Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens - 2010

Oh where to begin (I'm pretty sure I think that every time I sit down to write a race report).  The training leading up to this year's Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens was, to say the least, unmotivated.  Don't get me wrong, I stuck to my plan like glue but my swim, bike, and runs were lack luster.  Was it burnout?  Over-training?  Tired of the same old thing?  Probably all of the above.  My legs never felt as fresh as they did when I was training for Oliver and with the mental barrier of a slow swim at that race I just couldn't get myself into a groove either in the pool or at the lake.

Luckily I had a few new training partners.  Kyle and Roxie joined what remained of the Oliver crowd...well, I guess that would just be Carol and I, while the rest of the gang moved on to marathon training.  The new faces definitely helped on the long rides.

As race day neared I was feeling excited but more importantly I was ready to be done training.  Friday of race weekend arrived and I packed all of my gear into the econo-car and hit the road around 3 PM.  Everyone thought I was crazy for driving down two days in advance but I knew I just wanted to relax and I didn't want to deal with the lines and the hassle the day before the race.  My plan was to hit the expo and race meeting on Friday afternoon, head to the lake for a quick swim and then max and relax in front of the hotel television.  Saturday would bring an early morning bike/run before the temperatures got too high, relaxing in the hotel, bike check, and of course Pho.  Total low stress - just like I like it.

There was no traffic heading south so I made it to Everett a little before 4.  Just enough time to check-in at the hotel, dump my bike off, and then grab a seat in the 4 o'clock race meeting.  As I sat in the meeting I reminesced about last year and how nervous this meeting made me feel.  All the rules seemed so overwhelming and I was paranoid that I would get a penalty on race day.  This year I felt like an old pro - 'drafting, no big deal'.  The meeting flew by and we were herded to the check-in line where we filled out our waiver (in case I was to drop dead on race day) and picked up the swag.  

I have to say that this year's expo and swag were much better.  Last year the shirt was HUGE and the expo was...eh.  Not that triathlon expos have anything on marathon expos but at least there were a few more booths and definitely more options in the apparel department.  I acquired a new tech shirt (like I needed one of those) and a pair of tri shorts.

From there it was off to the lake for a quick dip.  Temperatures during the week prior had skyrocketed, warming up the lake to a balmy 72 which left the pros sans wetsuits for this race but for the rest of us we just squeaked under the radar.  I swear that last year the cutoff for age groupers was 74 degrees but now they say its 78.  I can't imagine swimming in 78 degree water with a wetsuit.  Ick!  Anyway.  Back to my swim.  I skipped the wetsuit and just donned the swimsuit for my 15 minute easy swim.  The quick out and back felt good but when I exited the water I was feeling more fatigued than I should have been.  My arms felt like lead and there was tension in my traps.  Good thing it was only a 15 minute swim!

Now it was time to eat and relax!  My parents made the 30 minute drive up to have dinner with me at the Flying Pig.  On the menu - spaghetti and meatballs.  Excellent.  My meal was great but apparently my parents' was sub-par.  I guess we wouldn't recommend that restaurant.  With a full belly I went back to my quiet hotel room to sit in air conditioning and watch terrible TV.

Saturday morning came early only because I was the wake up call for Gabe back home.  I had somehow stolen all of our watches from the house leaving him without an alarm clock.  I guess I wanted to make sure that I would wake up on race day.  Once the wifely duties were over, I went promptly back to sleep.  Around 8 I woke up debating to hit the free continental breakfast or head out to do my bike/run brick.  The news answered my question as they reported it was already 80 degrees and the high for the day was expected to be 95.  I needed to get out there before I melted!  

It was a gorgeous morning.  The brick was uneventful.  My legs felt tired and I was drenched in sweat after only 30 minutes of effort but I was comfortable with the course and knew what to expect from the following morning so I didn't give my fatigue much thought.  In hindsight maybe I should have.  I'm still trying to figure out how to read myself.  I think I could safely say now that I was probably dehydrated well before start time on Sunday morning.  At the same time, I'm not sure I could have gulped down any more Gatorade or water so what gives?!

The next few hours were spent watching TV in the air conditioned room sporting compression socks.  I figured if my legs felt fatigued that the socks would help.  Kyle and Gabe arrived around 12:30 and we headed over to the host hotel to get Kyle all set up.  From there it was out to the lake to eat and rack our bikes.  Of course once we got out there I realized I didn't have my race number so it was a quick drive BACK to the hotel and then BACK out to the lake.  Good thing Lake Stevens is only a 10 minute drive from Everett and we have our fancy new econo-car.

