FeWoman

This weekend I completed my seventh Ironman (2x IMWI, IMAZ, IMLou, IMTX, IMWC) since 2007 and the most challenging race I have completed (15.5% of the field would end their day with a DNF).

I had a few good cool days in The Woodlands but as the week progressed, the conditions became progressively hotter with high humidity.  I knew by race day we were facing the trifecta of heat, humidity and wind.  The conditions were severe enough to change my race plan from attempting a perfect conditions PR assault to reverting (to quote the movie Ironman) to the “clean slate protocol.”  Racing smart before racing fast.

Swim:  This is the most violent/congested swim in the list of races I have completed and a perfect candidate for the new Ironman swim safety program.  The start is very congested and the end in the canal is just as congested.  Unfortunately, I attempted to break someone’s foot with my eye socket in the first two minutes of the swim.  I got my bell rung and it took a few seconds to clear my head.  My eye hurt and I think my neck was snapped back.  It was a hard enough hit that I worried I had a concussion.

Fortunately, I had double capped with my goggle strap securely between two caps. Losing my goggles could have ended my day (contacts).

Once I regrouped, I avoided contact to protect my eye.  This was challenging when I hit the congestion of the canal and the finish of the swim.  I was disappointed with my slightly slower time but happy to be out of the water and relatively fresh.

I found my family in the chute and asked Coach KT if my eye was okay.  She yelled that I looked fine as I took off.  I ran into a volunteer a few feet later who told me to go to medical.  I weighed the decision for all of two seconds and decided to race.

Bike:  I was slightly nauseated at the start of the bike and my head/eye throbbed.  I was still worried that I had a concussion but knew all would be clear (or literally not clear) in due time! I immediately noticed how hot I felt on the bike.  At the first aid station I started grabbing bottles of water and drenching my head and body.  I would continue this for the next 9.5 hours.

I stuck to my nutrition plan immediately by consuming 75g of carbohydrates her hour (approximately 300 calories per hour) knowing that it was likely I would need to reduce the calories I was consuming due to the heat.  This was the first IM bike where I did not have any very specific wattage goals.  I wanted to average 20mph, soft pedal up to 30MPH and avoid prolonged power spikes over 200 watts.

I was very surprised that I was able to maintain my nutrition plan through the whole ride, I averaged 19.66 miles per hour and I pedaled very consistently with minimal power spikes (~9 brief bounces over 200W, VI 1.01).

My head cleared and I finished the ride strong with my highest power output the last two hours of the ride.

Run:  As I entered T2, I managed to burn my left foot on the bricks where our run bags were stored.  I wasn’t the only one to incur the wrath of the hellish temps on the pavement.  Still wondering how the guy in Vibrams managed his 26.2 mile walk?

As I entered the tent I asked a volunteer if my eye looked okay.  She responded by telling me she was a nurse, checked out my eye and told me I looked like a badass.  She made me laugh and off I went.

I knew I was entering the bowels of hell and stuck with the ‘be smart’ plan.  First, I stopped at the sunscreen station and had them put sunscreen on my back and shoulders (I did this all three laps and have no sunburn).  I know that sunscreen may prevent sweating however sunburn creates a total body inflammation response.  Plus I don’t like the idea of melanoma.

The next thing I did was stop at the aid station.  I took on fluids, ice in cap, ice in bra and ice in the back pockets of my tri top.  I followed this protocol for the next 25 aid stations. Yes, I walked each and every aid station!  I stayed hydrated, fueled (gels, Perform and Coke starting mile 15), drenched and iced.

Despite all of it, it was the most brutal run ever.  Reports had the heat index at 106 degrees down in the canal area.  I passed a fellow competitor on the run lying down and receiving an IV ON THE RUN COURSE.  The only thing that kept me from walking was the thought of being on the course even a minute longer than needed.  I spent the whole run questioning my sanity and planning my retirement from the sport!

Despite the conditions, I ended up with the fastest marathon in my age group and the 10th fastest amateur marathon.  I went from 9th place to 4th place in my age group.

Ironman Texas 2013

Overall, I am pleased about my day given the hellish conditions.  The competition in my age group was incredible.  Four of the women in the top five were previous Kona qualifiers and the winner in my age group was a former pro.  Out of the top 24 amateur women, four of us were in the 45-49 age group.  I have heard age groupers complain about racing former pros but I felt honored to face such a high level of competition in my age group.  The women ahead of me were incredible, gracious and have motivated me to be better and faster.

