October 4, 2014
If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough. - Lowell Lundstrom
I did it! My first Olympic-distance triathlon!
I was the oldest one in this race (61)! The next oldest person was a youngster - 56. Ha!
Only 7 women competed out of 45 total participants.
Swim: 7:16 (2:00 / 100 m)
T1: 9:04
Bike: 1:48:00 (14.2 mph)
T2: 2:52
Run: 1:24:16 (13:36 min / mile)
I really don't know how to describe the weeks leading up to this event. Given that this my first Olympic-distance race (twice the distance I had ever raced before) and that I had been preparing for two months (post Nationals), it was clearly an A race. But it just didn't feel like an A race.
Maybe it was because the race was so late in the season. Maybe it was because anything after ITU Worlds and USAT Nationals was anti-climatic. Maybe it was because my family and friends didn't get too excited. To them (understandably since they are not triathletes), this was just another race.
My brother was the exception. In the middle of preparing for his longest race ever (Ironman), he understood. When I emailed him that I was nervous, he wrote back:
- You should be nervous!! An Olympic distance tri is no small thing (not that a Sprint is). But that doesn't mean you can't do it and that you can't have fun with it. If you are doing a 30 mile bike / 3 mile run you are already ready.
- My biggest piece of advice (which I wish I had before my first marathon, but am adhering to with my first Ironman) is don't even think about a time goal and just experience the race and enjoy the distance. There will be plenty of times in the future to "race" but only one chance in your life to finish your first. So go way easy and make it an enjoyable day. If they didn't have a 17 hour cut-off on the IM, I wouldn't give time a second thought. I've told my coach that my IM race plan should be "have a smile at the finish" as the #1 goal.
- Your coach will tell you what to do, but when you get into longer distances the mantra is "IT'S ALL ABOUT THE RUN." The swim is a pleasant warmup; the bike is focused on holding back and leaving gas in the tank. Then you run. I'd really recommend on making this a "no time pressure" race.
Tom was simply "there" for me in the week leading up to the race. He was two steps ahead of me, and gave me advice before I could even ask the questions. He advised me on how to stay warm and nutrition. He also advised me on strategies to stay mentally strong during the run. That was the best. His final advice was:
- An Olympic distance triathlon is a big deal and not everyone can do it. Things out of your control may sabatoge your day. Take pride in your training that got you to the starting line. That you can control and you did. I am confident that if it is a matter of will power, you will finish strong.
- Get 'er done!!
He also emailed me the day before the race to say, "You'll rock it!" and the morning of the race, he emailed me a weather report and ended with, "Remember to have fun -- you only do your first race once!"
I cannot even begin to express how much Tom's words meant to me - in terms of helping with my confidence, but also in terms of helping me put this race into perspective. This was a big race - something I should be proud of completing.
DAY BEFORE
We drove to the race on the afternoon prior to the race - about a 2 hour drive from home. We checked out the bike course and then found the biggest hill on the run course. I was still nervous about a six-mile run so I decided to run the one-mile uphill that seemed to be the most challenging part of the run. Brian drove behind me as I ran. It was a LOT easier than I thought it was going to be. Sigh of relief. While I was running, a woman stopped her car to ask me if I knew that a car was following me. She thought Brian was a stalker!
We had dinner in the hotel room: Ramen noodles with egg whites, oatmeal, and Powerade Zero.
We went to sleep around 9:00 pm. But didn't sleep well. I woke up at 2:00 am fretting that people (not my brother) who told me that they believed in me were using reverse psychology and that they didn't really believe I would finish. Crazy how things can blow up in one's mind when one is tired and scared. I didn't sleep after that.
MORNING
I went back to my old standard breakfast: 1/2 bagel, tablespoon of peanut butter, banana, and PowerAde.
Cold! The cold and wind were HUGE factors as I set up for the race. To begin with, when 22 mile an hour, sustained, winds are blowing across a lake and then beating on you in 39 degree temperature, it is impossible to think about anything else. The wind chill was 23 degrees.
The first thing I noticed was that while there were plenty of cars in the parking lot NO ONE was around transition and no bikes were racked. Everyone was sitting in their car! I knew it was going to be an interesting day when I racked my bike at the 104 spot, and within seconds, it blew down the rack to position 106. Ha.
