’s the way it works out sometimes, but I honestly don’t think this is the most fair way of getting a Kona slot. I still do not know why that slot went to that age group b/c the F30-34 had the most starters and according to their rules if there is a slot from another age group that is not taken, then it will be allocated to the group with the most starters. I have asked WTC to explain this to me and they told me that their race officials have some sort of algorithm that figures it out. 

Hillary, Steve and I



Best Sherpas ever!



Kevin and I after the race

Giving Ron a huge hug :)

Ron and I went back to the room and I just needed 15 min. to myself to let out some of my frustrations. I was also angry with myself for letting this override the great race I had just had. I really, really did not want this to bring me down after having such a great day. I played the ‘what if I hadn’t done this or that’ game and then told myself to suck it up. I am happy with the way my race went and so thankful I had the race and race conditions I had. I gave it my all and left it all out there on the course! I couldn’t have asked for better weather, I actually enjoyed the rolling hills on the bike course and I felt sooo good on the marathon! I surprised myself with how I ran and had a fun time at Ironman Louisville! The F30-34 AG is so crazy competitive and I am very happy with where I placed. The lava fields will just have to wait. I may not have made it this time, but I still have plenty of time to try again. Some of my friends have already tried to convince me to sign up for Ironman Coeur d’Alene, but I won’t be doing an Ironman in 2012. I do believe this is the race distance for me,  but after doing an Ironman three years in a row, it’s time to focus on keeping my body healthy and getting my speed up for half distances and under for 2012. In 2013 I will be in a different age group so I might try again when I’m 35!

Off season will have to wait another two months. Next up, Club Championships at Myrtle Beach and USAT Long Course Worlds in Henderson, NV. Time to get in the pool, back in the saddle and lace the shoes up for more training!

Race Weekend is Here!

Race day is in three days! Ironman Louisville here I come! I can honestly say, I am finally excited to race. There have been some up’s and downs on my journey to IM Loui, but I think my body is ready to go!  I feel like the last weekend in July was my ‘breakthrough’ weekend. Ron and I did the Bike to Beach Century for Autism ride on a very HOT day! This was a fun ride for a wonderful cause! We left from Washington, DC at 5am, biked to Annapolis for the first 33 miles, got bussed over the Bay Bridge, and then dropped off at route 405 to bike the rest of the way to Dewey Beach, DE. Ron realized that he did not have his camelback with his water and money in it when we arrived at the beginning of the ride. So, he drove back to get it, then realized I had the house key. Ugh! So, he drove back, got the key, and then had to drive to Annapolis to meet up with me there. Despite the annoying and frustrating start of the day, this ended up working out well b/c Ron was just coming back from hurting his back. He could barely walk two weeks before the ride but ended up finishing the 70+ miles to Dewy strong and in no pain!



Bike to Beach



This was a great ride for me as well. I got into a groove and was able to crank out an interval of 10 miles or so around mile 70 and keep a 23-24 mph ave. I surprised myself b/c it was close to 100 degrees with the heat index at that point and all of a sudden I just got this burst of energy. We were holding around 20 mph ave. for most of the ride so I was very pleased with that! Granted, the last 75 miles of the ride were pancake flat and not hilly like all my training rides, (I think I do better on flat courses) I felt this was one of my best long rides of the season. Hmmm maybe I do like flat courses best.

Two days later was my first 20-mile run of the season and I managed to produce negative splits and average 8:05 pace.  The heat/humidity has been tough to train through this summer and for awhile, I felt like the heat defeated me on almost every long run. Just one week before my ‘breakthrough run,’ I had to cut my long run short and called it quits at mile 15. I just bonked and my body was breaking down becoming tired w/ horrible form. The heat won that day. I felt defeated but thankfully, Ron was out with his bike to give me more water at the turn around point. He is the one that talked some sense into me and told me to stop, that he would go home and get the car to come back and get me. After he left me, I did sneak in another half a mile to our meeting spot to get in 15 instead of walking it. I am a Garmin numbers sucker and I couldn’t stop at just under 15 miles. It’s a mental thing for me. ;)

