Recap on the Race!

We finished our first 1/2 Ironman!  Sort of.  We did not get to swim.  Here’s how it went.  I went to bed at the appropriate time (7pm-ish).  My husband was out like a light.  My dogs were confused but content.  I was sleepy but a bit agitated.  It was sort of surreal.  I had laid out all of our equipment and checked it several times, but could not remember anything.  I kept thinking that I forgot something.  I eventually fell asleep, but dreamed about aliens and maybe Bin Laden somewhere in there.  I also dreamed that I tried to wake everyone up and they wouldn’t wake up.  (We were at my parents house.)  Of course, 2:30 a.m. eventually rolled around.  I was grateful to get up but I felt like I was still dreaming.  My neck also hurt.  We managed to eat some breakfast.  I had a protein shake, oatmeal and banana.  Then, we were off.  Thankfully, my Dad drove.  It was sort of  eery at 3 a.m.  We noticed cabs brings people home, while we were heading out.  Surprisingly, there were people on the roads.  Then, we realized that we were driving in a cloud.  A thick, dense fog had descended in the night.  My Dad struggled to see the road and road signs.  Luckily, they had driven the route before.  My husband and I closed our eyes in the back seat and tried to relax.  I kept thinking of things I was sure that I forgot – running shoes and ID popped in my brain.  (FYI – they sell lots of things there at the race, like shoes)  I was not really relaxed but I was so glad to be actually going to the race that I just wanted to keep going.  Let’s do this!  I couldn’t make it the 2 hours to the lake (all that water I drank), so we stopped at a gas station.  There we learned that there had just been an accident on the road where we just passed and an armed robbery ahead at a McDonald’s.  Okay, clearly I was still dreaming.  More eeriness.  But we went on.  We arrived at the camp grounds surrounding the lake and got a great spot really close to the transition area.  My parent didn’t want to walk very far while they waited for us.  So, in arriving at 5 a.m., we were some of the first racers there.  It was great.  I highly recommend arriving early.  We registered (make sure to have ID and USAT card with you).  Next, we grabbed our chip and strapped it to our ankles.  Then, we got body marked.  They write your number on your thigh and arms (it won’t come off for several days).  They also write your category on your calf.  In our case, our age.  Then, we set up the transition area.  Each person has a spot on the bike racks based on your number.  You get a little space beside your bike to put stuff.  We laid down folded towels and placed our bike shoes and running shoes neatly on top.  I always put my socks in the bike shoes and my bib by my running shoes (you don’t need your bib until the run).  I put my helmet on the handle bars and my sunglasses in the helmet with my gloves.  Our water bottles were full (2 waters, 1 fuel).  I grabbed one Gu and one extra water bottle to carry with me to the swim start.  The morning was cool and I had on sweats and flip-flops.  I always leave my flip-flops at the swim start, although some people walk around bare foot.  You can always grab your flip-flops at the end of the race (just don’t forget).  Before that, we had spent time checking the bikes and adding air to the tires with a bike pump that we brought.  We were, of course, slowly drinking water this whole time.  Then we headed off to check out the swim start.  On the way, we heard that wetsuits were legal.  My red flags went up immediately.  This water was supposed to be warm!  First, we couldn’t even see the pier where the swim started.  After we walked out on the pier, we couldn’t even see the first buoy.  I started to panic.  I let my husband know that I was about to cry and probably divorce him after this was all over, because I hated him and this was a horrible idea.  After I noticed that EVERYONE was wearing a wetsuit and we were the only ones without wetsuits, I stopped speaking to him.  I held back the tears, resigned to the fact that I was going to be last on the swim or rescued by a 13 year old volunteer in a canoe.  My parents seemed truly concerned that I was having a melt down, just like I was a little kid again.  None of that mattered to me at the time.  Then the race was delay 15 minutes.  They hoped the fog would lift quickly.  I breathed again.  My wonderfully loving husband (whom I have forgiven now) teased that I could just buy a wetsuit.  After about 2 minutes, I didn’t care if he was serious or not – I was getting a wetsuit.  Since we thought I had less than 10 minutes to get the wetsuit and get down to the swim start, I didn’t run back to the car to get my money.  No, my parents (who will probably never want to experience my pre-race gitters again) kindly went with me into the make-shift store.  At least, they loved me I thought.  We very quickly rented a suit for $40 from two hippies who, I’m sure, have never moved that fast in their lives.  They even sprayed my legs so I could get the suit off in the transition area.  My Mom and I made plans where she would find me before the transition and help me get the wetsuit off after the swim.  I felt warm and content.  I was ready.  As soon as I started heading out to the swim start again, we noticed more people coming back in.  We were informed the race was delay until 8am (instead of 7am).  There was mention of canceling the swim start if the fog didn’t lift.  So, we sat in the car for another 30 minutes.  It was actually chilly outside.  As we were heading back to the swim start again, we got the news that the swim was cancelled!  The fog was still very thick.  The race was changed to bike/run only.  I quickly stripped out of my wetsuit and went towards the transition area where everyone was frantically putting on bike gear.  Then we were told that we couldn’t have any bike gear at the start (now the swim finish).  Then they changed that again and we could carry our bike gear from the start into the transition area.  Meanwhile, my parents tried to return the wetsuit without any success!  No returns due to weather!  I was mortified.  So, around 7:50 am everyone started to gather at the swim finish area with bike helmets on.  As we all approached the lake, the fog lifted.  The lake was completely clear and we could see every buoy.  Another delay was called to see if we could add the swim again (my wetsuit had already been returned).  That was when everyone started chanting, “swim, swim!”  After another 15 minutes, the officials announced that the water police had left and would not come back.  The swim was off again, or at least remained canceled.  Finally, we started.  They called us by waves, but it didn’t really matter because your start was based on your chip.  I was cold enough wear a long sleeve shirt!  Eventually, I was off and running into the transition area.  Finally.

