Outer Banks Half Ironman: 2nd Female & New PR

The day before the race at Athlete Check In. Ready to roll.

Photo Cred: Catherine Walker. Friends are the best. She deferred her Philly Half Marathon race, made the drive to OBX and was my Sherpa :-) Thank you my dear!

Prepping for 70.3 miles of swimming, biking, and running

I dedicated three months of training specifically to this race (up to 15 hours a week…I never do anything half *ssed). My first attempt at this distance, back in June at Eagleman, was a success (5 hour, 30 mins). My coach had me focus simply on completing the distance. I was given specific instructions: “You will not race your first one. I want you to finish, get a feel for the distance, and learn. Then on your next one, you can RACE.” If you know me, you know I love to race. I love the buildup, the nerves, the anticipation, and those few minutes before the gun goes off when you think “what have I gotten myself into”. Then you put yourself through hell, wonder if you’ll finish, and practically crawl across the finish line swearing that you’ll never do that to yourself again. I live for it. And I had been waiting for that moment.

Two weeks before this race I did an Olympic Distance Triathlon in Charlottesville. It was hilly. It was brutal. It was hot (Race Report). I didn’t think I’d be able to get through it and I will never race in Charlottesville ever again. I repeat ever again. But I did finish (in 3^rd place), and most importantly, it toughened me and also exposed some glaring issues that needed to be addressed before the half ironman.

1)     My right hamstring. It was tight. Stretching it made it feel worse and I was starting to walk with a limp. Lucky for me I have “Dr. Cure All”. That’s what I call him. I’ve been using him for years and he fixes me every time. Of course when I walked into his office I was convinced I tore the freakin muscle off the bone (I’m dramatic, I know). “Um no Sika. It’s just a tight hip flexor. Do this stretch several times a day for the next few days and you’ll be back to normal.” He was right. The pain was gone in 3 days. “Dr. Cure All”: Jim Browning (http://injurysolutions.biz/) …He’s amazing at ART (active release therapy).

The Stretch

2)     The bike. I won’t list all the issues I had been dealing with because it can fit on a scroll, but here are a few: chafing on the saddle, back and shoulder pain while in the aero position, and inefficient pedal rotation. Needless to say, riding for more than 20 miles was a nightmare and being competitive on the bike was out of the question. I had to see a professional. My coach who’s like a genie found my “Bike Cure All”: Doug Baumgarten. I DID NOT want to make the drive up to DC and I was worried about messing around with my bike and positioning so close to my “A” race (and so was he), but we all concluded that something needed to be done and I’d be no worse off. Athletically, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Why didn’t I listen to my coach back in….May?!? Thank you Doug!!

Scientific Bike Fitting at the SportFit Lab

 http://www.sportfit-lab.com/bike-fitting.html

We found the perfect saddle after using Gebiomized Saddle Pressure mapping. Literally no more chafing, no more pain. I can sit comfortably on the saddle for hours. We switched pedals (from Speedplay to Shimano) for better foot stability/power, inserted a wedge in the left cleat for more stability, raised the saddle and aerobars (no more back and shoulder pain). By the time I left his office it felt like I had this new, turbo charged bike.

Now for the juicy stuff….The Race

Race morning thoughts…Yay it’s finally here. Oh no it’s actually here. As soon as I got to the race site I found out that the swim was NOT WETSUIT LEGAL. I was super bummed and had to readjust my swim goal time from 35 minutes to 40 minutes. Yes, a wetsuit makes that big of a difference (at least for me). Instead of letting my mood slip I changed my mindset to "you'll just have to make up minutes on the bike and run".

And then it was time...I was treading water and waiting for the horn to blow. I was about to find out what 3 months of dedicated hard work would lead to. 3, 2, OMG OMG 1 and we were off. I took it out hard. I sprinted the first 200 meters. I DO NOT like to get swam on top of or kicked. And I did a pretty good job at sighting each buouy and swimming in as straight of a line as possible. The water was calm and warm (81 degrees). The only time I felt chop was when the officials on jet skis motored by.

