Ironman 70.3 Texas 2014

The triathlon last Sunday was one of the most stressful yet rewarding races I've ever participated in. It was stressful because in addition to prepping for my own race, I was busy making sure Karen had everything she needed, reminding her of all the things we did in training and nutrition, and making sure she was safe and ready to race. I actually forgot some stuff on race day because I was busy worrying about Karen. Next time, she's on her own! ;) I also had a few Team Zoot and Bike Barn events that I had to attend, which took time out of resting, but they were well worth it as I got to meet and hang out with some stellar people/athletes. 

It was a rewarding race because I got to spend the entire weekend with my sister and race day with my closest friends and family. Just seeing their smiling faces and encouraging (or taunting words -"Run faster! Don't let Karen catch you!" courtesy of my loving roommate) made me bust out my pearly whites. The race quickly stopped being about me as I kept thinking about how Karen was doing and cheering her on every time I saw her. :) I even ran with her for the last half mile or so until the finishing chute when I stepped in dog poop and had to go wash my feet. See how much I love her?

It was indescribable how proud I felt and how much joy I felt to see her race and finish with such a huge smile on her face. It made all my extra training sessions with her worth it. All the skipped rest days, slow bike rides, skill and technique lessons, late night bike mechanics, nutrition planning, all worth it. 

An even better surprise was the letter and card I got in the mail a few days later:

Aww, she thinks what I do is stupid. <3

Big sisters are not so bad afterall..

:) It's good to know she loves me and my stupid activities. 

Read on for the more detailed race report. 

Swim

The original plan was for Karen to set the pace and I was to draft behind her for a PR swim. Her growing up as a swimmer gave her a huge advantage as she could swim twice as fast as me without any training or even trying. After practicing an open water swim earlier during the week and feeling horrible, I told Karen to drop me during the race if need be. I'm so glad she listened because I was not having a steller day and instead focused on my form since my coach and I had been working on it the past few weeks (Karen was also swimming backstroke a few times trying to wait for me.. show off!! :P)

We're ready to go! First (of many, I hope) race together!

It was hard to get into a groove while swimming in a washing machine, getting thrown around and smacked in the face during every breath, so instead of getting frustrated by my non-personal record swim pace, I concentrated on my pull, reach, and recovery. Repeat times 5000. I also got smacked a few times in the face by other swimmers, but the best part was getting smacked by an arm and a wave at the same time. Another reason why I love this sport: you get hit on all the time ;)

Who needs a wind gauge when you have hair? That's how windy it was out on the swim course!

I got out of the water in 40 minutes, the same as my usual half ironman time, but I quickly got over the disappointment as given the water conditions, 40 minutes wasn't bad. I also felt much more fresh coming out as my stroke was more efficient and smooth. Yay! Thanks coach :)

T1

I stumbled to T1 as my equilibrium was still off from all the thrashing in the bayou. I made it through the strippers with no problems (another reason why I love this sport) and made my way to my bike. I was glad to see that Karen's bike was gone as I hoped she wouldn't spend eternity there as she said she would. Next thing I know, she's right in front of me and asks if I want a face wipe. "No Karen! I have to go bike!" She grabbed her forgotten gel and headed to the bike out. (She almost had an entire facial in there as her T1 time was over 5 minutes!! Silly girl.)

Athletes 1225 and 1226 racked together!

Bike

It was something special to be able to cross that bike mount line beside my sister and tell her goodbye and good luck. It was now my time to focus and see what damage I could do on the bike course after all my hard training and long hours in the saddle. My goal was to get in the low 2:40s or even break 2:40. My dream goal was to crack 2:30, but with the rain, mist, and slick roads, I wasn't expecting to set a huge PR. 

I was supposed to race in zone 2 power as advised by my coach, but I couldn't maintain it/was afraid to because my run had been struggling the last few weeks to stay in zone 1 due to exhaustion, and racing that part in zone 2 as well would've been very taxing. I opted to hold back to give my run a chance.

Lo and behold, I felt so freaking good coming off the bike. I knew right away that I was capable of a lot more in future races. Watch out!! I also hit my dream goal bike split and went under 2:30 with a 2:29:35!

T2

I took my time to body glide my feet/heel really well for the anticipation of running in the rain to avoid any blisters. I also needed the extra time to process what I just did on the bike and to calculate my run pace for a killer finishing time since I was way ahead of schedule.

Run

I felt amazing. It shocked me how good it felt to run a sub 8 min pace as I could barely hold a 9 min mile the week before the race and actually had to walk home during one of the runs because I felt so sick. I reluctantly made a pit stop at mile 1.5 since I was well hydrated but knew it would aid me in the long run since there was still many miles to go. I forced myself to slow down the pace since I was now in zone 3 and was not sure how much energy reserve I had left from the previous training block. It was a tough thing to do as I was feeling so good. It felt really natural to run at that low 8 min pace. 

Then I felt not so amazing. I didn't bonk because I knew I fueled well, but I did slow down significantly after 7 miles since I used up everything in the energy tank and was completely depleted. It was really frustrating to watch myself struggle when I knew I was capable of more. I hit a low when I ran a near 10 min mile. Negative thoughts began to flow through my head and that only caused me to run even slower. I finally stopped this madness as it was torture and reminded myself that 1) I came in untapered and exhausted 2) I wasn't feeling well all last week 3) it's my first race back from a concussion that I'm still recovering from 4) I'm still killing the race and PRing.

So with that mental boost, I dug the deepest I ever had to dig and forced myself to get to the finish line as quickly as I could for that day. I even ran into Pamela who ran with me for a bit then encouraged me to keep pushing :) during the last 1.5 miles, my new goal for the day was to crack 5:10, so I picked up the pace and had nothing but c'mon on repeat in my head.

My official time was 5:11:35, but my watch says 5:10 (without the bathroom break) so I did reach my on-the-fly goal :) Next up is cracking that beloved 5 hour mark!

The sister

Watching Karen smile throughout the entire race was enough for me to have a successful day. Seeing her at the bike turn around, she was looking so aero and gave me an emphatic wave as she continued to kill it! I felt proud to see her having the correct form, and it scared me that she was so close to me that I had to pick up the speed.

Upon passing her on the second loop of the run, she threw her hands up in the air and shouted, "I killed it on the bike!!!!" I could do nothing but chuckle and glance at my watch in fear as I was just beginning to struggle and that 5.7 mile cushion did not seem like enough for this KMan who was still looking fresh. The last lap and a half I was seriously just telling myself to not let Karen catch me! I kept timing when we'd run into each other on the course and sighed relief when I noticed she was slowing down slightly. I kept cheering her on every time I saw her and encouraged her to keep up the stellar work.

She told me at the end of the race how she kept reminding herself of everything I told her about nutrition and racing and that she pushed herself because she didn't want to disappoint me. As if she ever could :) I am so proud of you, Karen, and it has been a blast being a part of your triathlon journey! Thank you for your continual support and for being my biggest fan! And, guess what? I'm your biggest fan too.

Swim, bike, run, smile, laugh, and love. Repeat. :D