Ironman Texas 2013

Firsts are always scary, but seconds are even worse, because you know what to expect and your goals are even higher. With Ironman Texas 2013 being my second ironman, I knew the race week routine, race layout, and what to expect when I hit that wall. My goal was to crack twelve hours and to enjoy every moment of the race regardless of how much I was suffering. Stay positive and keep moving. Simple, right?

Race Week: I could not sleep well or enough to save my life. I have no idea why. Nerves, maybe? I also had to make an extra trip up to the Woodlands on Thursday to get a replacement athlete wristband since mine broke off Wednesday night. My plan to sleep all day and elevate my feet went out the window. I was also feeling extremely sluggish and exhausted. Friday was an easy day as I finished packing and went to the race site to drop off my gear bags and bike in transition. Then I checked into my hotel and just stretched, rolled out, and napped all day. I didn't even want to wake up for dinner but knew it was necessary for a successful Saturday. Friday was probably the only day of proper rest I received in the last two weeks in which I was suppose to taper. Not a good start!

Race Day: It is so darn convenient to stay in the area where you are racing. I woke up at 5:15 am (compared to 3 am last year), ate two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, drank some Gatorade, did a quick pep talk in front of the mirror :) and was out the door by 5:45 am. I was at the transition area by 6 am and finished setting up by 6:15 am. I had a nice long walk to the swim start to breathe, calm my mind and nerves, and to go over race pace and nutrition plans. Eye of the Tiger may or may not have been playing in my head. :)

It was great seeing family and friends right before the start!

Swim: The swim is my least favorite part of an ironman. I did not look forward to being thrashed about in the water. I decided I was going to be a bit more aggressive this time around and not let the men swim over me as much. If someone was hitting me, I'd let them know someone was there, like how dolphins nudge a shark. You don't want to mess with the dolphins! The swim went relatively well. I could feel the turbulence in the water when someone was near and learned to steer to avoid getting kicked in the face or elbowed in the eye. I thought I was getting pretty good at it until midway when I got elbowed three times in a row in the left eye and got clocked on the head. I thought I was going to get a goggle shiner. I did end up getting a bruised orbit and a lump on my occipital bone, along with a few scratches (people need to be courteous and trim their toe and finger nails!!).

At one moment during the swim, at mid stroke, I was wondering where the water went because I was floating in the air. Turns out, two other athletes had simultaneously swam up from behind me and went underneath me. I immediately thought about riding them like dolphins to the finish. Next thing I knew, I had splashed back into the water.

My previously sprained right ankle started hurting after the first 15 minutes. It did not like the constant kicking motion, and I had to frequently dorsiflex it to help alleviate the discomfort. Dorsiflexed ankles are not ideal for swimming.. but I didn't care because I needed to save my ankle for the bike and run. 

Coming out of the waterway canal, I was so thankful volunteers were there to help pull me out. I was so disoriented that I would've fallen back into the water. It's also awesome to go from muffled sounds/silence to the deafening roar of the crowd welcoming you back on land. That'll get your adrenaline pumping!

The 2.4 miles took me 1:24:43, 4 minutes slower than last year, but I'll take it since this was my second swim in two weeks, and I did not get to practice pacing or effort.

T1: So happy to be out of the water, the rest of the race I knew I could handle. It was also great seeing familiar faces. The first person I saw was my mom. She was hooting and hollering. As I got closer, I thought she'd tell me good job, keep it up, or something encouraging. Instead, all she shouted was "SUNSCREEN! SUNSCREEN! SUNSCREEN!" Thanks momma! 

Karen, Brenda, Cherilyn, and Wilson surprised me with awesome signs, hence my smile :)

Bike: I had worked the most on this leg of the race during training, trying to increase my endurance and strength, so I'll feel 'fresh' after the ride and be ready to run. The training paid off! I was feeling great and was averaging over 20 mph for the first 60 miles. I definitely could have pushed harder, but I was trying to stay consistant to conserve energy to push against the headwind on the return trip and for the run. I was feeling really good. No muscle fatigue or soreness. The hills felt like nothing (Chappell Hill training paying off!) and I was enjoying the scenery like a dog sticking its head and tongue out the window. I'm sure some racers who passed by me were wondering why there was such a huge grin on my face and why I kept staring at the cows and trees next to us. :) Enjoying every moment, check!

So happy! :)

I am sad to say that smile did not stay on my face the entire 112 miles. Once I hit the mile 90 sign, I started to cry as I was so exhausted and tired. I wanted to hop off my bike and take a nap. I wasn't tired physically, but I was sleepy tired as I hadn't slept much in the past three weeks. My back was also killing me as I had injured and bruised it during my Big Bend trip a week ago. My moment of self pity lasted maybe only 45 seconds as I told myself this is not the time nor the place to give up. I sucked it up and distracted myself with a new goal: pass 20 athletes before the bike finish. That did the trick; I lost count after 45. :) 

With 4 miles left, my rear bottle cage broke. I was making a right turn when all of a sudden I hear a screeching sound. The cage was hanging off and rubbing my back tire. I reached for it to fix it, but the entire set came off, and I was stuck holding the cage and riding it to the bike finish. This sight sure led to some funny looks and a huge smile on my face as I just kept laughing at how silly I must have looked.