Before and After the Swim

 

A view of the swim course

Upon exiting the swim course I checked my watch: 40 minutes 17 seconds. 5 minutes slower than Eagleman. Ugh Shoot. Well... that's actually pretty darn good considering I wasn't allowed to wear a wetsuit. Just run to your bike. 1.2 mile swim: done. 1 down 2 more legs to go.

In transition. Helmet on, Sunglasses on, Cleats on. 

Eat some food (Clif Bar), drink some water. Grab bike and GO. 

Time in Transition: 2 minutes 9 seconds

I had no idea what to expect on the bike. I was in a new position with new gear. But for once I was actually looking forward to the bike leg because I knew if nothing else at least I'd be comfortable. The bike was a 28 mile course that we had to do twice. This meant I had to cross a bridge 4 times. Other than the bridge the course was pancake flat. Sweet! But it was super windy. No!!!

5 miles into the bike leg I looked at my speedometer. I was averaging 18.7 mph. Still not competitive, but hey...I was averaging 1 mph faster than Eagleman and this course was super windy and I had to cross a challenging bridge four times. And unlike Eagleman I didn't start to feel fatigue until mile ~35. And unlike any other ride or race I've ever done I was COMFORTABLE the entire time. I think I only had to readjust my position once. Absolutely no pain in the pelvic region and I was able to stay in aero 90% of the time. Incredible! (Thank you again Doug)

Love my Rudy Project Wingspan Helmet

As I got closer to the bike finish I checked my watch and knew I had to speed it up if I wanted to get under 3 hours. So I pedaled as fast as my non talented cycling self could go. Time: 3 hours 6 seconds. Oh you have to be kidding me. I was so close. Oh wait.. wow... I just PR'd by 7 minutes. Now I get to run. Yessssssss! I dropped my bike off in transition. Threw on my sneakers and tied them carelessly (this would haunt me later), then it was off to the run course. 2 down, 1 more to go. 

Let me preface this by saying I was most nervous about my run (compared to the other two disciplines). I was worried about how my legs would feel after biking in a new position and using muscles I hadn't really used before. I was also worried about what kind of pace I could hold because my coach had me focus on the swim and bike this summer which meant not a whole lot of running and barely any speed work. The ironic thing is that my coach shot me an email the day before the race:

Also, one last thing. No matter how you feel, keep going at whatever pace you have...You have no idea how anyone else is doing and you may surprise yourself with your run fitness over everyone else’s. ~Coach Suzanne Flannigan

And boy was she right. The new bike fit did wonders. My legs felt unbelievably fresh coming off the bike. I tried to take it easy through the first mile, glanced at my watch: 7 mins 31 secs. Oops. Tried to slow it down some. Glanced at my watch at mile 2: 7 mins 20 secs. Ok stop looking at your watch and just run by feel. Maybe she's right and you're in better run shape than you thought. I went with the flow and focused on the competitors in front of me picking them off one by one. I took in gel, had water at every fluid station (there was one every mile), gatorade at every other stations, and tried to grab ice towels when they were available...it was pretty hot at this point in the day. And then....around mile 5 I felt something hitting my shin. Crap! My left shoe lace is untied. I didn't stop. I was weighing my options. Finish the race with a loose shoe or stop to tie the shoe and lose time. I made the decision to stop and tie it at the 6.5 mile turnaround (it was an out and back run course). Of course my hands were shaking like a leaf as I stopped to tie my shoe. But the sweet volunteer at the turnaround was very encouraging: "You are doing so well. Take your time and double knot. We have water, gatorade and ice waiting for you." I grabbed the fluid and ice and tried to work my way back to a steady pace. I have since looked at my splits and I lost 24 seconds tying my stupid shoe. Next time I'll be using elastic laces!