After my great training weekend, I got in my last 6-hour ride. I actually did this ride by myself b/c some of my friends were doing a double brick (hell no I said to that training offer!) and a lot of my other friends were recovering from IM Lake Placid. This will definitely help me mentally on race day. It gets a little lonely riding 110 miles by yourself on a hot day and you just have to keep telling yourself to keep going and stay positive. I kept telling myself that taper was just around the corner! I had a sore throat that day and hoping it would just go away. Well, it turned into a cold/sinus issue and kept me from getting in my last 20 miler that weekend. I took a few days off and then ended up getting in a three-hour ride, swim and Body Pump class. Whoops! That was too much and I was out of commission for another two days. Then it was time to leave for NYC for our work conference for a week of running around and long days. Not really the taper I had planned, but in the end I guess it was a ‘forced taper’ for me and think it will actually help me come race day. I did end up getting in my last 20 miler that weekend in Central Park! What a place to run! The change of scenery was much appreciated and I got to people watch all afternoon!  I even got yelled at by a New Yorker woman telling me I was running too damn long. So sorry to ruin your day lady! Ha

This brings me to the week of the Ironman full of earthquakes and hurricanes. Who knew I’d experience such crazy acts of Mother Nature when I moved out to the East Coast eight years ago?!  Luckily, I didn’t get trapped in the elevator I was on when the earthquake rumbled the earth, and we are getting the heck out of dodge before the hurricane blows through the Mid Atlantic area.  Right now, the weather is looking pretty darn good for race day…a high of 81 and no storms! (I’m knocking on wood every chance I get!) Last year the temps scored to a high of 100 degrees with the heat index, and if that were to happen again this year, I’d be in deep trouble! Even though I’ve been training in the heat, that type of heat is just evil and not safe or fun to race in.

I spoke with Coach Mackenzie last night to discuss my race plan and she gave me some great tips and motivation for race day. Then, tonight I visited my chiropractor, Dr. Beck from Capitol Rehab, and he told me I am feeling strong and my back/hamstring are right where he wants them to be for race day. Yes! Dr. Beck has been my Saving Grace the past two years and with his help, I’ve become a 2x Ironman finisher and have made it through this year’s tough IM training. He works with a ton of athletes and is not your typical chiropractor.  He does ART (Active Release Therapy) on my hamstring each session, sometimes digs deep and massages my hammy/hip flexors, gives me core/hamstring/hip exercises to do, and has this cool trick he does to help release sinus pressure. ;) I also highly recommend getting a deep tissue massage from their massage therapist, George. J Dr. Beck genuinely cares about his patients and wants to help all the athletes he works with achieve their goals. Their office is pretty cool b/c they have pictures of the athletes they have worked with all along their wall. (I still owe them a picture of me oops!)

This post was a bit rushed so excuse any grammatical errors. As always, I have not taken the time (or had much free time) to blog and figure I should probably post something about the past few months before the race is here and gone. Part of the whole Ironman experience is the months of training itself leading up to the big day!

 It’s time for bed! Everything is packed and I stuck my lucky stuffed turtle in my suitcase. My mom gave me that turtle for good luck my first marathon back in 1999. He goes with me to all my races! This is going to be a fun weekend with lots of athletes from High Cloud and DC Tri. The support crew is going to be amazing! Good luck to everyone racing!!

Three Races in a Month...Yikes!

So it has been a couple months since my last blog. Guess I better get on it! Ironman training has taken up a lot of my time and in full effect! I went home to Iowa for ten days to visit my family and friends the end of May/beginning of June. It’s always nice to get home and I got a lot of family time. There still never seems to be enough time to see all my friends I’d love to see! My mom and I got some good shopping in, got to catch up with my brother and take him out to eat for graduating from Iowa State University (way to go Ty!), lots of movies were watched with family , wine night with one of my best friends, Marci, and just some nice relaxation time with everyone. Our good friends from Texas were even in town so it was perfect timing and we got to hang out with them for an afternoon.

