Ironman Kansas 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I started off right in front, lined up perfectly with the buoys. When the gun went off, I just got right down to the job at hand. I didn't really have much jostling, since I seated myself perfectly- the girls that were faster took off, and no one really passed me at the start. Before we even hit the first buoy, our wave had already caught up to the previous wave, so I knew I was swimming strong. The water was incredibly murky, so it was hard to find feet to draft off of, and also really hard to avoid slow swimmers, but I really didn't have too many problems.

I love OWS, even in races, and this is the first swim in a race where I've actually enjoyed myself. The wetsuit gives my skinny body a huge advantage, and I have no problem remembering to turn my hips and pull hard while not worrying about coming up on a wall in the pool. My navigation was great, and before I knew it, I was climbing up the ramp into T1. Although this isn't a swim PR for me, I still had what felt like my best swim, since I wasn't winded and really had a good time out there.

I just wish I could find someone who swims in a straight line to draft off of, but that never happens for me at races. Other than draft, I guess I just need to swim HARD.

Great T1! I got my suit off just fine, even though it has previously given me problems. I was sooo lucky with my T1 spot- it was right at the exit. The transition area was shaped like a long rectangle, with very narrow spacing between racks, and since I was in an earlier wave, I just ran straight up the aisle, got my bike, and within 5 feet, was out of T1.

Not much, just hustle a bit more.

From minute 1, the hills begin. Before even leaving the campground, you've already gone up and down 4 hills. What fun! My plan was to keep my power around 150-155 watts without spiking past 230 watts. As I started on the first hill, I was in my small ring in the easiest gear, and the powertap read 300, so I had a feeling I would have to adjust the plan accordingly, sorry coach :)

Everything felt great about the ride- my effort level was lower than what my watts were reading, and my HR and breathing were under control. I passed a whole ton of people right at the start, and just kept reeling people in the entire ride. There were very few women out there to pass, so that made me feel pretty good about my race. A few guys from the AG behind me came flying by early on, and occassionally another one would slip by, but I was all by myself for a lot of the ride.

I loved the course- the hills keep you honest, there was very little wind, it was nice and cool and overcast, and all the out-n-back sections made it interesting because you could see the pros come by or watch other AGers behind you. Right at the end, around mile 50, speedy pseuodoyams and rockstar DickDime finally caught me. I was hoping that I could make it to the run without seeing their lovely faces, but those boys are just too fast!

All the time I was riding, I was trying to keep my power consistent, so I was really pushing on the downhills, but also not trying to blow up on the bike. I had this sinking suspicion, however, that Ryan would have a super fast bike split, since he is a billygoat on those hills, and the thought of him beating me, even in one discipline, was fuel for my competitive drive. And, of course, that boy beat me by 1.5min...grr...... :)


Back in the day (3 years ago), biking was my weakness. With tons of help from my coach, Jorge, I have been steadily improving my bike splits. Last year, I rode 20.1 mph on this course, and was ecstatic. I also pulled off some fast bike splits on flat courses, so I knew I was making progress. This year, everything is already coming together, and I can no longer NOT think of myself as a solid cyclist. I can kick it on my amazing Cervelo P2C with pimped out Zipp 808s- I finally feel like the real deal :)

Not much! Oh- not throw out my Infinit. Oops. I thought it was my gatorade bottle, and it didn't taste good, so I opted to chuck it and replace it with water. Well, turns out it wasn't gatorade, but I had a bunch of extra gu's, so I just ate those instead and I don't think I fell behind on my nutrition, but who knows.

I executed my transition perfectly. I knew exactly when to take my feet out of my shoes, did a flying dismount (even though I never practice them), and sprinted into T1. I felt great!

Nothing

When I got off the bike, my legs felt fresh. I don't remember them ever feeling this good in a race! I strapped my garmin on, but it took almost a full mile to acquire the satellite. I probably took my first mile waay too fast, but I was going on feel alone. After that, I kept a closer eye on my splits, because my goal was to get progressively faster.