What to wear: I been trying all week to figure out what to wear. The weather forecast not only called for cold and wind, it had also called for rain. Thank God it was not raining. My coach told me to wear a windbreaker on the bike and just my tri suit during the run. Luckily, my brother told me to bring gloves for the bike.
I asked some of the young elite racers what they were going to wear. Everyone said they were wearing layers on bike. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything with me except the clothes I was wearing and my pajamas which were in my suitcase. So . . . I decided to take off the clothes I was wearing and leave them in transition so I could wear them in the race. So there I was in weather that felt like 23 degrees wearing nothing but my tri suit. Not good. I was freezing - so I found my suitcase and put on my pajamas! LOL. The elites also advised to completely dry off before getting on the bike. That meant the towel that I normally take to the swim start also stayed in transition.
The challenge was putting all those extra items in the proper order so I could rush into transition, dry off and get dressed. If I stacked everything, the wind would blow the top items across transition. I finally decided that T1 was not going to be fast and that I should just not worry about it.
Short swim: While setting up in transition, I learned that the race organizers had decided to shorten the swim because of the waves and wind. I was furious. I was doing this race because I wanted to have an Olympic in my collection of races - and now it was not going to be a full Olympic. In frustration, I texted my coach and hoped that he was awake and would see my text and would be able to respond. He explained that the race organizers were probably worried about being able to supervise swimmers who were spread out across the lake. Later Brian told me that the volunteers who tried to go out in kayaks couldn't launch their boats because of the wind. Many people decided not to race at all. Several people switched to the duathlon (bike and run).
During the instructions for the racers, the race organizer told us that we'd be telling our grandchildren about this race. He added that in all his years of putting on races, these were the worst conditions he had ever seen and warned everyone to be safe.
I put on my wetsuit in the bathroom while we waited for the race to begin. I was concerned that my husband wasn't there to give me a proper weggie, but learned that I could give myself a weggie! Ha. There was a swim warm-up but only one brave (stupid?) sole warmed up.
I ate 1/2 a banana and a bag of Energy Blasts, and continued to drink water. But my hands were shaking uncontrollably and I couldn't get the bottle to line up with my mouth!
They had us line up for the swim. Per my coach's instructions, I lined up in the middle. My feet were so cold they hurt like needles were sticking in them everywhere. I grabbed my pajamas and wrapped them all around my feet. For some reason, the race organizers had us wait for a long time. Some people were getting mad. A group of 20-30 year old men started all hugging each other in a big group hug to stay warm. A lot of people started chanting, "Start the race! Start the race!"
As I moved to the start, I heard a voice on the official's radio tell him to begin warning all the swimmers that the buoys were moving and to swim wide so our feet would not get tangled in the ropes. Crazy.
SWIM
Place: 27 / 45
Pace: 2:00 / 100 m
Once I rounded the first of two buoys, the wind was coming from my right which meant every time I took a breath, water was in my face. I considered breathing to my left, but I decided that it was more important to breath in the direction that would make my swimming strength the strongest. Every time I took a breath, I would look first to see if a wave were about to hit me. I inhaled water several times, but luckily, I know what to do when that happens so it wasn't not a big deal. As I rounded that first buoy, I saw a boat directly in front of me when I was sighting. Someone in the boat was pulling another swimmer out of the water. So I had to swim around the boat.
About half way to the second buoy, I started to be able to think about getting into a groove and having a steady pace and form. I was having fun! As I rounded the second buoy, I could see the line to the weight at the bottom of the lake. It was almost horizontal. The swim to the beach was quick. When my hand touched bottom, I stood up. I was so disappointed that the swim was over so quickly.
T1
Time: 9:04
When I entered transition, I could not find my bike! Before the race, I practiced running into transition a couple of times, but the landmark was a white car that was in the parking lot next to my bike. There were no white cars in sight. Note to self: Do not use objects that can move as landmarks. Ha.
Getting dressed in T1 was basically like getting dressed in the morning. I really didn't try to hurry. I dried off and just started putting on layers of clothes. Capris, long-sleeve T, jacket, socks, shoes, glasses, helmet, thin gloves, fingerless bike gloves. When I was ready to go, I realized that Garmin watch was underneath my long sleeves! So I had to take off my gloves and jacket so I could get my watch, re-dress, and then putting my watch on top of my jacket. Another lesson learned.