As I reviewed the results, it is clear I lost my goal to achieve a Kona slot in the swim.  I have some ideas on how to improve my swim technically which will be a future focus.  I am still one of the weaker (strength) women in my age group and I need to continue to lift weights/improve my body comp.  In the process, my cycling and running will continue to get faster.

Finally, a special thanks to David, KT, Bob and Jane.  My family’s support was incredible and I know they suffered in the heat and humidity much more than I did.  Spectators don’t have aid stations.

Additional thanks to Coach Marilyn Chychota McDonald.  She had me totally prepared to take a slot.  Thanks to Endurance Corner and my team mates for their support.  Special thanks to fellow EC Coach and Resident Pro Justin Daerr.  He sent me some pre-race advice to treat every aid station on the run as my last.  It worked!  Proud of him for fighting through the carnage to finish 4th overall (43% of the pro men’s field DNF’d).

And my retirement?  I think it is over already.

This is the first time I have attempted two 70.3 races within two weeks of each other.  I made some adjustments this race after the Gator Half:

• Returned bike position to my standard Ironman Retul fit.
• Continued running the latex tubes in my Conti 4000′s.
• Targeted 65g of carbohydrates per hour on the bike.
• Added a bit more caffeine in the form of chews on the bike.

My goal in this race was to go fast for the whole race.  The results:

• 38:49 swim 11th place AG
• 2:40:49 bike moving to 4th place AG
• 1:43:13 run remaining in 4th place AG
• Overall time 5:10:31 for a PR
• 4th overall AG out of 74 women

I am really happy with my race overall.

Swim: continues to improve and this was one of my best performances finishing in the top 15%.  Times overall seemed to be pretty slow and it appeared to me that some of the buoys moved with the wind the previous day.  Despite being pleased, the woman that won our age group smoked me in the swim by ten minutes.

Bike: was fantastic.  I missed having the fastest bike split in my age group by just over a minute.  To say this was an improvement, is an understatement.  I ended up with the second fastest split and was thrilled.  To quote our Southwest pilot, “I rode it like a stole it!”

Run:  continues to improve.  I wanted to crack eight minute miles and I did.  This is not a fast course do to all the turns.  By laps two and three it becomes over crowded.  Great course for spectators, just not for competitors.  Really happy I brought my fuel belt as the aid stations were over run!

I made two errors in the race.  The first was missing my transition area after the bike.  It was a silly error that cost me a bit of unnecessary time.

The second error was adding some caffeine at the end of the bike.  I ended up having a heart palpitation in the middle of my run.  I was running in a flat area and suddenly felt off.  I looked down at my HR monitor and my heart rate was over 200+BPM.  I quickly realized that I overdosed on caffeine and was dehydrated (I did not pee once during the race).  The next aid station I stopped and downed cups of water.  Overall a “rookie” mistake but fixable.

Under my MD’s direction (aka my pastry chef) David, I had a follow up baseline EKG.  Everything looked great.

Most people ask how I felt during the race.  At the Endurance Corner camp in Tucson, I remember one of the campers asking our resident Pro and Coach Justin Daerr if he felt good in a race.  Justin responded by pointing out that when you are racing, nothing feels “good”.  Racing just feels hard.  This race just felt hard.  For five hours.

Special thanks to my coach Marilyn McDonald.  My training is much different right now and despite my moments of doubts (we are still in our first year together), she continues having me do the right work.  Her confidence in me is reassuring and motivational.

Additional thanks to my Team; Katie, Danny and Marie.  I can race alone but when you have spotters on the course, the info they provide is priceless.  They cheer, they cajole and they tell me to “haul ass.”  Love when they are there…

Next stop is my A race: Ironman Texas.

This was a breakthrough race for me.  I towed the line with the thought, I am here to win.    I finished the race with the win as the first overall female.  This was a serious paradigm shift and included the incredible feeling of knocking off a bucket list goal; winning a triathlon!

I won’t bore you with my typical race report.  In my sixth year of the sport, the general outline of preparation to execution does not really change.  Since this was an early season race however, I did try some new things:

• Arrived at the race the night before and left the next morning.  
• Swam in water with alligators.  Something I said I would never do in my lifetime without medication.
• Totally ignored the pack in the swim.  There was lots of wind on race day.  For some reason the pack went really wide on the first two segments (waves and current).  I stayed on course and passed a group of people at the second turn.
• Tried a new nutritional product.  Carb consumption the first two hours on the bike was 64g (260 calories).
• Lowered front end on bike.  Not great for my back but may have helped in the wind.
• Ran latex (instead of butyl) tubes with Continental 4000′s on my bike.  I don’t know if they made a difference but they did feel different.
• Used a fuel belt because I knew on course aid was limited and the product offered did not sit well on my stomach.  Fueled with gels and flat Coke.
• No walking aid stations and almost no ice.  It was tropical and windy.