Bikes racked, position memorized, peek at the swim start and it was back to the hotel for a solid nap before dinner.   For dinner I had found Pho on Broadway - a Vietnamese restaurant not far from the hotel and lucky for Gabe and Kyle it had a television so they could watch the Seahawks in their first pre-season game.  Unluckily, I had to entertain myself.  After ordering a couple came in, took one look at us and asked 'pre-race Pho?'.  My response - 'heck yay!'.  Apparently my tradition is shared by others.  We exchanged a bit of chit chat and then resumed our quiet dinner.  Come to find out latter (through a quick peek at the race photos and results) that our fellow competitor was a pro!  How awesome is that?  I even found his blog (which I'll promptly sign up to follow).

The rest of the night passed quickly.  Water bottles were ready, bags were packed, now it was time to set the alarm and go to sleep.  5 AM came quickly.  I awoke and started getting my things together.  I didn't feel rushed at all...which I probably should have since we didn't end up leaving the hotel until about 5:45 and by the time we got body markings and transition fully set up they were herding folks out of the transition zone.  Oops!  Just slightly stressful.  Good thing I had purchased two parking passes for a lot right across the street.

Sun screen on, wet suit on, now came the nerves.  I watched as the pros started and then followed shortly by Kyle's wave.  After a few more groups of men it was my time to line up on the dock.  Although it wasn't cold outside I suddenly had the shivers - totally nerves.  Women 29 and under filed along the dock and proceeded out into the water.  The swim start is an in-water start so we all jumped in and began treading.  I scooted out to the end.  I was determined to have a clean start for this race and new that starting at the far end of the dock wasn't going to cost me in distance at all - it's a straight shot from wherever you start.

Swim: 42:42 (last year - 42:41)

The countdown began and when they hit 1 I paused for just a second to let the ladies in front of me start before putting my head in the water.  No pushing, no bumping.  This was a great start to my race.  I swam consistently, sighting off of those that were obviously following the buoy line.

As usual, my mind wandered to things like 'aren't we at the turn buoy yet?', 'I hope this girl is going straight', 'I'm surprised I can't see the buoy line', 'was that the turn buoy...no, people are still going straight'.  It's amazing how much time you have with your own thoughts and the sound of your breathing.  And yet, at the same time, amazing that you don't think of anything profound - it's all about the race and the moment.  The way out to the turn buoy seemed long and was completely uneventful.  I caught a few folks from the earlier waves but I hadn't yet been passed by any caps other than pink (my wave).  

I rounded the buoy and then was struck with how amazingly bright it was.  Last year it had been a fairly foggy swim so we didn't have the glare like we did this year.  It was blinding and made it super difficult to sight so the strategy on the way back was to stick just to the right of the buoy line - enough to sight it and continue forward on course but not directly on top of it where someone else would inevitably swim over me.  There were a few times where I strayed a little too close to it and a few folks nailed my feet with their hands but I quickly sorted that out either by kicking harder or by veering off to the right a tad.  Some of those faster swimmers got a good whack at the ol' sprained ankle and torqued it just right - yowzer it hurt a few times.  One thing I do remember from the swim back was a girl who swam by not moving her feet at all - they were like dead weights in the water.  It wasn't even like she was kicking periodically.  Those things were lifeless and yet...she was passing me!  I tried it for a stroke or two just to see what it was like.  Seemed awkward and a waste to me so I returned to my regular style.

The rest of the swim was uneventful.  I had a hard time figuring out where the beach was because of the glare off the water but I just followed the splashes in front of me and I hit the beach in 42:42 (last year's time 42:41 - lame!).  Lesson learned - I need to figure out my swim because I swim much faster in the pool and when it comes to race day it's like I just take my sweet time.

 

 
T1: 2:04 (last year - 3:07)

Transition was smooth.  I had my wetsuit at my waist by the time I was at the end of the ramp (see above pics) and I ran straight to my bike rack.  Most of the bikes in my area were already gone so I had plenty of room to strip.  No arm warmers this year so it was just a matter of socks, shoes, aero helmet, sunglasses, Garmin and I'm running with the bike.  This year I bought the Garmin quick-release bike mount kit.  I didn't actually put the bike mount portion on my bike since it would be blocked by the aero bars but I did have the device mounted to the new velcro wrist strap that comes with the kit.  This made putting it on SOOOOO much easier and I would highly recommend this to any triathlete.  Unfortunately I strapped the thing on backwards - all the numbers pointing out.  A nice 'feature' when you're trying to keep tabs on your pace and time.  Advice for next year - practice the 'watch on' portion of transition and have it set up so as to aid in this crucial piece of my race.  :) 