Of course, as soon as I got onto the run, the sun came out. It stayed cool for a bit, but the heat got more noticeable as the day continued. The course had tons of fans lining the roads, cheering for everyone. Sooo many people were shouting out to me, cheering me on, it felt great! The run course was defined by how awesome the spectators were.

I soon realized that Chrissie started her second lap right as I got onto the run, and would be coming up on me any time. I tried to think of something clever to say, but my brain was only working on leg turnover. I finally heard some chatting and laughing, then the RD rode past on his bike, and sure enough, Chrissie comes motoring past me, able to make jokes while running at my sprinting speed. Before I could even give her props, she told me I was looking great, and running strong, and I just got out a thanks, you're awesome. How cool! And, she is so dang skinny, it gives me hope, that one day my skinny sticks can be as fast as hers! (yah, right!)

Anyways, then I was back to my reality, and the pain finally set in. I pushed through some of it, and stayed strong, focusing on positive thoughts, and trying to smile at other racers and the spectators. Mile 8 slipped a bit with the big hill, but I still held a decent pace on 9-11. That whole second loop was tough, though. My RPE started to climb, but my pace was slowing. The best part about this second lap was knowing that I would be running by our campsite twice, again, and would have a personal cheering section, complete with my dog Cody. I was so happy to hear them screaming and yelling for me, and it gave me a push to keep my pace steady towards the finish. I faded just a bit on those last miles, but not really as bad as it felt, and I did a pretty decent job of running steady the whole race.

I only took in 1 gel on the run, which probably contributed a bit to my fade, but in reality, this run is only 2 seconds slower than my HIM PR. Granted, I KNOW I can run faster, I really put in a solid effort for the entire run. At around mile 9, a girl came powering past me, but she looked to be going way too fast to catch, and I had no prey drive working for me. I know she eneded up beating me for #1 AG by 42 seconds, but I had tried several times to pick up the pace, only to feel my legs fight back and threaten to seize up.

The run went by suprisingly fast, and before I even knew it, I was running down the finisher's chute! It was so great- they had a yellow brick road, 2 cheerleading sections, a lion and a scarecrow all helping to get you across the line! I tried to smile crossing the line, then found myself face to face with Chrissie again! She had my medal, and gave me a big hug and said great job! WOW. I couldn't really talk, so I just went over to an ice bucket full of water and dunked my head in. What a great day.

Eat more GU. Hydration was great, but I think my legs faded because I ran out of calories. BUT- I still had a great run :)

DickDime was waiting right at that finish line, with a big grin on his face. He had such an awesome race, and was sooo darn happy that he beat me :) hehe. I was thrilled too, because I took 20 minutes off my time from last year. I used to be just a runner who also swam and biked, but with Jorge's careful guidance (and persistent prodding), I've gotten to the point where I enjoy and feel competitive in all 3 disciplines. This race really brought it all together. My PR is at Clearwater, where I raced a 4:42, but it is such a flat course, that it didn't feel 100% legit. Now that I got a 4:46 on a challenging course, my time feels for real, and I also know I can get faster.

After talking to Dime, I went to the finisher's chute and cheered people on, looking for Ryan. Soon enough, there he was- running down the chute, smiling and looking awesome!! Omigod, there was my boyfriend finishing his first HIM, after 3 years of me doing this sport solo- and he's happy, too! Turns out, that little punk finished his FIRST half ironman in 5:01!! Holy crap! The competition just got a bit closer to home :)


Nutrition. I have to ignore my stomach and just eat more, both before and during the race.


They really put on a terrific race! Everything was super organized, on time, and really exciting. The crowds on the run course were really unlike anything else I've experienced at a tri, because there were people throughout the entire course. The bike course is a lot of fun, and although it's hilly, it was perfect for me. Our group had an awesome time camping- there were 10 people and 3 dogs- a perfect weekend!