My bike was at the edge of transition so Brian could stand right next to me. The only thing I said was, "That was brutal." As I stripped off the rest of my wetsuit and was standing there shivering uncontrollably in my wet tri suit, he asked if I were ok. I assured him that I was fine, smiled, waved and took off.
I don't know why I love running along the side of my bike as I leave transition, but it is maybe my favorite part of the race.
BIKE
Place: 43 / 45
Speed: 14.2 mph
Cadence: 86
The wind on the bike was incredible. Immediately, it pushed me all over the road. When the gusts came, it was like someone had kicked my front tire or jerked my handle bars to the side. I had to always be alert because I never knew when my bike was going to jump four feel to the side.
I turned on my bike Garmin and found that the HR and cadence were not showing. For some reason, my bike Garmin had reset itself the day before. I reset all the settings but didn't realize that I would need to re-link the bike Garmin with my HR and cadence monitors. Luckily, my Garmin watch was showing my HR so the only thing I could not see was my cadence. I calculated my cadence manually throughout the race and found that it was usually at or over 90.
The wind was so loud that I could not hear the gears shift. I was surprised to learn how much I depend on sound to help me know what my bike is doing. The first part of the bike was north-south with the wind coming from the west. Other than being blown around a bit and having numb feet, the first part of the bike was not too bad.
Then I turned the corner and was facing west - into the wind. A-MA-ZING. What a force! At one point, I was in next-to-granny gear on a 0% incline and was working hard to keep the bike going. I was watching bikes ahead of me being tossed all over the road. At one point there must have been a strong cross wind because every time a bike came to that point, it took a sharp swerve to the left. Sure enough, when I got there, the wind blasted me from the right and pushed me to the left. Luckily, I was prepared. Three times, an ambulance passed me and I later rode up to see a crashed bike on the side of the rode.
I passed a few people. Many people passed me. I remember both my coach and my brother warning me not to push it on the bike, so I didn't get into "kill" mode - although I wanted to several times. I told myself to just ride my race. My heart rate stayed at 133 for almost the entire race.
When I started the second lap, I could see my husband taking pictures and then heard the cow bell that he was shaking. That was cool. A race official yelled, "Are you doing the sprint?" "Olympic," I yelled with pride and he motioned me forward.
I noted that my back did not hurt at 45 minutes when it normally does. It really didn't hurt during the entire race. However, at mile 18 (after riding toward the west twice), my hamstrings started hurting slightly (or maybe a lot). I had hoped to ride over 15 mph, but knew that I could still make the time I hoped to make it I rode 14.4 mph. In the last quarter of the race, I noticed that my average mph was dropping below 14.4. That was a little discouraging but I knew I had to ride a smart race. I remember my brother saying, "There's no such thing as a good bike followed by a good run." So I kept a steady force on the pedals and did not strain to maintain 14.4.
With my gloves on frozen hands, it was hard to know which lever I was pushing on my Shimano gear shifts. The levers to shift up and down are right next to each other and I could no longer feel the difference between the two. I started watching my fingers to make sure they were on the right lever before shifting. I also noted that my foot slipped off the pedal several times in this portion - probably due to weird shifting.
I thought if I slowed my cadence (pedaled in a larger gear) on the downhills that might help, but it just made my legs cramp. At one point, I thought I was bonking. Every single inch of both legs hurt a LOT suddenly - hamstrings, quads, calves. I told myself not to panic and just go on. I switched back to a higher cadence and everything got back to normal. That was a little scary!
The thing that was different about this ride (in comparison to the rides I've done on 446) was that the power that I had to use just to keep the bike moving felt like what I usually expend in a 4% grade - and it never let up because I was always fighting that wind.
I really had to dig deep. I thought back several times to what my brother had said about will power, "I am confident that if it is a matter of will power, you will finish strong." I held onto those words. I started to feel really proud of myself. Many people had decided not to race. I was racing. I was fighting the elements. I was demonstrating grit like I had never done before. I was strong.
I had thought that my heart rate would be between 105 and 115, but it was almost always at 133 (top of z2). Was pleased that it was so constant.