Why the paradigm shift?  My coach, Marilyn Chychota McDonald, spent time with me at our Endurance Corner Tucson camp pushing me to the wall, and then through it.  She has been consistently reframing my competition perspective from women in my age group to all the women racing, including the pros.  Not in an unrealistic way, but in a “you can compete with most women toeing the line” way.  Not all.  Most.

The hardest part of the day was the last portion of the run when I knew I ran myself into first place.  I like hunting people in front of me but soon felt the stress of being hunted.  I kept wanting to look over my shoulder to find out how close the women chasing me were.  I didn’t look because I didn’t want to give anyone behind me a reason to think I was concerned about them chasing me.

I did take a peek at the last turn on the course and realized I was far enough ahead for the win.  I pushed until the end and to the victory.

Much thanks to Marilyn (@chychota) for the coaching and guidance, to the other coaches at Endurance Corner who have helped me through the years (Gordo Byrn, Alan Couzens, Justin Daerr) and to my EC team mates who push and support me.  None of this is possible without the foundation of my family.  Anytime I leave for a race, the last line I hear is “don’t come home unless you win.”

I came home!  A winner.

After I planned my winter trip to the Cayman Islands, two of my friends (Danny and Marie) on the island contacted me to let me know there was a new 70.3 race.  The dates worked and I immediately registered.

The first thing I did after registering was order the Ruster Sports Hen House.  My Aerus Biospeed bike case is great but everytime I use it I get dinged by the airlines.  International travel with my bike would cost approximately $200 each way.  Thanks to the Hen House, I incurred no bike travel fees either way and it paid for itself in one trip!

I arrived in the Caymans twelve days before the race.  The first week would be light training as I spent time with our family.  The second week was to be a big training week culminating with the race.

The day before the race, the event coordinators were kind enough to let me do a talk on 70.3 execution emphasizing how to race successfully in the heat and humidity.  It was a great turnout!  Thanks to everyone for their questions and enthusiasm.

Race day itself involved an hour commute from our side of the island to the race site at the Reef Resort on the East End.  Coach was enthusiastic as always driving me over there and giving me a pep talk that went something like, “your goal is to beat the pro…”

I entered the race knowing that the four other age group women entered had dropped out.  There was just me and the women’s pro Lesley Smith.  Depending on your perspective, as long as I finished I would be either the first or the last age group female!

The swim was within the reef.  The first and longest leg was a bit of treadmill with current.  At one point, I was convinced that I wasn’t moving as the buoy appeared no closer than the start!  Fortunately, I found a pair of feet and and stayed on them through both loops.  I lost a bit of time on the last returning leg as the current picked up and threw me wide.

After a short beach run we ended up in the transition area within the parking lot and off we went on the bike.  Temps were comfortable on the first loop.  The last section (8-9 miles) of the bike course was a slow rise with headwind.  On the second loop the heat and headwind definitely increased.  There were two aid stations and I made sure to stop at each one to get plenty of fluids.  I consumed 600 calories of EFS and a gel.  I increased effort, watts and heart rate each loop.

When I got back to T2 it was hot and sunny.  My first order of business was cleaning my feet of all the sand and gravel that were on them during the bike ride.  Transition took a bit longer as a result.  I had brought a small cooler and grabbed my gatorade on the way out.  I drank 20 ounces of cold gatorade before my first running stride.

The run course was a bit of a bowl with a slow climb to the first turn around and another slow climb to the next turn around.  Since this was the first long triathlon on the island with people that had never volunteered before, I provided quite a bit of amusement as I loaded my bra and hat with ice!

How hot was it?  One of the volunteers sandels melted to the pavement at the aid station!

The first three miles I made sure my feet were under me and that I was hydrated properly.  I took a caffeinated gel at mile 3 and another at mile 8.  I started on Coke the last three miles.  Despite how hot it was, I felt strong and worked to pick off some competitors.  The finish was a beautiful beach run with the Caribbean sea in the background.

This was a very small inaugural race and I cannot compliment the race organizers enough!  They did a fantastic job making all the competitors feel welcome and providing great organization.  I was truly impressed and look forward to returning!

I finished as the first and only woman finisher in 5:34.21.  I was 6th overall (men and women) and had the 4th fastest run overall.  I was pleased that my effort was good relative to my fitness right now (very early season and 6 lbs over race weight).  I raised my effort during each loop of each event and finished the run strong.

