Ironman 70.3 Success

My general goal for my first Ironman 70.3 was simply to finish. I came up with times that I would aim for, mainly in the swim and run portions, because this is where I am experienced and have other races to base goals off of. 

Morning Crew!

Swim:

My goal: 30-35min; Actual: 41:01

On race morning I still had not decided if I wanted to wear the wetsuit that I had rented for the weekend. I had felt the water and it was really warm, however, everyone I saw was wearing a wetsuit and I was told by several people that it was a good idea to wear it. For some reason I really did not want to but I sank into peer pressure and wore the wetsuit. Honestly the wetsuit did not help at all; I actually think that it slowed me down a bit. I should have trusted my instinct and swam in my tri-suit which would have allowed for easier maneuverability and I would not have had to deal with it in the transition. I will remember this for my next race!

Warming Up for the Swim

Bike:
My goal: 4:30; Actual: 4:07:12

At the start of my swim wave all my nerves went away as they seem to do right when I start a race. However, I was now facing what I thought would be my biggest challenge of the day, the dreaded 56 mile bike ride. I quickly took off my wetsuit and put on my biking gear in T1. I actually could have gone faster but I was going through a mental battle thinking about how nice it would be to already be done and not have to bike. I quickly moved away from this train of thought because I knew it would only be detrimental and I was going to complete the race no matter what. As I left the transition area and mounted my bike I saw Bo and Derek on the sidelines cheering for me.  For the first 20 miles of the ride I was going at a pretty consistent pace but that quickly went downhill as the course became more uphill and as the distance increased. In my training I did not bike nearly enough and never did hills and my biking suffered because of it. There was actually one point in the race where a lady was passing me but asked if I was okay (probably because she saw me struggling up a hill minutes before) and gave me chomps, which are like gu or other energy supplements. However, at the time I was not thinking clearly took them with a lot of gratitude and ate a couple. Later that night when I thought I would have the best night sleep of my life I realized they had caffeine in them and I couldn't sleep for the life of me; I just laid in bed thinking of how tired my body. Then next morning after a little bit of sleep I red the packet and figured out that I had less than 20mg of caffeine but since I have not have caffeine in over 7 years it kept me up all night. Another lesson learned! In summary lessons learned on the bike: 1) bike more & do more hills (or appropriate terrain for the specific course) 2) don't take candy from strangers....you will never know when it has caffeine in it!

Run:
My goal: 2hrs Actual: 2:47

T1 swim to bike

After finally finishing the bike ride I was ready for the run and mentally ready to kick it into gear and finish on a strong 2 hour run. I dismounted my bike and went to the transition area to get my running gear on. As I made my way through the transition my legs felt really stiff, once I had my bike stuff off and my running stuff on I started running but it felt like I had giant concrete blocks as legs. Every step I took I thought would become easier but it got worse and worse, however, I was hitting my goal for the first two miles. After the first mile my legs were feeling a bit better but overall mentally I was struggling. My time continued to decrease and I absolutely hate to admit it but I walked a couple times. 

I know in this post I mainly focused on things that didn't go that well or that I needed to improve on but there were also amazing moments in the race. For me some of these moments where when I would pass someone and say good job keep it going and then they start running again and you see that those simple words made a difference in their race and when the same thing happens to you right when you need it a quarter of a mile to the finish line because the calling of the finish was not strong enough; when you are on your bike and you see someone with a flat and all five of the bikers that pass her ask if she has what she needs; when you are getting passed by someone and they say with complete sincerity to enjoy the day and enjoy the ride and then you think about what you are doing and just for a second amaze yourself. All of the volunteers, spectators, athletes and course officials were all amazing! 7 hours and 46 minutes after the start of the race I was done and greeted by some of the most supportive friends I could ever ask for! 

Support Crew!

FINISHER!

The next race I do I will be sure to look back on my first race improve off of what I can from having the experience and remember all the small moments that really made the day incredible like that one last high five from a fellow athlete who was struggling at the same time as me as we tried to pace off each other.