My mom and I w/the Thompson's



My dad and I after our 95 mile ride.

 Since I was going to have some more free time to get in some training in the mornings, Mackenzie put some extra workouts on my schedule. While I was back I got in over 200 miles on my bike! I had such a great time riding with my dad and some of his friends. I sent our friend Kendall my training plans and he put together some great routes. He even did my intervals with me! My dad got to show off his new bike and would all of a sudden go all out passing us all every now and then. I guess I know where I get my competitive side from! 

My dad’s 60th birthday was on June 5th so I planned a surprise party for him the evening before at Jax, a restaurant in Marshalltown. So many of my dad’s friends and family showed up. My brother had helped me decorate the party room and then we went and got my dad. Right as we were pulling up in the parking lot he started pointing out cars that he recognized and was saying, “Oh so and so must be eating here.” I was so worried the surprise was blown but when he walked in and saw everyone, he was totally shocked! He had absolutely no idea….success! :) The evening was spent having some good food and a few beers hanging out with everyone. The next day I had a sprint triathlon, Pigman, which was an hour and a half away outside of Cedar Rapids. My dad had told me he wanted to come watch me race, but he didn’t know anything about his party. So, I couldn’t say anything and just told him that night that he didn’t have to come if he was going to be too tired. He was a trooper though and we both set off for the race at 4:30am!



My dad's 60th bday party.



This was my first sprint triathlon ever! I had heard that it’s pretty much a suffer fest the whole time if you are racing all out so was a bit worried what it would feel like. Especially, after putting in over 200 miles on the bike that week. I decided to sign up for this race since I’d have my bike while I was back and there were some great cash prizes for the overall top five winners. I decided to try racing in the elite amateur category. I knew I’d definitely be the last one out of the water but thought it would be fun to try. There ended up only being five women in this category. It was really cool to be the only five starting out in the swim wave. It was also funny to me to see the swim turn around just 250 meters out. Ha I’ve never seen that before! I may not be a super fast swimmer, but I sure as heck like just swimming 500 meters! No time to even get freaked out in the open water in this race. ;) There was a guy taking pictures at the start, so I finally have some really cool swim start pictures.

The gun went off and we’re off! As expected, I was the last one out but that’s ok. It was such a fun start and wonderful not getting knocked around in the swim! I passed one of the elite women after about five miles and then I just couldn’t get the power to reel the other four in. They were phenomenal at all three disciplines. My legs just wouldn’t go on the few uphills and I had a lot of lactic acid buildup. The run went great! I felt really good and ended up keeping a 6:48 ave. (My Garmin read – 6:41 pace for 3.23 miles but guess some of that was through transition. Shucks!) I ended up 4/5 for the elite amateur category and had thought I was 4th overall to win $150. When my dad and I came back out to read the results we saw that two age groupers had beat me. So, that bumped me out of the prize money. I was hoping to win at least $100 to pay for putting my bike on the plane. ;) (Which by the way ended up costing me $200 on United because my case was a little over 50 lbs. What a rip!)

After the race

This ended up being a fun first sprint race and was great having my dad out there cheering me on! The sprint distance is definitely not my race but I’m happy with 6th overall. My dad and I stopped and got a delicious Maid Rite and chocolate shake on the ride home. Thanks for spending your 60th bday cheering me on at my race dad!!  (side note…since my dad has turned 60 he has won his age group at three 5k’s and was 3rd overall at one of them. He has a few more on the schedule and this time he’s not going to ride 20 miles to get to it and save his legs a bit.)

