May 5th, 2019
Where to begin? Redemption? Hope? Terror? Mostly all of those things.
Obviously, weather watching was a high priority. The week started looking like it would be absolutely perfect. Cloudy, high of 77, light winds. Ideal! Unfortunately, and naturally, predictions changed numerous times and by the time Saturday rolled around, there was a 90% chance of thunderstorms, high in the 80s, and windy. Unamused. So completely unamused. And on top of all of this, it was my first tri since IMWI. I didn't do nearly as many bricks as I should have (because I'm a whiny child with my coach), I'm about 10-15 pounds heavier than I want to be, and I was beyond nervous for combining these three events into one day of madness. What if my amazing 2017 was a fluke? What if I'm never going to podium at an Ironman event again? I hate hypotheticals!!!
Race morning. Got almost 7 hours of sleep. Which a ton for before an event. Truly shocked I slept so well. But immediately had to check the weather. Still storms predicted. F#@k. My bff Lady Boss and I began our race prep, feeding off one another's anxiety, and attempting to function. Good times....
Made it to race event and transition. Set up Shadowfax with all my water bottles and reinflated the tires. Didn't double check them before I left and this would come to bite me in the ass. Laid out all my gear, lathered my neck with vasoline (chafing on the neck from the wetsuit hurts!), applied a layer of sunblock, and made my way out to the bathrooms. Because of course.
The Swim
Self seeded swim in the Chickahominy River. Jumped in and took off. And the anxiety finally melted away. My happy place. And damn was I flying. Passing people like it was my job. Clearly I didn't self seed very well....official time was 27:54! I hadn't broken 30 minutes before. And I smashed it!! So happy. 3rd out of the water in my AG!
Self seeded swim in the Chickahominy River. Jumped in and took off. And the anxiety finally melted away. My happy place. And damn was I flying. Passing people like it was my job. Clearly I didn't self seed very well....official time was 27:54! I hadn't broken 30 minutes before. And I smashed it!! So happy. 3rd out of the water in my AG!
And then it all went wrong....T1 was the longest run ever. Easily over a half mile to get back to my bike. BS! It was through uneven grass, too. Petrified I was going to roll an ankle. But I made it. Only to find the valve on my front tire had bent and was slowly leaking air the entire time I was in the water. Double f#@k!!! Quickly changed it as I watched person after person take off. Oh the rage. Unreal rage. This also would come back to bite me. Hard.
The Bike
Took off like a bat out of Hell. Angry riding at its finest. Passing people, cruising through the rain, hoping I don't hit a slick spot and go down. Obviously it rained the entire ride. Why wouldn't it? Through 160° hairpin turns, over dangerous railroad tracks, around technical curves and climbing technical hills. And oh how carbon brakes love the rain. Said no one. Ever. About mile 50. That's when I knew I burned up too many matches. But there was no going back. Legs and back were on fire, jaw hurt from clenching too hard, and I was done. But wait, there's more!
Took off like a bat out of Hell. Angry riding at its finest. Passing people, cruising through the rain, hoping I don't hit a slick spot and go down. Obviously it rained the entire ride. Why wouldn't it? Through 160° hairpin turns, over dangerous railroad tracks, around technical curves and climbing technical hills. And oh how carbon brakes love the rain. Said no one. Ever. About mile 50. That's when I knew I burned up too many matches. But there was no going back. Legs and back were on fire, jaw hurt from clenching too hard, and I was done. But wait, there's more!
T2 went off without a hitch, minus the cross country running through grass and tree roots....
The Run
I died. I was absolutely spent after the first mile. Only 12.1 left! It was a double out and back. Awful. Climbed a giant bridge. Twice. Started off at a decent pace, maintaining my 9 minute miles. But that quickly disappeared. Switched to walking the aid stations and the bridge, but the damage was done. No matches left at mile 5. None. Not even seeing Lady Boss on the course 3 times helped. Those lack of bricks caught up with me. But dammit, this was my race and I was going to finish. And finish I did!
I died. I was absolutely spent after the first mile. Only 12.1 left! It was a double out and back. Awful. Climbed a giant bridge. Twice. Started off at a decent pace, maintaining my 9 minute miles. But that quickly disappeared. Switched to walking the aid stations and the bridge, but the damage was done. No matches left at mile 5. None. Not even seeing Lady Boss on the course 3 times helped. Those lack of bricks caught up with me. But dammit, this was my race and I was going to finish. And finish I did!
5:40.53. About 15 minutes off my PR, but it's hard to compare different courses with different conditions. Which I need to remind myself. Constantly. As I write this 3 days later, my legs are still sore and I want to sleep for days, but it's a recovery week and I'll be ready to tackle all the next adventures. OH 70.3, watch out!!