For comparison sake, you will find my data below for Galveston 70.3 versus the Caymans race.  Both had heat, humidity and wind:

• 151 Watts Avg/152 HR Avg/84 RPM/19.9 MPH Galveston
• 133 Watts Avg/149 HR Avg/81 RPM/19.3 MPH Caymans

Galveston was last April and I was much fitter than I am now.  The interesting thing to note is that my new bike position seems to allow me to be faster with less effort.  A good sign.

Looking forward:

• Endurance Corner Tucson Camp late February
• Gator Half in March
• Galveston 70.3 April
• Ironman Texas May

Special thanks to my support team.  Coach is amazing and enthusiastic at all times.  Her and Pedro must have hit it off while I was out suffering:

One of the gifts of triathlon has been our friends Danny and Marie who have cheered me on in Galveston and the Caymans.  They even helped me to become a Conch Hunter on this trip!

Continued thanks to Marilyn McDonald for her coaching and guidance.

A final pic to explain why I like to train in the Caymans.  My open water swim course:

Now I just need to survive the arctic blast at home.  Brrrrrrr….

The first time I watched the Ironman World Championship on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, I was awestruck and knew there was no way I could do an event that covered 140.6 miles self propelled.  Thirty years later, I found out I was wrong and after three years of consistent work, I have achieved my dream.

My day started at 3am with a shower and my standard race breakfast.  At 4am I picked up the athlete shuttle in Keahou plaza to near the race start.  I walked along Ali’i to the King Kam (where the race is staged) and stood in line for the number marking that started at 4:30am.  At this race instead of just having a marker to write your race number, the volunteers stamp you with professional looking numbers on both arms (nothing on your legs).

After the stamping, I went into transition and used one of the many available pumps to blow up my tires and set up my bike with my computer and nutrition.  I turned on my Garmin 310XT and deposited it into my run bag.  It is an odd experience to be standing next to a world champion (Crowie) while he is doing the same thing you are doing to prep for the race.

After the wait was over, I heard Mike Reilly announcing the pros into the water.  Before you knew it they were off and swimming at 6:30am.  Women went off at 6:35am.  The thing I remember most was the Hawaiian drums beating.  It was the perfect background vibe to the start of our day.

After the women started, we moved to get into the water.  If you have seen the TV broadcast of the race, the stairs in and out of the water are not very big.  You end up with quite a small funnel trying to get everyone into the water.  Once down the stairs, you can wait on the beach or swim the 100 meters or so to the deep water start. I elected to start deep (easy to tread water in the ocean) and to the right.

I ended up picking the perfect line as the folks to the left had to fight the swells head on and according to the spectators were pretty challenged. I self seeded behind the fast folks and waited for the cannon to boom.  The race ended up starting with a whimper after the cannon failed.  The only thing we heard was Mike Reilly yelling, “Go, go, go…”

There was contact in the race but not the contact of someone inexperienced (I find inexperienced triathletes often try to stay alive by attempting to kill you in the swim).  I would say it was polite contact.  The volunteers (paddleboards) keep you funneled on the course which means you pretty much have contact the whole race and quite a few bottlenecked areas.

The hardest part of the swim is that I have been sick with a terrible cough that is aggravated by salt water.  It isn’t whooping cough, but it sounds like it.  I focused the whole swim on not having a coughing attack (whew).  I paced myself steady into the swells and current.  The swells and current were challenging and made for a slower course.

At the end of the swim course you swim around two boats (bottlenecks again) and head back to the pier.  I lifted the effort after the second boat and swam back into shore. After getting out of the water, I used the hanging hoses to rinse off the salt water, had the volunteers slap quite a bit of sunscreen on me, and headed off on my bike.

My heart rate was elevated (I attribute this to not feeling well) and I backed off significantly until I could get it under control.  I had a couple of coughing attacks but nothing that derailed me.

My best way to describe the bike ride: hot, hilly, headwind.  The day ended up being much hotter (88 degrees not including the humidity) and windier (30+ gusts on Hawi) than any of us expected.  The hills are rollers with the exception of the climb to Hawi (big gear on all of them).

My two thoughts on the climb to Hawi were; this is insane and how is this legal?  I have never experienced a cross wind like that in my life.  It was blowing, swirling, gusting and unpredictable.  At one point I was cycling with my bike leaning with a minimum of a 10 degree angle.  I swear if someone in front of me was blown off their bike, I might have called it a day.

On top of it, we started to get hit with driving rain and I actually was cold at one point. When I finally reached the turn around, I decided to change my nutrition plan.  Out of fear.  I could not get calories in on the ascent and I was scared to death of the descent.  At the aid station I shoved down a bonk breaker bar (I never eat solid food) and a gel.