By the time I got to mile 8 I was thrilled I only had 5 miles left. And no, I had no idea what place I was in. There were no lead cyclists and no officials telling us what position we were in. Another issue I had was at a few of the fluid stations. The volunteers were young kids who weren't paying much attention to the athletes. I literally had to yell and tell them I needed water and gatorade. SUPER FRUSTRATING.

Mile 68 (mile 11 of the half marathon course)

Falling apart in 3, 2, 1… Oh boy. It was bad. I was suffering. And starting to get delirious. I glanced at my watch. I was on pace for a sub 1 hour 35 min half marathon. 7 minutes faster than I had ever run after swimming 1.2 miles and biking 56 miles. I wanted to walk. I didn't think I was going to make it. And then I lifted my head up and knew something was wrong. I was off course! I stopped and turned around. I yelled at the people down the road "am I off course??!". Yep I was. I missed a right turn. I sprinted back and was back on course. Looking at my splits it threw me off by 27 seconds.

I ran the last mile on pure anger I think (half marathon time: 1:34:53). I crossed the finish line in 5 hours, 19 minutes, and 8 seconds. An 11 minute PR and 2nd place female :-)

I later found out I lost by 11 seconds. I can't begin to tell you the frustrations and up and down emotions I've felt since this race. From pleased and proud of my PR to anger and disappointment at losing by such a small amount because of totally controllable factors. But it's ok. Things happen for a reason. And not everything will go your way. I will just use it as fuel for the fire to get better, faster and tougher.

Hey what can I say? I tried!

Last but not least wanted to send a big THANK YOU to Carter Ficklen who's done this race 5 times and sent me all his race reports and let me pick his brain about the race literally every day leading up to the big day. All the tips were super helpful :-) I love the triathlon/running community. Everyone is so selfless and kind. It's part of the reason why I love this sport.

Onto the next chapter

Back to the roads for me. I haven't done a road race since April and I CANNOT wait to get out there and get my legs moving. I'll be doing the Crawlin Crab 5K next Saturday. Followed by the Columbus Half Marathon in Ohio in mid October. My next big race will be the Virginia Running Festival Half Marathon at CNU where I hope to have a huge PR. And finally a full marathon in December. 

Shout out to my sponsors: Point 2 Running Company and Flat-Out Events. You guys are the best!! Thank you for the lovely swag. Looking forward to wearing my new singlet next weekend.

It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish….

On the pain train......

Running into 3rd Place

It’s hard to believe it’s September and fall is right around the corner. As much as I love the summer, wearing shorts, and spending time at the beach, this summer’s weather has been brutal!! I can’t figure out if it’s hotter and more humid than past summers or if I’m just more aware of the weather because of the amount of hours I spend training and racing outdoors.

Since I focus on triathlons during the summer months, my shortest races last over an hour, with the majority of my races lasting around 2 ½ hours. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to the fall and the cooler temps. Plus I can’t wait to get back on the roads again and do some 5Ks, half marathons, and a full marathon by the end of the year. And I’m REALLY looking forward to representing my favorite running store Point 2 Running Company and local race organizer Flat-Out Events for the 2016/17 season. I’ve developed a close relationship with both companies over the past two years and I’m honored to be sponsored by them and excited to (hopefully) run some fast times sporting their logos in the coming months.

But before I move on to road racing, I have one more BIG triathlon on the schedule: The Outer Banks Half Ironman, 70.3 miles of swimming, biking and running, on September 17^th. And what better way to prepare for it…look for the hilliest course you can find within driving distance, and race on it for ~3 hours in the heat and scorching sun. Yep! That’s what I did on Saturday. And boy did it test me.

Bike Course

Run Course

Immediately following the race I gave my coach a recap from start to finish - mostly negative ranting. She asked me to think about the positives before I blogged....Of course my first reaction was “Are you kidding me? There were no positives. I was miserable. I had a bad swim. Barely got through the bike course - literally almost unclipped and walked up the hills. And then had to run (more like shuffle) through a slew of women just to nab third place.”

