Iron Star Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I have never done a run start and I am not a fan of contact so I hung back and let the other ladies go ahead. My fear of contact has been a problem since my swimming has improved, I end up spending a good deal of time getting around slower swimmers. I need to learn where I belong in the pack.

I knew where I was going for the first part of the swim, getting out of the cove, but then several of us pooped our heads up and were asking where the next buoy was. The fog was bad and I couldn't see a thing. I probably swam an extra 100 or so yards trying to figure out where I was going. After the first turn things were good, I was able to find the buoys.

On the straight away I was going at a good pace and then I saw people ahead of me walking in waist deep water. Really??? I kept swimming and the water was warmer. Obviously people were walking and peeing and I kept swimming in to people so I stood up long enough to walk and pee (I figured I could warm up the water for those behind me like the people ahead of me were doing :) ) and then kept swimming. It was shallow, but completely swimmable. All of the people walking in the waist deep water with the fog coming off looked a little too surreal. After the second turn I knew I was almost done and started to book it, but again started running into walkers. I swam as close as I could to the exit.

Was that water REALLY 75 degree? My face was freezing when I first hit the water. I swam in Barton Springs (68 degrees) recently with a similar air temperature and the water felt warm. This was pretty frigid.

I should have just stopped at the turn out of the cove to figure out where the hell I was going. I decided to just follow the pack, and it turns out they didn't know where to go either. I need to seed myself better and not hang back at the start. I wasted a lot of time at the start trying to navigate around slower swimmers.

Not as good as I could have done, but considering I couldn't freestyle at all, let alone swim 25 yards 18 months ago, I am okay with it.

I was warmer than I expected to be, so I skipped the arm warmers and the extra pair of gloves to put over my regular cycling gloves.

I toweled off, put on dry sleeveless jersey, jacket, head warmer, helmet, gloves, glasses, wool socks and shoes. It was a very long transition, but considering the conditions I think it was okay.

Next time I'll know what I really need in that kind of weather, but I think I made the right call by modifying my plan in transition and skipping some of the extra clothes. I didn't need them - but I did take a little time think it over in transition

Where do I start? I was nervous about such a long ride "alone." I am used to talking to my girlfriends on our long rides and I had planned on a few things to focus on or to think about to entertain myself and keep positive thoughts. As I got into the forest I was still chilly, but felt good. I passed a couple girls in my AG, and then another who was in red and had 31 written on her leg. For the rest of the of the race report will refer to her as red31. I could tell we were at a pretty even pace and that I would be seeing her again. Don't get me wrong. I take pleasure in passing people in my age group and don't like it when I get passed, but it is all in good fun. I have had friendly banter with women in my races that I have yo-yo'ed with on the bike course, it happens, but no one ever talks SMACK. Red31 was a different story. She passed me again and I just figured, whatever, don't chase her, race your race, if anything let her pace you. Then on a long climb I passed her again and she yelled in a really nasty tone "I'll see YOU on the run." Um, okay psycho. I have never heard SERIOUS trash talking at a triathlon, and it pissed me off. SO I kept plugging along and about 5 miles later Red31 passes me again. She starts bouncing her shoulders up and down and yelled "Oh yeah! Oh yeah!" Really????? I just stayed a decent distance behind her, but she is all I could think about the rest of the ride, which sounds crazy and stupid, but it occupied my thoughts and kept me motivated. Obviously, I got to spend a good deal of time staring at her butt and legs and I was thinking, I am going to KILL her on the run, she just doesn't have a runners build and I am a runner.

I lost her on the out and back because I had to stop to pee. I had to wait in line at the port-a-potty. I probably spent 3-5 minutes there which was annoying. I think they should have had more port-a -potties there...especially at that stop because it was mid-way a lot of people were stopping. I saw some men peeing against the fence, but many waiting in line. I don't know if they were being modest or needed to poop, but I was frustrated waiting.

After while I was waiting for the bathroom I stripped off my jacket and took off my head warmer. It felt chilly, but in a good way, I loved it. I hammered back down the hills of the out and back, trying to make up the lost time. I was pretty happy with my pace. My mind would wander and then I'd get bored and think about Red31 who was nowhere in sight now. I kept thinking of things I would say to her when I passed her on the run - something like "oh, you said I'd see you on the run." Eh, it kept me occupied.

I hit mile 40 and was thinking YES, almost there, this will take no time. After what seemed like an eternity I hit mile 50, what???? ONly mile 50? Okay, only 6 more miles, this will take no time...it felt like forever.

I have two herniated discs and I usually feel them on the bike. The pain where the L5 S1 is was getting to me, but nothing terrible, but I was ready to stand up and stretch my lower back.

Learn to pee on the bike. I have tried a million times, I think it is a great idea, I stand up and try to go and my body just wont let it happen...no matter how bad I have to pee. What a total WASTE of time stopping and waiting for a port-a-potty.

