Pre Race:
Saturday morning I woke up and went to T3 for a quick 30 minute spin out and 5 minute run. Afterwards Coach Mo helped me stretch out my psoas, piriformis and the other muscles giving me running pain. Usually I like to get to packet pickup and bike drop off as early as possible but with all the rain and wind I was uncomfortable leaving my bike out in transition! So I waited till about 1 pm to go to the expo and hoped the downpour was done for the day. Then I headed home and hung out with Matt and his friend Von who had driven in from Houston to watch his friend race. We went to an early dinner at Thai Fresh (always delicious!) and then those 2 went out to a bar while I went to bed and prepped for the early morning alarm. Race Day! The alarm was set for 4:15 AM, but I guess the race day anxiety kicked in because I was wide awake around 3:30 AM. I sent a few facebook messages to friends to start off the day and then rolled out of bed and started getting ready. First things first, gimme that caffeine injection. Second thing is always sunscreen! I put sunscreen on before getting dressed to make sure I am hitting every spot of skin that might end up getting burnt. After eating a plain bagel and chugging a glass of water I got on the road. Driving past my friend’s house I saw their garage lights on and knew they were packing up for the race too, I almost gave a little honk and then I remembered normal people aren’t awake at 5 AM. Sat in traffic for a little while waiting to park at the expo center and once parked made the (what seemed like forever!) walk to T2 to set up my run bag. I had dressed in running leggings and a jacket but was still freezing! I couldn’t help but wish I had brought my cycling jacket for that 56 mile ride I was going to be doing. So I tied my run bag to the bars in T2, waited in a fairly quick line to get on the bus and made the short ride over to the Decker Lake and T1. As soon as we entered T1 it was a mud fest, with everyone doing their best not to slip around. I prepped my bike by moving the gearing to an easy gear for simple clipping in and I filled up my water bottle and got my infinit ready to go! I like to keep my transitions very simple so I only had a small towel under my wheel to protect it from any stickers or twigs and placed my shoes (velcro opened) next to that and put my helmet upside down on my bars with my sunglasses inside the cavity. I filled up my zipps to about 110 psi and was out of there! The Swim: 40:34 minutes One of the few mass starts I have done this year and I have to say I definitely prefer the time trial start! It was crazy in the water for the first 300 to 400 meters. I had girls grabbing my ankles and squeezing me into tight spots, and the chop was similar to being out in the ocean due to the high winds. Once we made the first turn everything was great. I saw a bunch of people cutting the course before the second turn, admittedly it was hard to see when we were swimming toward the sun but if you scout out the course beforehand you should know to look for a red turn buoy! After the second turn things got a little more crowded as I caught up to some of the earlier waves but eventually I saw the volunteers at the end of the course and was more than ready to get out of that water! I have never wanted to be done with a swim course so badly in my life! T1: 3:31 Ran up the incline, had my wetsuit stripped off by some amazing volunteers and went straight to my bike. Stuffed my wetsuit, goggles and cap in the T1 bag; quickly slipped on my cycling shoes, sunglasses and helmet and I was out of there. I carried my bike through transition just to be safe with the mud and stickers which may have cost me some extra time but it worth it to not have dirty tires on the bike course. Bike: 3:12:10 hours Starting out the bike course I knew the wind would be rougher than normal. During every practice ride the first 20 or so miles is usually pretty easy and fast but with the wind blowing as a crosswind and headwind it made the fast part of the course a little slower than I expected. As usual there were a few screaming downhills where I just kept my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t hit a pothole or crack in the ground and end my day early. I felt strong and tried to make sure I let out an “on your left” every time I was passing. It is amazing how many people say nothing when they ride by you, and it shows how much people appreciate it when they then take the time to say thank you to you as you pass by them! The one section of the course that usually rattles my teeth (road 1704) ended up being the best part of the ride on Sunday due to the amazing tailwind we had. In the end my time this year was only slightly faster than last year even though I had been spending all year getting stronger at cycling, but when I talked to a few friends afterward they mentioned that they had actually gone slower this year than they had in previous years. So I take that as a sign of large improvement in my strength even if my time shows only slight improvement. T2: 3:27 Going into T2 I was scared. Scared that my piriformis muscle would tighten up and start giving me pain for 13.1 miles. I racked my bike, stuffed my T2 bag with cycling shoes and helmet and while jogging I put on my hat and race belt. Run: 2:25:01 The run started out great..for about 400 meters. I knew this run wasn’t going to be my best and knew it was going to be painful. So I told myself I would finish one loop (slightly over 4 miles) before I gave up. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, afraid that if i started walking I would never start running again. If you have never had piriformis tightness before, it hurts almost as much to walk as it does to run. So the decision to keep jogging was an easy one. I limped my way through the park and up the hills and finally made the turn into the expo center where I saw my coach. We made the decision that I would turn in my timing chip so I ran up a little further to where the signs point you toward the second and third loops or the finish line. And then i remembered that I am an ironman. Quitting wasn’t how i was raised and that I could finish this race. I got my mind right and I went out on the second loop! The pain never stopped, but it never got worse so i just kept putting one foot in front of the other for another 2 loops until I saw that finish line! I jogged through every aid station, up every hill and the entire time i forced myself to think positively. I never once allowed negative thoughts to enter my head on those second and third loops because if that had happened I don’t think I could have finished the race. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking! Total Time: 6:24:43
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LPCoach & Team - Austin T3 (Whitley Atkins) & Team Nuun |