Muncie Endurathon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

The Open division consisted of both the men and women, and we started first. There were about 50 of us, or so, and things went really smoothly, as far as jostling for position. Once we started swimming, I realized there was a significant chop in the water, and every other breath seemed to earn a mouthful of water. It was manageable, but still made the swim tougher than I thought it would be.

There were a ton of boats out in the water, watching us, which felt pretty cool. I could sight off of the bouoys, or a giant yacht, so I never had a hard time navigating. I finally feel ilke I can 'race' the swim portion, so I really worked on staying focused on my form, and working hard in the water. When the swim was over, I was out in 31:30, which was pretty good considering how rough the conditions were.

There was a really long run up to the transition area, and as I was headed up there, someone told me I was fourth woman. Sweet! I wasn't sure if I had a chance to actually compete in this race, but when I heard that, I decided- it's go time!

Someday, I will be able to swim fast, but right now, I'm just doing what I can with my very-much non-swimmer physique :)

Long run to the transition area, then I took a bit extra time to get my nutrition into my bike jersey.

I just didn't feel like going faster, so I didn't.

There were a few little hills at the start, so my pace started off pretty slow, and my legs felt pretty cruddy. I just focused on my power reading, and ignored my uncomfortable legs. It was really awesome, starting the race out front, but once on the bike course, it was lonely!! I'm used to having a ton of people around, and working hard to pass people right off the bat. But this time- no one!! I got to the first turn, and the cop was just sort of standing there, and since there was no one to follow, I hoped that I went the right way! It was really weird.

The first part of the course had a tailwind, which felt good, but I knew that we would have a 20 mile stretch of straight up head winds. My mind was ready for it, so when it came, I just focused on a good cadence and a good power- didn't get upset as my pace fell from 22+ to under 20.

The roads were closed to traffic, so I could just put my head down, and watch the white line- it was cool! The course got a bit boring, since there was absolutely no one around. Did I mention I was lonely? :)

The bike wasn't all fun and games though- those headwinds really sap you, and part of the way through, I realized that my water bottle holders were totally loose, and at any point, I might lose my nutrition and my flat repair stuff. Rather than stop, I spent a few miles trying to rearrange my water bottles, and get my CO2 cartridges in a better position, all while trying to maintain my pace. It sucked, but I found out that a water bottle actually fits in my tri-suit pocket- which only looks like it can hold a gu. Cool! Other things that sucked- I missed a crucial water bottle hand-up, I burped about 100 times (apparently my stomach doesn't like infinit and shot blocks) and I lost my sunglasses!! I wasn't wearing them, because it was really dark out, so I put them in my bra. Well, since I have an 'aerodynamic' chest, nothing was holding them in place, and they fell out (the sunglasses, not my boobs). It was very sad, especially since they were a gift from Ryan. That's when I decided I needed to win the prize money, so I could afford a new pair.

Finally, things began to turn around- my stomach settled down, and we got a tailwind. I kept my power up, and saw my speed climb up into the 22+ range. At around mile 50, the sky looked ominous, and finally just opened up. Incredible amounts of water fell from the sky, making the bike course very treachorous. It was amazing, really, just buckets and buckets. I was so happy to be almost done! But the entrance back into transition was horrible. I couldn't do a flying dismount, because I couldn't even see the transition area.

When I got into T2, I had passed 2 of the other women ahead of me and was now in second place. Holy crap!

Control the weather.... this course was harder than I anticipated, mainly due to the wind. I had the 2nd fastest bike split, but I still think I should've been faster.

I hit a bit of a low, here, with all the rain, and almost wished they had canceled the race. I just took my time, and worked on not just sitting in the grass and giving up :)

Not get frustrated at the rain!

My legs finally stopped hurting, once I was off the bike. I switched my mental game, and focused on as many positive thoughts as I could. I love racing, I love the rain, I love running- this is fun! The pouring rain continued, and it got to the point where it was funny. At least it kept me cool, and since I had to pee, I didn't even have to worry about pouring water over myself!

Now that I felt better, my run pace was improving. The course was hillier than I expected, but they were small, manageable hills. Only 2 guys passed me, and they were both very positive and it was nice to have someone around for a bit. At the aid stations, I tried to find out how far ahead the other girl was, and got varying reports- 2 miles? 5 minutes? I wasn't sure if I was close, but I was going to give it a try.

Finally, as I approached mile 5.5, I could see the flashing lights of the motorcycle escort for the 1st place female. I knew I had gained a ton of time on her, and I was determined to take first place. I kept my pace steady, but focused, and around mile 7, I finally caught her. As I went by, I was pretty sure she couldn't keep up my pace, so I just stayed steady. I WAS IN FIRST! I now had a motorcycle escort!

The rest of the race was just fun! I still had the ghost of Musselman behind me, but I quickly got far ahead of #2, and knew that as long as I didn't totally bonk, this race could be mine. Since it was an out and back, all the other participants were cheering me on, and it felt amazing!! I saw Ryan, and he was ecstatic for me- he said #1, you're FIRST! I was so happy!

At the end, I started to feel the pain set in. I knew that if I had to, I could push it, and keep up a faster pace. But, since I was already in first, and #2 was well behind me, AND I was about to set a PR, I didn't worry to much about my pace slipping, and just tried to smile more and enjoy the moment. As the finish line neared, I got 2 more police motorcylce escorts- for a total of 3! Crazy.

When I finally got to the finish line, my smile just burst open, and I was incredibly overwhelmed with joy, I just was going to explode! It was so exciting!! They had the tape up for me, so I got to cross and break the tape. I couldn't believe it- I won my first triathlon!!!

Nothing!

I smiled, and laughed, and smiled some more :) Then, the reporters came up and interviewed me. I felt soooo good and was so excited, so I just jabbered on, poor reporters. I couldn't have been happier! Then, I got to watch as Ryan crossed the finish line in his new personal best of 4:52- almost 10 minutes faster than his first half-ironman, 4 weeks earlier. He's a rockstar :) I am so proud of him!

Finally, I owe a HUGE shout-out and THANK YOU to my coach, Jorge (personal best multisport coaching), who has worked diligently with me these past 2 years, pushing my limits and also keeping me the healthiest I've ever been. I'm glad I can bring him home a win :)


This was a PR, and a female overall win, so I would say I went pretty fast! :) I do still know I can get faster!! And I better keep getting faster, or else Ryan's gonna beat me! :)


Great organization- they really did a great job. The weather was bad, obviously, but the volunteers were still doing an excellent job out there. I really enjoyed this race, and would definitely recommend it.