Bike: 3:16:47, 17.1 mph (last year - 3:27:11, 16.2 mph)

I think this leg was by far the favorite for the day.  Can you imagine me saying that a year or two ago?  I had never even been on a road bike!  Seriously though, there were times where I had a grin from ear to ear because I was enjoying myself out there.  It made me think of Roxie and 'game face'.  Although, if you look at the professional pictures I have a total game face.  The first section is a few rollers out to the loop course.  I flew by several folks.  I knew I was doing something right because last year it was nothing but being passed by faster women.  I was climbing the hills with relative ease and keeping my cadence high and strong.  I felt good and my watch (during the moments where I could read upside down) was telling me that I was booking it.

The first steep climb at around mile 15 didn't seem hard at all.  Sure I was sucking wind and pumping my legs like they've never been pumped before but it felt short and doable.  It made me think back to a month ago when Kyle and Carol and I drove down to pre-ride the course and how much more challenging this same hill had felt then.  Side note - even though I was flying I was passed very early on in my first lap by the pros and talk about FLYING!  It always amazes me just how fast they can go.  Inspiring.

The downhills around Lake Roesiger were a blast.  I grabbed the drops and let it rip.  Although I didn't go as fast as last year (41 mph instead of 43) and I didn't even get close to Roxie's max speed (50!) I was having a blast and loving the refreshing breeze that is created at that speed.  Once we hit the flats (all 2 miles of them) I got as aero as possible and worked the big ring.  I was pushing high 19s at this point and feeling like I wasn't even working that hard so I was in great spirits.  Then came the hill on Dubuque road.  Although it's a long one and a definite granny gear it wasn't all that bad.  I sat back in my saddle, grabbed my aero bar pads and smoked by other riders that were grinding away.  No problem!

As I neared the end of the first loop I was starting to feel that mental hiccup - I have to do another one of these!  Right at that moment though I got a glimpse of Gabe cheering me on and that spurred me into lap number two.

The second go around was definitely harder.  My legs were starting to fatigue and the hills that seemed easy on the first lap seemed long and tedious this time.  In addition my traps and neck were starting to bother me.  That's been happening lately, especially after my longer swims and I haven't taken the time to figure out what I'm doing wrong that causes this.  I figure, during this ride, it was the combination of the swim just prior and holding the aero position.  Inevitably this had me sitting up quite a bit on the second lap.  I was irritated to say the least and thought about the pictures I had seen of athletes in complete aero dynamic set-up sitting completely upright - how ridiculous and what a waste!  Here's a picture that I got from a fellow blogger's website that proves my point.

Anyway.  Back to lap 2.  It was a struggle, that's all I can really say.  There wasn't much left in the tank and I just tried to focus on my cadence and getting through it and to the run.  I was so thankful when the turn came that would take me the last 5 miles into T2.  I started to pick up speed just from sheer adrenaline.  Around mile 53 there is a section where you curve to the right and into a steep short climb to an intersection.  I got out of my saddle to complete the climb and both quads went into a severe cramp.  It was all I could do to take those last couple of rotations to get to the top and make the sharp left hand turn.  Luckily it goes instantly into a short downhill.  I tried to spin it out on that section but my legs were still cramping.  I coasted, hoping that the cramps would subside as the next section was a good half mile climb followed by several rollers back to transition.  Fortunately the cramps backed off and I was able to finish the last 3 miles strong (still feeling the twinges especially in my right quad but nothing debilitating) but the minute I went to dismount my right leg cramped completely and I was forced to walk my bike to the rack.

T2: 1:42 (last year - 2:27)

I felt time move slowly as I made my way through T2.  Legs were cramping and all I could think about was 'how am I going to get through 13.1 miles?'.  I figured I would just take it slow and ease into the run and see what happens.  It was also a good point to turn my upside down watch around so I could focus on 'easing' into the run to give my legs a bit of a break.

