I did it....nailed it....completely and totally rocked my Half IRON distance race this past weekend. What a high point for me and what a fantastic memory for my family.
We have really been enjoying learning how to camp this Summer. Trust me....its a learning curve especially only having 1 car and it being a Prius! Bob has taken it as a personal challenge to figure out how to be completely self-sufficient campers. Our Prius now has a backpack and we can fill quite literally EVERY inch of space in that car and still have plenty of room for the 4 of us.
Flagstaff was the destination for this race and we decided to go up a couple days ahead of time to set up and enjoy the entire camping experience. Our first night there was great once we figured out how to handle the massive onslaught of mosquitoes and how to successfully make fire! (this took us several tries and lots of smoke.....but we did it!)
We woke up at the butt-crack of dawn Saturday morning (seriously children....WHY WON'T YOU SLEEP?). I was ever so grateful that we had a camping stove and that I had the foresight to bring coffee. It made the world right especially considering that they got me up on my rest day. They were so excited about everything so I suppose I can't blame them, but how wonderful would it have been to wake up gently....read a book and then crawl out once the sun was ACTUALLY up.........but I digress.
We really did have a wonderfully relaxing day up in the cool mountains. We hiked and explored the area. We also went down to Lake Mary and swam for a while. It was great for the girls to get wet and it was good for me to test the waters.
I went to bed on Saturday night relaxed and excited about waking up to race. This 70.3 experience was so VASTLY different than IRONMAN Boulder 70.3 last year. I was prepared.....I knew it. I was confident and cool......and just excited to do it. I had a fabulous strategy that I had studied and was following to a T (including waking up at 3:30 to eat and drink). I was ready.
It was barely in the 50's that early in the morning and with a race start of 6:15 I knew it wasn't going to get much warmer. While it was hard to mentally accept it, the water was actually far warmer than the air and with my sleeveless wetsuit the temps were PERFECT.
I lined up with the women at the start line, swam a few strokes to get into the water and wash the anxiety of it away. I peed in my wetsuit (score for some heat!) and looked at the course ahead with excitement. LETS DO THIS!
The gun went off for the swim and I started in the back of the pack. The water was crazy murky and frankly there was no need for me to be battling it out amongst my peers so I hung back a little and waited for the masses to clear. I started slow and steady and within 50 strokes was ready to go. My entire goal for this race was to end each event and the day with fuel in the tank. This was IRONMAN prep and I was determined to follow my strategy.
The swim was glorious. I love swimming......especially in open water. It is so peaceful and quiet. The water is cool and I have learned how to simply glide through the water. It's a wonderful sanctuary.
I came out of the water right at 42 minutes ready to hop on the bike. I cannot tell you how much it did to my heart to have my girls right at the waters edge to hug me and cheer me on. I couldn't help but stop for snuggles!
Transition was quick, efficient and I remembered my sunscreen! (This is monumental because the last 70.3 I ended up with a wicked burn from forgetting the stuff......Not this time sun!)
I had a really detailed strategy for the bike portion of this race. I had Heart Rate goals, fuel goals and general output goals. This section of the race was all about saving. Until I get a new VO2 test, my zones for staying aerobic are low.......this translates to slow. I was completely committed to my goal and strategy, but it was hard to have literally everyone FLYING past me out of the gate. I allowed myself to wallow in my slowness for 2 minutes before hunkering down, fueling up and just enjoying the ride. Man was it gorgeous. This triathlon will always go down as one of my favorite bike rides of all time. I found myself countless times just saying inwardly, "I am so lucky to get to do this. It is gorgeous out here, I feel good and I am just having SO MUCH FUN!" I loved the bike portion. I did everything right and came back into transition with a smile on my face and enough in the tank for a 13.1 mile run.
Transition was quick and easy. I traded my helmet for my visor, my cycling shoes for my running ones, applied a bit more sunscreen, kissed my two blonde haired girls, had a brief chat with my coach and took off (quite literally........I ran out of transition at 7:15 pace........Lordy!)
I quickly settled into a much more realistic pace for the distance and got my mind centered on the task ahead. Unfortunately, I didn't totally dodge some GI distress, and ended up enjoying 3 bathroom stops, but I crushed the 2 mile hill (as in passed 8 runners on the up) and ran the entire course. Other than a bit of tummy trouble I was unbelievably strong. Once I settled into the run I just picked off runners 1 by 1. I felt so competent and, thanks to my Body Pump classes and Dawn Brooks, I felt unbelievably strong.
I came to the final corner from the finish line with a smile on my face and a victorious spirit. I had done it......in every sense of the word. I had started that day with a plan, and a strategy and a purpose and I had executed it perfectly.
My girls were right there at the finish line and when they saw me come close they both ran out to greet me. They won't be able to do that come IRONMAN, but their joy and presence on that final stretch gave me an inner satisfaction that I can't quite put words to.
I ran across that finish line with a smile on my face and a feeling of complete accomplishment. The most rewarding thing? It wasn't my medal......it was recognizing that I still had much much MUCH more to give out there.
All of the incredible people that I look up to were at the finish for me, my coach, , my AZ Tri Club teammates, my Racelab friends and mentors and my wonderfully supportive family. It was a highlight finish for me and an enormous boost in confidence for the IRONMAN I am chasing.
My official time was 6:33:31. I shaved 30 minutes off my last time and have much more speed to demonstrate......but that's next year's goal. This year everything I do is in preparation for that 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. I am well on my way to victory and I cannot wait to embrace the distance.
No comments:
Post a Comment