I wish they would make racks taller. For those of us who are tall with taller bikes it can be hard to to rack the bike in T2. I was an idiot and didn't know where the run out was and got confused for a second, but it was okay...people pointed me in the right direction. I also forgot my caffiene Accel gel.

Know where run out is...

I felt good coming off the bike. Not too tired. I needed to pee again so I went to the first port-a-potties. I didn't want to stop, but I run faster with an empty bladder. On the first loop I see that one of my training partner's families had moved to the run course, I knew she would catch/pass me (we are in the same AG)...she is faster than me. Sure enough at the end of the first lap I see my training partner. We ended up running together at a 9:15 pace from that point until mile 11.5. My plan was to take a gel each lap and to use the caffeine gel for the last one to give me a kick. I had knew I had left that one in transition but I had stashed another one in my jersey. I reached back just after the first lap to find it and it was gone. Damn.

I had long forgotten about Red31, but then while my training partner and I were chatting in our 8 miles together I told her about it and how I was totally thinking about her the whole time on the ride. We laughed about it. We started to play the "what hurts?" game. It was just like one of our training runs. We kept each other going. I know she is faster than me, but also is such a sweetheart that she'd feel guilty for leaving me so I kept telling her if you want to go faster go, race your race! But we stayed together and motivated each other at some tough parts. We made a deal that if we were still together at the end we'd do the cheesey run across the finish line holding hands in the air shot...but I also made her promise if she had the gas in the tank to book it the last mile, she better do it...I knew I wouldn't.

Towards the end of our 2 lap in the subdivision I recognized Red31. SHe didn't have her long sleeved red top on anymore, but I recognized her butt, her hair and the 31 on her leg. She was running pretty slow, I knew we would catch her. I point and tell my partner "That's her! Sweet revenge" My partner asked if I was going to say anything...I considered it for a moment and decide no, I am not a child, even though I am feeling petty and childish. My partner let me pass her first so she could see her reaction, and then she passed her. Once we were a ways ahead of her we giggled. It must have killed such a trash-talking competitor to get passed by two in her AG. My partner said she looked me up and down when I passed. We were running a good 1.5 min faster than her, so I guess she had nothing to say this time...she wasn't going to catch me again. I felt good. On the third lap my right leg started dropping a little. That L5 S1 disc causes some sciatic pain and I was having trouble keeping my leg going, but I held the pace until the turn around in the neighborhood. My partner was a little ways ahead and she said "come on, you can do this" and I just said "no, you got this, GO!" I didn't want her slowing down for me. I probably slowed my pace by 10 seconds once she sped ahead, it was hard to keep up such a hard pace at that point, I was cursing not having any caffeine, even though the difference it would have made would have only been psychological I'm sure. I have to say. I felt pretty darn good the whole race until about mile 11, I just couldn't fight the pain in my back and leg anymore. I feel very lucky I was able to run with my friend for as long as I did, the company on the run was awesome. It was nice to have conversation after so much silence on the bike.

Remember my caffeine gel. Try harder to fight through the pain, but I am not sure that is possible. I did pretty good, not disappointed in my self for needing to slow down. I was in PT and not allowed to run for 12 weeks last winter so I just listened to my body. I just need to learn when the pain is "stop or you'll be back in PT" or when it is just giving me an excuse to quit.

Not much, just sat and stretched a little. Tried to eat some of that Snickers protein bar they gave us. I felt fine through the run, but as I came through the finish line I was about to cry and I started almost hyperventilating - thought for a split second I was going to need medical. It took me a minute to calm down. I caught my breath but was feeling pretty woozy, but my family wanted to celebrate and take photos...so I did and then waited for some other friends to come through the finish.


I think I did as well as I could have, I wish I had been able to keep the pace with my friend and come in under 6:20 with her, but maybe next time. On the one hand I feel foolish and catty for focusing so much on Red31, but ultimately I think she helped me. My athletic background is in basketball and I always played better when I was a little pissed off. She kept me motivated, I just wanted to beat HER...no one else...and I did :)

My run was up there with the top AGers. My swim has improved SO MUCH I think I can easily shave off several minutes with minimal effort.

I think I need to focus on bike training. I had to do a lot of my bike training on a spin bike since I have two little kids and had to put them in gym day care to get my workouts in. I was only on the road for weekend long rides. I am also wondering how much equipment plays a role. I have a beginner road bike (Felt Z100) I added aero bars to. I bought that bike before my first sprint and said I'll get a nice tri bike when I do my first HIM, assuming that would never happen.

Overall, I am pleased. My goal first to just finish, then to make it under 7 hours and I considered a good/strong finish for myself to be 6:30. I came in at 6:20:15.6...YAY!!!


Great race, great first HIM experience. They started a little late just because of the fog, which was a good call on their part. I wish they had more than one port-a-potty at the hand ups on the bike course.