Due to the flat course, I did the bike section in about 3:20!  A good time for me.  About 15 miles into the bike, I had to pee.  No problem.  I had read in the guidelines online that mile 18 was an aid station with water, heed, food and a port-a-pot.  Nope.  Not even close.  Some guys handed out water.  That was it!  By mile 20, I was panicking.  I was wearing a full tri-suit.  I couldn’t just pull my pants down.  Also, there was no real hiding places beside the road.  All of sudden I saw a port-a-pot!  I had already passed it, so I had to stop and turn around.  It was on the other side of the road.  Several people asked if I was okay.  I hoped off my bike and ran 50 meters down a dirt road to some random port-a-pot just sitting the middle of nowhere.  Actually, it was next to a greenhouse.  It was not part of the course!  As soon as I entered the port-a-pot I decided not to strip.  I just sat and peed…in my suit!  I was so afraid someone would yell at me for using their non-public port-a-pot that I had to act fast.  I dashed back to my bike and joined the crowd again with relief.  I felt much better and could drink again.  I used my aero bars almost exclusively during the ride.  I also did a great job of eating and fueling almost every 30 minutes.  It made the time go faster.  I was also amused by the number of people who passed me.  First it was the 30 year olds, then the 40 year olds, 50 year olds and finally a few 60 and 70 year olds.  Seriously.  At least I can say they were quite buff.  At the second water station someone yelled that I had 17 more miles to go.  I was SO excited I almost screamed!  Then I got stung by a bee and swerved all over the road.  I’m sure the poor bee thought he was hit by a Mack truck.  I still have a big red spot on my thigh.  Jeez.

I didn’t rush through the transition area.  My parent called to me and I posed for a picture.  I ran to another port-a-pot and then ran back to my bike because I forgot my protein bar.  I put on a hat too.  Then, the march to the end.  I felt certain that I was going to need to walk at some point, so I didn’t rush.  I jogged the first 3 miles really slow.  I stopped at every water station, which were at every mile.  I got into a routine of grabbing a cold, wet towel, drink and some fuel.  I alternated between water and heed and even had two Cokes at some point.  I had two Gu’s, a piece of orange, a peanut butter cracker and some pretzels.  I always patted myself down with the wet towel, which is probably why my shoulders burned.  I had put on SPF 50 before the race.  At mile 5, I thought about the finish line but I was too emotional.  I could only think about the next aid station.  Just think about one mile at a time, I decided.  At the half way point, I started to speed up.  Each mile after that I tried to run a little bit faster.  By then, the heat was an issue.  The road seemed to cook the runners like hot dogs on a grill.  We all started to turn red and shrink as we sweated.  The last three miles were the hardest.  I made it through with “one mile at a time.”  After I finished, I was too tired to speak and a bit wobbly.  My time: just around 2 hours.  I was standing beside my husband and Mom who were talking about going to watch me at the finish line.  Then they realized I was standing next to them and that I was already done!  I finished the entire race in about 5 hours 22 minutes.  My husband did the bike in about 2:40, but he cramped on the run.  We think he had a lack of salt issue, since he looked like he rolled in sand after the race.  His run was also about 2 hours.  The best part of the race was mingling with the racers at the end beside the beautiful, scenic lake area.  We stood in the lake and cooled off.  We ate and lounged around, just enjoying the lake.  My husband and I spent the rest of the day telling our race stories.  Then we took my parents out for a huge dinner, on us.  We probably owe them more.  A big gift of some sort.  Hopefully they had some fun.  The biggest thing I learned was that it is SO doable – if that’s a word.  You can do it!  We did it!  And it was awesome!  I honestly recommend a 1/2 IM to everyone.  I feel like we did better than survive.  We had fun.  Our training was sufficient and we were prepared.  I’m still sore now, but not too bad.  If I can do it, so can you!