Laughing at my misfortunes

My final bike time was 5:52:37. I slowed down a bit in the second half as I had a real issue in getting my heart rate up. It would not remain above 150, which is way below my training or racing heart rate. This scared me a bit so I decided not to push like I knew I could against the wind. 

T2: I was so pumped to be still on track to crack 12 hours despite all that had happened so far and how I was feeling. I handed my bike over to the volunteers and started towards the run gear bags. On the way there, a volunteer asked if she could take my shoes and helmet to save me some time. I, not thinking, agreed and handed her both. I took a few steps and noticed how hot the grass was. I turned around to ask if I could have my shoes back, but she was gone. I kept running barefooted as there was nothing else I do could do. The concrete/brick pavement was SCORCHING HOT! I tried to run along the shade but that was limited and my feet were still burning. I finally got to my run bag and was back on the grass. By then I knew it was too late as I felt burn blisters forming. Great, a marathon is hard enough already.

Run: I decided that I would push the pace as I had planned despite the blisters. I've ran with blisters before; it's not a pain I can't handle. I had a great first two miles, averaging under 9 minutes per mile, then I felt it. Burn blisters are very different than regular blisters. The heat caused by the friction and pounding exacerbates the burns, and it feels as if your skin is being ripped off with every step. I slowed my pace to around 10 minutes, which made it feel better temporarily but as the heat built up, pace didn't matter anymore. I frantically asked for the whereabouts of the next medical tent (not for another mile :( ). 

This girl is on fire!

Turns out a lot of other athletes had the same problem, and they had to stop at the medical tents too. The medics put second skin onto both soles, wrapped my feet up, and sent me back on my way. I tried to return to the pace I trained for, but it hurt my feet badly. The slower I ran, the better it felt. New goal: just finish and hopefully still PR. I finally ran into my parents at mile 6 and told them what happened and why I was so behind schedule. My mom told me to quit, but I told her, "NO. I am going to finish! Bye!"

I had to dig pretty deep the next 20 miles. All I wanted to do was give up and break down. I had trained all year to kick butt and crack 12 hours, but now that wasn't going to happen because of a stupid mistake of wearing no shoes in T2. I kept setting new goals of making it to the next medical tent to replace and adjust the second skin so I can finish the marathon at a respectable pace. I made a total of 5 stops at the medical tents and ended up getting my right ankle wrapped too.

I'm falling apart!

I kept running at a comfortable pace and just tried to enjoy my time out there. High-fiving all the kids and laughing at the dancers or clever signs. At mile 11, something was terribly wrong. A volunteer asked if I was okay, and if I was going to make it. I questioned her concern as I was feeling decent. She was getting ready to call for help or direct me to medical help. I reassured her I was fine, and that I will make it to the finish. Next thing I knew, I could not walk straight, I felt like I was going to collapse, and it took a ton of effort to stay upright. I wanted to fall asleep immediately right there while standing up. I felt light headed and nauseous. I racked my brain as to what was going on, and decided that it must've been that my brain glucose level was low (Yay for taking Neuroscience!). Luckily for me, the next aid station was right down the road, and I immediately started taking in sugar -- grapes, pretzel, cookies, etc. I needed glucose fast if I was going to cross the finish line. I kept trudging through the miles and felt better after mile 15. The rest is history as I just took it one mile at a time at whatever pace my burned feet allowed, stopping to say hello to the medics who had helped me.

Coming through that finisher's shoot was the most amazing feeling ever! I was in such a good mood despite the day I was having. I high-fived my entire way to the finish. It was exhilarating!! I felt like such a celebrity. I was having the time of my life!

Fiving to the finish!

I ran a 5:25:07, an hour over what I had planned or wanted, but considering the circumstances and all the stops at the medical tent, I'll take it. I did get a PR with a total time of 12:54:36, so I can still be happy about that. The unofficial time on my Garmin (without all the medical stops) was 12:20, so I know my training was effective and that I could've reached my goal if it weren't for the mishap in T2, but that's racing for you, and I am grateful that I was able to finish, let alone even compete. It's a blessing to be able to swim, bike, and run, and I will never take that for granted. This ironman was by far the happiest race of my life, and I am so thankful to have learned how to enjoy every moment of it regardless of how much pain or suffering I was enduring. The last goal I have for this race is to apply that lesson to life. :)

Next up: take a easy recovery week before jumping back into training for sprints and olympic distances!