Run: 2:23:20, 10:57 pace (last year - 2:07:01, 9:42 pace)

Right out of the gate I was clipping off 7:45 pace - not EASING as I had planned.  But it helped me mentally because I thought the cramps were gone.  Unfortunately, as I rounded the corner away from the crowds and hit the first hill on the loop portion of the course, my quads and hamstrings laughed at my optimism and cramped right up.  The optimism from seconds before quickly faded and made way to a brief emotional breakdown.  My breathing became shallow, my eyes watered, and I was ready to throw in the towel right then and there.  It took all of my will power to breath deeply and calm myself down as I walked up and over that hill.  This is when the negotiating began.  It started out with, 'I'm calling it quits after this first lap.  There's no way I'm 'barely walking' for the next 13 miles'.  When I was able to run again - basically when I hit the slightly downhill/flat section - I clipped away at a 9:30 pace.  My thoughts then turned to, 'This isn't so bad.  At this rate I can still beat my time from last year.'.

My first three miles were actually decent - 9:27, 9:57, 8:53 (it was all relative at this point).  I ran the flats and the downhills and walked/ran the hills.  At every aid station (I think there were three in this section) I gulped down two cups of water and dumped at least one on my head which would refresh me enough to make it to the next aid station.  It was amazing the energy I felt after dumping cold water on my head.  It was like an electric shock went through me and restarted whatever life I had.

 

 

I ran through the crowds and felt relatively strong.  My right quad, just above the knee, was screeching a bit but I could run through that.  The rest of the cramps were being held at bay somehow.  This is the point where I knew I was going to finish this race.  Confidence back, I surged on, along the lake and up the long climb on the out-and-back section.  The cramps came back here but I was prepared for it.  I walked most of the hill, running when they subsided, and then returning to a walk if need be.  I spotted my friends out on this section - Rusty was obviously not happy and walking back for the second loop of his race.  I tried to give him words of encouragement but I knew it had to come from within and not from me.  Kyle was looking strong and smiling from ear to ear.  He was finishing his race!  For someone who just started triathlons this year he was rocking his first half - 5:23!  Another familiar face - Adam, a high school friend who happened to be back in the states for this race.  Lastly, on the way back for my second lap I spotted Roxie and we both encouraged each other.

The start of the second lap went much the same without the emotional break down.  Around mile 8 I caught up with Rusty and slowed to walk with him.  He gave me the out - letting me know I could run on if I could - but my legs were cramping worse by this point and it felt good to walk for a bit.  We shared our brief horror stories about the day's race - his trumping mine with cramps coming on at the BEGINNING of the bike.  We climbed the short hill out on the loop and then moved into a shuffle.  It felt good to be with someone for this last little bit of the journey and brightened my spirits.  We were both determined to finish no matter what it took.  As we came down the hill back to the cheering crowds the cramps were increasing (at least for me).  I had just told Rusty, 'at least it hasn't hit my calves yet', only to have those go about a quarter mile later.  Jinxed!  We even WALKED through the crowd as we turned to the final out-and-back.  I've never (let me just stress the word NEVER) walked through cheering people.  I find it embarrassing and will muster any strength that I have to at least hobble.  Yep - not happening on this day.  I couldn't even look at Gabe or my parents because I didn't want to see the disappointment on their face as they saw me walking.  I had to stay focused on the fact that I was finishing, that's all that I cared about.

Rusty and I trudged up the hill and then he decided to start the shuffle again.  I told him to go ahead, my legs just weren't allowing me to do much more than walk.  The remainder of the run was pretty brutal.  I shuffled until the craps were unbearable and then I walked.  At one point a spectator (creepy guy with a hose) was yelling 'come on, you can run'.  I felt like turning to him and saying 'if I thought I could run don't you think I would be RUNNING and not walking?'.  I really wasn't angry at him but I was frustrated enough.  As I neared the final tenth of a mile I tried to pick it up into a shuffle.  As I noted before, I like to make an effort to run when there are large crowds AND when I'm finishing.  So, I mustered the strength and just tried to ignore the cramps.  I made it almost the entire way up the finish chute before my legs were just done.  I stopped (yep, that's right - DEAD HALT) 5 feet from the finish line.  My legs just wouldn't even extend anymore to take the next step.  The commentator (or whatever you call him) was giving me words of encouragement and all I could do was laugh and wait for the cramps to go away.  It was like my leg didn't even exist - totally stuck.  And that, my friends, is how I finished this grueling race.  

Although it was brutal I truly enjoyed the race.  I'm proud that I finished and I had a great time bonding/commiserating with Rusty.  We all had it tough out there, some more than others.  It was a hard day but we got through it and it's just another race under out belt.  Not to mention I learned many lessons about heat and nutrition today that I'll take with me in the future.  And, to top it all off, I really wasn't much slower than last year.   That goes to show how well trained I was for this day.  If the stars had aligned I would have nailed this race. 

Great job Kyle!