The weekend after Pigman, I had Eagleman 70.3 on the schedule. Many of my friends asked me, “Why in the world would you want to sign up for this race again?!)  It was over 100 degrees last year with the heat index and a really long swim. This race pissed me off so I wanted revenge. ;) Well, after doing this race again, I will not be going back for quite some time. I never have a good swim in the Choptank and once again no wetsuits were allowed. I think the current threw me off because I had a slower time than what I had anticipated based on my time at Kinetic. The bike went alright but was hoping for a little bit faster split than last year since my biking has improved. My run was definitely better than the previous year, but not where I wanted to be. After I got out of the swim, I was mentally let down and I think this followed me through the rest of the race. I felt like I was having to play catch up the whole time and just didn’t have the mental toughness in me. The run is in the sun on black top the whole 13.1 miles and during the second half, I started walking through the water stops. I think I was consuming too much water and Gatorade because I got side stitches with two miles to go. My left hamstring was also starting to really hurt…probably from grinding away on the flat bike course. That seems to always bother it. I knew I wasn’t setting a PR and figured I’d still be able to get in by 5:15:00. So, I slowed to a walk with one mile to go to try to shake the side stitch and hammy pain.  I just wanted to see that finish line so pushed it in the last half mile and ended up finishing in 5:12:54. Not bad, but signed up for this race with the hopes of breaking five hours. I will not go back for revenge next year though!

Race #3 the following weekend, DC Triathlon! Yes, that’s right you read correctly, three races in a row. Some might say that’s ambitious, others may say it’s stupid and a little crazy. I’m going with the latter. I had already signed up for Eagleman last year before knowing I was going to be on the DC Tri Team. The DC Triathlon is one of the team’s key races so I decided to see how it would go even after such crazy training and racing the past several weeks. My race report can be found on the DC Tri site with this link:
http://www.dctriclub.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Learn.CourtneyDCTriathlon11

Crazy ass HEAT!!

It is now less than six weeks out from Ironman Louisville! I will be blogging again in the next few days about how the long training has been going and a few things I have had to do to keep my body trekking along (dry needling at Sports & Spinal PT, my wonderful chiropractor, Dr. Beck and massages!) We have been having record breaking heat the past few days with the temperature hitting 115-120 with the heat index. This has made training a bit difficult to say the least!

Kinetic Half

Two Saturday’s ago was my first triathlon of the season, the Kinetic half distance in Lake Anna, VA. This was one of the High Cloud Dream Team races so I sported the High Cloud kit in this race. Ron did a relay with Dream Team members, Anna and Shireen. There were so many athletes racing from both High Cloud and DC Tri which made it very motivating out on the race course later!

High Cloud Pyramid

Ron and I stayed in Fredericksburg the night before which prevented us from having to get up at 4:00 am since the race started at 7:00 am. Once we arrived at Lake Anna we needed to stand in line to get our race packet and then another line to get the timing chip. This portion of the race was not real organized but that was the only thing about the race that wasn’t. I tend to take awhile setting up my transition area and stare at my setup awhile (a bad habit of mine!) to be sure I didn’t forget anything. This time, I had to rush since I didn’t get everything until about 6:30 and transition closed at 6:45. I’m one that likes a lot of time to get ready and just chill a few minutes before the race. Ron is the opposite and sometimes jokes with me about how stressed and anxious I get before races. It’s the pre race jitters! So, I hurried to get my bike off of Ron’s roof rack since he was still in line (well actually had to have a very nice race spectator help me get it off since I’m so short) and hurried to transition to get set up. It was 6:45 when they started telling us to finish up and that’s when I started to panic a bit since I wasn’t ready. I still needed to get body marked with my number/age and put sunscreen on. I was freaking out a bit because I couldn’t find my sunglasses. I found Ron before heading to the water and asked him if he could go look in the car for them. Come to find out later, he tore the car apart and ended up finding them in my transition bag by my bike right in the sunglass pocket where they always are. Oops! Then he told me later that I had forgotten my water bottles with all my Infinit nutrition in them and he had run back to the car for that. Holy cow! Now, this is why I don’t like to rush through race set-up because I do stupid stuff like that. I had set my bike helmet on my back water bottle holders. If Ron had not noticed that something did not look right with that, seeing I didn’t have my bottles, there was no way I would have had the race that I did. Thank you soooo much Ron for saving the day!!