Fortunately, the descent had a tail wind the whole time.  I was so happy to be alive that I felt great and was excited to finish the ride.  Until I hit another head wind about thirty miles from the end.  It felt like I ground to a halt.  At mile eighty, I pushed my effort and focused on finishing strong (my power file shows the last two hours to be my best effort).

How did I feel about my ride?  Disappointed.  It took way too long.  I was pleased with my nutrition (200 calories per hour) and hydration (Torhans between the bars was key for windy sections) but not my effort overall.

I took a few minutes longer at T2 because the volunteers offer you an ice cold towel for your head.  At that point, you are so cooked from the sun that you want to crawl into the towel and take a nap.  Unfortunately, you are a marathon away from a nap! I was coated again in sunscreen and off I went.

I had tweaked my achilles the week of the race and was nervous it (or my calf) would blow during the marathon.  As I started the run, it hurt but nothing I couldn’t run through.  I had one coughing attack that stopped me in my tracks.  I couldn’t breathe and I started to gag.  The spectators I stopped near were very concerned.  I had to waive them off and as soon as I cleared my airway I was off.

The run in Kailua-Kona is hilly, hot and relentless.  How hot?  I put ice in both my hat and bra but felt no cooling (I am not even sure how that is possible).  I saw competitors I knew walking the slow march of death.  I was more scared of walking 26.2 miles than I was of running 26.2 miles.

Every aid station I threw water over myself, added ice and took in Perform.  At some point, my stomach started to not feel right.  I wasn’t the only one after witnessing quite a few “evacuations.”  Things got worse when I hit the Queen K.  I remember passing a Port-a-Potty and suddenly turning around to go back to it.  I spent a couple of minutes in it and felt so much better (and lighter) afterwards!

I knew I was not out of the woods yet.  Something still didn’t feel right (I felt a bit light headed) and I started to do my damage control check list.  I realized that with the longer bike ride I had consumed mostly gels after the first three hours.  I decided that I was probably low on electrolytes.  I knew I was hydrated after peeing twice on the bike and run.  At mile thirteen I switched to a combination of chicken broth (sodium) and coke (energy).  This made a huge difference relatively quickly.

The other thing I noticed was people’s foot prints.  I soon appreciated how having running shoes that drain quickly (K-Swiss Blade Lights) make such a big difference for your feet. I am proud of my run for the level of damage control I was able to do from controlling my cough, to my stomach, to my electrolytes to the pain in my feet and ankles.  My time was slow but I never walked beyond the aid stations.

At mile 24, I realized I was going to make it.  I think I had a huge grin on my face for the last two miles of the run.  Running down Ali’i through the throngs of spectators was amazing.  The energy and support carried you across the finish. A friend (multiple finisher of this race) remarked that “we had a legit day.”  If I could have chosen the conditions, I would have changed nothing about my race day.  It was an incredible honor to race with the best in the world.

I feel beyond grateful for the race, the volunteers and the experience.  We capped the day with a visit to the finish line around midnight.  It was everything people recommended and more.  The inspiration of our shared experience, the celebration of the champions and the crowd driven mania provided by Mike Reilly was a perfect cap to an amazing event.  Hard to believe a professional sports or TV network hasn’t tried to steal him!

This is a race that I would need multiple starts to crack the code.  There is a significant element of damage control and strategy required to do this well.  I hope to have the opportunity to give it another go soon.

Thank you to my coach Marilyn McDonald (@chychota) for preparing me, my incredible family, friends and team mates for their support.  We are Ohana.

Some Tips:

• Put on sunscreen on your face and back before going to transition.  Apply frequently.
• You can add stuff to your run and bike bags in the morning.
• You don’t need a pump.
• Get to transition early.
• You need to find a way for your family to get downtown because the roads close and the parking is limited.  We used bikes.
• Have a way to take in water on the bike when it is windy that does not require your hands.
• Be prepared to walk a bit post race to get all of medal, morning clothes bag, refuel etc.
• Give a family member your bike ticket to pick up your bike for you.
• I don’t recommend the banquets (unless you podium).  Food is poor and the banquets are long!  Unless Jordan Rapp wins.  Love his podium speeches.
• Have a condo with air conditioning!
• If you want finisher gear, be in line by 6am at the store outside the King Kam.
• Go to the midnight finish!  Stay for the part where you hold hands and sing the Hawaii song.
• Remember for some of us, this could be a once in a lifetime experience.  Enjoy the show.