Lake Stevens Ironman 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Out and back along a rowing buoy line. Lake Stevens has held several of the rowing national championships in this lake so there is a permanent buoy line (a string) that you can see in the water. It was my first open water swim where I didn't have to sight at all! This was my best water swim time at this distance. There was quite a bit of contact throughout the swim because a lot of people were swimming directly above this buoy line. I even got a kick to my face which ripped my goggles off. I found it ironic that my swim was probably the strongest event of my day considering I haven't been swimming very much lately; overall, I'm very happy with my swim time.

I had a LONG run to my bike. The bike racks were set up in three sections (one right when you get out of the water, one in the middle, and then one at the bike out). I liked T1 because it gave me a while to take off my wetsuit while I was running (no wetsuit strippers).

I followed my HR zones exactly. I was at 152-158 for most of the bike. I had an timer on my Garmin that alerted me to drink every 15 min and take a gel shot every 30 minutes. This bike course was very scenic and I had a great time on it. On the first loop, I was by myself for much of the ride (since my wave was right after the pros). The second loop, I began passing people from the later waves. It got kind of hectic on the last part of the ride due to an increase in car traffic and slow riders. There were several times when I had to brake on the downhill or flats because of cars getting in the way. I've been doing a lot of hill work on my bike so this course was fun to ride and my legs felt good.

I saw Kim on my second loop and she was looking strong :)

I had to run a long way to my bike. I decided to run with my cleats because the ground was pretty rough. Just before I reached the "run out", I realized I forgot my Garmin so I ran back to get it (thus, the longer T2 time).

This is where my race fell apart. My overall goal was to be sub 5. I did my calculations prior to the race and knew exactly what times I needed. I felt I paced my swim and bike perfectly. The first third of my run was going exactly as planned. My plan was to maintain 155 bpm on the first loop and 165 on the second. Through 3.5 miles I was averaging a 7:25 pace, which is what I needed to come in around 5.

All of a sudden, I started to get really dizzy and nauseous, and my stomach got real upset. I tried running through it for a couple miles by breathing and slowing my pace. At mile 6, I threw up. My mom saw me on the first loop of the run and she said I looked horrible and my face was really pale. I never could pick up my pace again. I felt better, but the heat and the rolling hills left me really dehydrated.

I'm really bummed about my run performance; I feel like I've been working really hard on my run and it's frustrating that I can't perform on race day. My nutrition for the race was exactly what I've been training on. I know I can go sub 5 hours. I'm racing this again next year for redemption!

I didn't feel like Seattle this weekend. Highs were in the 90s and it was hard to stay hydrated. I need to drink more on the bike and hydrate earlier on in the run so I don't feel like crap through the final miles.

Pizza, coke, massage, and a chat with linsey Corbin. Hung out with Dean and my parents as we waited for kim and my uncle to finish.


The heat and lack of hill training on my runs.


I LOVED this race. It was set up very well and there was great support. Other than the last part of my run I had a great day. I raced within my physical abilities and just had unexpected issues on the run. The residents of Lake Stevens seemed very supportive of this race. There were residents who were shooting people with water guns and hoses during the run, which felt great!

This was a challenging course and I'm looking forward to racing it again next year.

It was great to race with my uncle and the Rosenlofs this weekend. Also, thanks to Dean and Kim for celebrating my birthday dinner after the race :)