The main reason I get so jittery before triathlons is because I don’t like open water swimming and I’m not the best at it. Once I’m past the swim, I’m a lot more at ease and just pray I don’t get a flat on the bike! Luckily, the lake was not choppy at all. A few times in the open water I started going off course so citing better is something I know I always need to work on. Also, when I'm racing I can't seem to get comfortable breathing every three strokes and was breathing to the right most the time. I did the alternating breathing a few times and started to get kind of dizzy. I don't know why I always have an issue with that. Oh well, I do what works to get me through the swim. I came out of the swim with a time of 37:53 which is what I had clocked myself at in the pool earlier that week. This was my best 1.2 open water swim, so was content with that. I know swimming is something I will always need to work at….I just don’t really enjoy it so makes it more difficult for me to get motivated for the workouts. I know I need to work hard to cut off a few minutes of my time at all distances in order to be competitive.

I got to see Ron right out of T1 as he was getting ready to bike for his relay team. T1 was relatively uneventful which is always good. Off to the bike course. The bike course had rolling hills and just a few steep/short ones. False flats and some wind. It actually felt a lot flatter when I rode it a week ago, but I also had fresh legs for that ride. I was pretty happy with the way it went. Right around mile 25 I see Ron up ahead on the side of the road. I yelled out and made sure he was ok. I found out later he had run into some bad luck on the bike course. First, he got a flat and then later a girl cut the corner and ran right into his leg and derailer. That sucks! Bike support had come around and stopped to help him. They turned his bike into a fixie. So, Ron rode over half the race in one gear! I felt so bad for him when he told me the story after the race.

Around mile 30 or so into the bike I was actually getting real annoyed with some 'cheaters' on the course. There were a pack of girls I kept going back and forth with who insisted on drafting off each other. At one point I yelled out to them to stop it b/c it was getting so annoying seeing how obvious they were being. Kind of frustrating, but I just did my own thing the fair way. :) At times it was hard to not draft when people got all packed up every once in awhile but what they were doing was ridiculous. I think I saw a course marshall once on the course so they could get away with it easily. I was happy to finally see the finish of the bike as my hamstring was starting to get real tight.
Bike – 2:39:43

The run was challenging and I ended up being very happy with the way it went! It was three loops and right at the beginning of each loop was a steep hill out of the transition area. Then a long gradual climb out of the park. Awesome downhill to the finish! The motivation on the course was seeing so many of my friends and cheering each other on! I got to see many of them all three loops.
Run – 1:37:11
Finish - 4:59:02 (I finally broke 5 hours!!)


AJ, Janie and I posing with our age group awards.

 Overall, I was very pleased how this race went! Especially, given that I didn't taper a lot for it and that it wasn't an 'A' race for me. I got 2nd in my age group and this was the first time I got a podium place in a half! High Clouder, Emily Long and DC Tri Elite team members AJ Morrison and Janie Hayes, also got a podium finish!
It makes me happy where my training is right now, and I also realize what I can keep improving on. This was a great first race test and I'm excited to see that the training Mackenzie is giving me is helping me a lot!! After looking at my heart rate data, Mackenzie told me I can push a little bit more in some of my workouts since during the race I could hold a higher heart rate for awhile. I thrive on race day adrenaline and that tends to push me on race day. Now I know that I need to push myself a bit more in my intervals when training.

Taking a water break during the century ride.

Last Saturday I did the Casa Century in Martinsburg, WV. This was a rolling, hilly course and I actually liked biking on the hills! Did you hear that.....I’m finally starting to like hills…woo hoo! (I'm usually a flat course racer!) It was so beautiful and it felt great to ride out on the open roads, not having to suck in the exhaust from busses in the city! Adrianna told me this ride was similar to rolling hills in the Louisville course.

This Friday, I will be going to Iowa to visit my family and friends for ten days! While I am there, I will have more time for training which means a lot more swimming and more time in the saddle! I'll also be racing in a sprint triathlon, which I've never done before! We'll see how these slow twitch muscles handle the fast twitch racing. Yikes!