The good, the bad, and the ugly....

The Swim:

It was a lake swim: perfect! No current, no waves, no chop. One loop...I got this. The Race Director, with mic in hand, went over the course: "Olympic Distance racers will be doing two loops on the swim". WHAT?!?!?! How did I misjudge that? It already looks 1500 meters long. It's funny how your mind can play tricks on you. I went from feeling like I was about to have a great, strong swim to absolutely dreading what was to come. Somehow in mind I felt like I had to swim twice the distance.

Wait...so you're telling me we have to swim TWO loops?!

Ok so I got out great. First 200 meters were perfect. And then it started to fall apart. I got passed by a pack of women around the second buoy. I think they put about a minute on me on the first loop and then another minute on the second loop. Thoughts...this is long. I don't want to do another loop. Why do I feel so tired. I wish I had tapered. This is going to be a really long day. At least the water is warm (it was 84 degrees). 

~7th Female out of the water

I exited the water and sprinted up the beach. Checked my Garmin. Somehow I managed to swim over a mile. Either the course was long or I did a horrible job sighting and swimming the tangents. I was already in ~7th place. Onto the bike....

I'm sorry .. but WTF. I guess I should have known the bike course was going to be challenging when I read about 'Quadzilla Hill'. The first hill was steep. I mean VERY steep. I couldn't even pedal at a reasonable cadence and I was standing up out of the saddle! The first 1.25 mile climb up and out of the park had me wondering if I'd be able to finish the race. But I got through the first challenge and was able to coast downhill and catch my breath. Unfortunately I had 23 more miles of climbs and descents. And with each climb I thought about dropping out. There was literally a point in the race where I was praying for a mechanical (i.e. flat tire), to my eternal shame. I thought about my upcoming Half Ironman and figured I just wasn't cut out for this sport. The rabbit hole of self doubt. And then something happened. Around mile 16, a female passed me and said "stay strong, we can do this." She was out of breath, exhausted, and clearly a better cyclist. But she was struggling too! It wasn't just me. I changed my mindset. I had made it that far. Everyone was in pain. I had to finish. 

"Your success demands that you continually move towards your physical and emotional limits. When you're tired and your body is screaming for mercy, you have to stay with the discomfort just a little more." 

And I did. I finished! One more challenge. A 6.2 mile run. The bad: by the time I got to transition and racked my bike, there were A LOT of bikes already racked AKA I was pretty far behind and had a lot of ground to make up. The good: once I get my sneakers on there's no stopping me ;-)

I had to run up the same 1.25 mile hill I previously rode (Quadzilla). I wanted to walk. My legs were aching. But I spotted two females and the competitor in me took over. I put my head down, pumped my arms, lifted my knees...by mile 2 I passed 3 females. Since it was an out and back run course I was able to get a good idea of what place I was in. There were two women that were completely out of reach and they looked strong. Then there were a string of runners that looked like they were struggling, some were even walking. But they had 1-2 miles on me and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to catch them in time.

It's funny....I'm conflicted. As bad as I want the finish line to be right around the corner, I'm also praying that I have more miles, more time to make up ground on the other competitors.

Freakin hilarious. Hot Mess!

Testing my limits

Never give up. With one mile to go I passed four more women and ran myself into 3rd place.

The more difficult something is, the more rewarding it is in the end!

Even he's pooped

This race taught me a lot about myself. It pushed me to my physical limits. And as difficult as it was I'm glad I did it. I'm more confident. Even through the agony and struggles, I not only finished, I placed! I love the Churchill quote "Never, never, never give up". Even now, days later, I still think about how close I was to giving up on the bike. And thank goodness I didn't! I won a bottle of wine, a wine glass, body glide (lol), but most importantly the confidence and belief that I can handle more than I realize.