I ate 9 shot bloks on the bike and almost all of one water bottle. The shot bloks were hard as rocks in the cold weather and in the 23 degrees (with wind chill), they were frozen to my bike frame. I had a difficult time getting them off with my gloved hands. I was so afraid that I'd drop one and have to go more than 10 minutes between the sweet little treats. I was a little concerned that I did not drink more - but I was drinking every ten minutes and often in between.
Suddenly, I was at the end of the bike. I stood in the saddle. That felt SO good. My coach advised me not to do a "flying" dismount. But I wasn't thinking and it just happened. I always practice dismounting and running on every ride in training so my body just did what it always does. I hit the ground running. Legs felt good. So glad to get off the bike!
T2
Time: 2:52
I also had to quickly determine what I wanted to wear on the run. I decided that the best situation was my tri top and wind breaker (which was also water resistant and the sky was threatening rain). The last thing I wanted to do was run unprotected in 23 degree temps (with wind chill), 22 mph winds, and RAIN. That meant I had to take off my gloves, watch, windbreaker, and long-sleeve T, then put my windbreaker and watch back on. Again, my husband was able to talk to me in transition. He questioned the wisdom of wearing so little on the run. I told him I would be fine. I was very pleased that my T2 time was as short as it was given the amount of clothing change.
RUN
Place: 45 / 45
Pace: 13:36
Cadence: 95
As I headed out on the run, I passed four people on bikes who were coming back in. A couple of them were so far behind me that I thought I might be able to stay in front of them on the run. I reminded myself that I had to run my run - and not get sucked into going too fast too soon.
The run felt good - although my hamstrings hurt considerably from the bike. Since I had no idea how much energy I'd need to complete all six miles, I took it really easy. Cadence was 95.
I was pleased with how loose I felt. I was smiling and talking to the runners who passed me as they headed back to the finish. I just felt great. I kept thinking, "Oh my gosh! I am fit!"
At mile 1.5, there was a little church that I had already passed twice on the bike, and would pass one more time as I returned on the run. Each time I passed, I thanked God for all my blessings.
My heart rate stayed in upper z1 to mid-z2 most of the time, and only went to z3 on the climbs. Pace was around 13:30 - slower than I was hoping for, Given my heart rate and how I was feeling, I probably could have pushed more, but I wasn't sure how I'd be feeling at miles 4, 5 and 6 so I held back. I ran the entire course - even at the water stations - no walking.
My metatarsals on my right foot started hurting. I ran a lot with my toes curled. But that's just par for the course. Got a little tired at mile 2.5 - again, par for the course.
Right before the turnaround, I passed a police car with two officers leaning against it. One of them said, "You're the last one. We're going to follow you back."
My spirits just plummeted. I said, "Don't follow me too close. You'll take my focus off the race." They agreed. As I rounded the turnaround, I wondered if the four people on bikes that I ran past at the beginning of the run had dropped out - or if they were sprint racers. As I ran past the officers again, I said, "There are four people behind me." And then I saw a person running toward me! Woohoo!! When I past her, she said, "Why are we doing this?" I responded, "Because we are going to feel so great when we cross the finish line!" Not much later, she passed me.
I ran past three more runners. Later, one of them caught me. As she passed, she said, "How do you feel?" I said in a cheerful voice, "I feel great! How do you feel?" She said in a labored, sarcastic voice, "Oh. . . I feel great." Grin. If I can't beat them in speed, at least I'll beat them in attitude!!
The return run was pretty lonely. Just me, the wind, and the road. Then I started noticing that cars passing me had bikes on the back and the people in the cars were waving and cheering as they passed. Cool. Not so lonely anymore. I started smiling at all of the cars as they drove by. LOL.
Ate gels at miles 2 and 4.5. The semi-frozen sweet, gooey gel was delicious. I had planned to eat a gel at mile 4 but I was on the long climb so I waited until my breathing slowed down at the top of the hill.
At mile 4.5, I was back to the church. I picked up the pace as planned. I was pleased to have enough in the tank to do that. Worked on head up, lean forward and arms back. Pace picked up to around 12:45. Still wasn't totally pushing it because I still wasn't sure I could make six miles and didn't want to run out of steam before crossing the finish line.
Around mile 5, I noticed some of the pains that I used to get when we were preparing for the Indy 500 half marathon (right hip / left knee / lower back / pelvic floor). I told myself to ignore my body and kept going.
