I woke up at exactly 4:05 AM (because every minute of sleep counts!) and chugged half of a 5-hour energy along with some water. I quickly got dressed before waking my poor sleepy fiancé; I think he has more trouble sleeping before my races than I do! We headed out of the hotel around 4:45 AM. Sure enough, there was a small storm passing through right as we were leaving, but thankfully it passed through right before we even arrived at the race site! It wasn’t a long drive to the race venue, but the location doesn’t support a large number of people, so we didn’t park and exit the car until roughly 5:45 AM. While setting up my transition, I accidentally knocked over another girl's equipment since she had a HUGE transition spot right underneath my back wheel. Seriously guys, you don’t need that much stuff! Luckily I was out of there in about 10 minutes. I can’t stand lingering over my transition spot! It only creates anxiety! Either you remembered everything or you didn’t! I met up with Matt right outside transition, and we headed over to the T3 tent so I could put on my wetsuit (Matt finally learned how to help me do the lift and wiggle to get into my wetsuit! I think he enjoyed it a little too much :P) At this point, it was time to head on to the beach start! Swim 34:01 - My wave was pretty much all women under the age of 40, and it was a wild mess! I was kicked, hit in the face, and pushed around for the first 300 or so yards before we even passed the first buoy. Things started to spread out, and the rest of the swim went by very quickly! It was a PR by a few minutes, and I got out of the water feeling fresh. One thing that always annoys me during the swim is the exit. So many people try to stand up as soon as possible, and this really slows you down! Swim until you hit a volunteer or your hands start hitting the bottom, but keep swimming! It can save you plenty of time and it keeps the flow of traffic moving! T1 1:48 - I had originally planned on wearing my DeSoto Cool Wings, but after 2 seconds of struggling to put them on my wet arms, I threw them on the ground in frustration and decided to just stick with the basics. So I pulled on my cycling shoes, helmet, and sunglasses, and ran over to bike out. Bike 3:05:31 - I don’t even know where to start with this bike course. I heard so many terrible things about the hills. But to be honest, I didn’t think the hills were anything out of the ordinary. There were about six of them on the course, the worst of which were the two in the first mile out of transition! After those killers, I just settled in for the ride. The wind started to pick up around mile 20 which was NOT fun. I would much rather climb hills than fight the dang wind. However, what really got to me were the potholes in the road! I swear I almost cracked a Zipp Wheel on those things! At one point during the bike course I told myself I was never, ever, ever doing this race again. Ever! Nevertheless, I had to admit that the race was pretty fun (the descents were a blast!). They were curvy and steep, and if you are considering doing this race, you definitely need to work on your bike handling skills! Oh, I almost forgot; I saw a HUGE TARANTULA crossing the road around mile 30! By this point, I believe everyone else was beginning to feel the pain because one guy pulled up next to me for about 5 seconds for this little conversation: Him: “Do you know what sounds really great right now?” Me: “Sleep?” Him: “A fried corndog!” Me: “So random!” It’s really the little things that keep you going during a race; his comment cracked me up right when I really needed something uplifting :) T2 2:33 - I stretched out my hamstrings a bit as I tied my shoes. I then popped on my hat and race belt before running out. I contemplated stopping at the bathrooms since I was so well hydrated, but then I decided I could wait until the end of the race. Who wants to lose 5 minutes going to the bathroom??? Not this girl! Run 2:01:27 -
The run started off great! I felt really good, and I was easily keeping an 8:30 pace. Right out of transition I saw the T3 crew and my coach. Before the run, my coach had found the cutest little dachshund charm in her cereal which she gave to me for good luck! I was so happy to have my little Riley charm right next to my heart for the whole race! The run course actually felt a little lonely for the first 2 miles until I got to “the hill of death”. That hill killed my pace, and almost no one was running. I think I was the only person who ran all the way up that hill (thanks to practicing on Wilke Street during the T3 run workouts!). I about died after that hill, and for the rest of the run, my pace wasn’t nearly as fast. Nevertheless, I got to see my T3 friends once again around mile 5 before starting lap 2 at mile 6.5 or so. The second lap was a complete blur. I have never completed a half ironman with less than 3 loops, and it was mentally draining to get through the first few miles of loop 2. I must admit that while going up the hill a second time, I actually started walking! Lucky for me another competitor decided to give me the mental push I needed, and a second later I was running again. After that, I forced myself to keep up with the guy who was taunting me up the hill. Thank you so much Jeff! Jeff's words forced me to run rather than walk during the hardest section of the course, and it really got me through that second lap. We spent the rest of the loop talking about jobs, significant others, and racing. He helped me forget the pain, and I owe him at least 5 minutes of my run time as a result! I am the type of person who performs much better if I never walk. This means no walking through aid stations, or up hills. No walking. Ever! Post Race: I was a little wobbly at the end, and a volunteer tried to get me to go into the med tent. However, I knew exactly what I wanted after the race! I pulled off my shoes and jumped right back into the lake! It felt amazing. So amazing. Overall Thoughts: I told myself I would never do this race again during the bike course, but something clicked while I was on the run. I realized in the end that I LOVED it! And I cam in 6th in my age group! I really hope if I put 100% of my effort into training next time around that I could maybe, just maybe podium in 2017. So, I will be back! Buffalo Springs hasn’t seen the last of me yet!
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LPCoach & Team - Austin T3 (Whitley Atkins) & Team Nuun |