As I approached the short 10% climb prior to the down hill before the finish, I knew there were still two runners behind me. I glanced over both shoulders to see if either of the two racers was catching me. I felt like a pro-triathlete out in front racing for the finish line checking to see where the competition was! Ha. I laughed to myself as I thought how silly I must look as the third-to-last racer looking to see if anyone were catching her! I was pleased that neither racer was in sight. I kept a steady pace up the climb but did not sprint.
FINISH
Unlike the Lake Santee Triathlon, there was no one waiting for the final finishers. In fact, the entire area was deserted (as was the last water station). I think all the race organizers and volunteers were trying to stay out of the wind. I remembered the race director saying that we would run across the grass to the finish mat. He said there would be volunteers guiding us in. There was NO ONE around!! And because of the wind, they didn't put up the arch marking the finish line. I experienced a little panic as I didn't know where to run. Finally, I saw a place where the grass was matted down and I figured that must be the entrance to a finish chute. I ran all by myself down the chute. No one around. No one cheering. No one celebrating. I decided to cheer for myself and I ran down the finish chute with my hands high in the air!
Then I saw him. One person cheering me in. He was at the first mat. And as I ran down the finish chute to him, he raised his arm to give me a high five with a HUGE smile on his face. Another angel in my life at just the right time. Blessings!
Thirty feet later, I was at the second mat (which I didn't realize was the actual finish line since there was no finish arch above it) and there was Brian taking pictures. At that point, I knew I was finishing!
Three or four other people heard the commotion and came from wherever they were hiding from the wind to cheer. I don't know why that feels so good. But it does.
Since I didn't sprint across the finish line I was not gasping for breath. My hamstrings were pretty sore and I kept walking around in circles because they were cramping. But overall, I felt as though my coach's training plan had worked. I feel good.
Someone told me that they still had hot dogs and hot chocolate in one of the picnic shelters. All of a sudden, I was starving. I usually don't eat hot dogs, but I rushed to get one. It was not a regular hot dog. It was a huge fat hot dog - the kind I never eat because they just look gross. But I didn't care. I devoured that hot dog. I was surprised that it was so hot. Then I realized how cold I was. The heat of that hot dog in my tummy was so soothing. Ahhhh.
They had already given out the awards so I checked the posted names and times. I found two other women in my age group so I figured I had placed third. I told the race organizer that I had just come in and was third in my age group. He gave me a third place trophy.
I sent a text to my coach which simply said, "Finished. That was brutal!" He wanted to know what was so brutal so I wrote a little about the conditions. My coach responded, "That's too bad, but there's a reason it's the last of the season around here." I immediately replied, "It's not too bad. I'm pumped. A LOT of people quit. I had grit today (if I do say so myself). In fact, I don't think I've ever been prouder of myself." My coach asked how I was feeling and I said "Great!" I was so "high" that I totally forgot that my hamstrings were screaming!
I sent my brother an email. He sent back a congrats email that said, "You're an Olympian!" Grin!! A little while later while we were driving home, he sent me another email with a link to the race results and this subject line:
Subject: You won your division!!!
I misread the posted race results. The two women who finished before me were actually in the Sprint race. I won my division.
More importantly, I trained well. I did everything my coach asked me to do with as much integrity as I could muster (another lesson from my brother). I showed up at the start line and I stayed in the race in pretty extreme weather conditions. I beat the elements that were trying to take me out of the race. I couldn't be happier!
Blessed
Once again, I am so grateful to all who supported me and all the programs that have helped me become healthy enough to race. As always, I wrote all of people's names on my hand that I wanted to remember during the race. This time, the names fell into three groups. Family, programs, and inspirations. My brother's support was incredible. Although he is my little brother, he is more like a big brother. The programs for which I am grateful include:
Weight Watchers Online
Couch to 5K IPhone App
Next Generation Personal Training
Dream Big Triathlon Coaching
And finally, the inspirers: Tom M. and Kurt have faced tremendous challenges with dignity and courage - true inspirations. I take them with me often on long runs or ride when my body starts to complain. I need to add one name to this list of inspirational people. Our friend, Patty, continues to face huge health challenges with incredible dignity and grace. She is truly, truly an inspiration as is the way that she and her husband, Don, support each other. They are truly role models for marriage.
So many blessings!
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