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 Swim
Comments: Had to wait almost an hour before my wave went out. Passed the time talking with my friend who was in the same wave. I've done this course (prior to it becoming an official 70.3) and had not so great swims. Monumental panic attacks. This time I was very happy with my swim. It helped that the water temp was warmer than previous years. My plan was to seat myself to the outside when starting and stay a bit from the crowd. I also made a point of starting out very slowly so I didn't start to breath too fast and thus set off the panic machine. Everything went smoothly, didn't panic, although I think I swam extra as I have a tendency to drift left and probably swam a zig zag pattern the entire way. What would you do differently?: Learn to swim in straight line.  Transition 1
Comments: SO SLOOOOOW! First off, you have to run for a good distance up the beach in the sand before you cross the timing mat. I walked a bit, which adds to the swim time. But my T1 time was slow all on it's own. There were wet suit strippers and when I lay down some guy ran right into my head. Ow. Then I couldn't get my spray sunscreen to work and wasted time playing around with that. Then my bib ripped off my belt. Had to fix that. FINALLY, on my way. What would you do differently?: Be faster. Not buy the generic sunscreen.  Bike
Comments: Happy with my bike. For awhile I felt as if the entire ride was uphill into the wind. But on the way back in it felt like we had a tail wind. It was getting pretty hot during the bike. Was drinking and eating my shot blocks and taking salt tabs on a schedule. Saw some guy laid out on the side of the road. People were attending to him and the ambulance was approaching. Gave me goose bumps. What would you do differently?: Perhaps eat some food while on the bike. All I had were shot blocks. Transition 2
Comments: SLOOOOW....Again. Once more, messing with the sunscreen. Couldn't find my little tube for my face so sprayed my face. DUH! Coated my sunglasses with sunscreen. Couldn't forget the birthday Tiara to put on over my hat. Although that did not really add much time as I did that as I ran out of transition. What would you do differently?: Not be so pokey.  Run
Comments: Got on the run a bit before noon. It was HOT and SUNNY. Just after I finished the run I heard the announcer say the heat index was 101. I've always been able to run in the heat, but this heat got the best of me. Actually felt pretty good for the first loop. I walked each aid station to refill my little palm water bottle and take a drink, put ice down my shirt. Was maintaining around a 9:15/20 pace, which was slower than I would have liked, but given the conditions, I was good with that. Second loop started out good and then at mile 9, it started going down hill. Just had nothing left. I felt as though I was going as hard as I could, but was watching the average pace on my Garmin get slower and slower. What kept me going was the birthday wishes and positive comments from supporters and fellow runners. Also, the residents who put out hoses and sprinklers...they were the best! Thank you! Finally, the finishers shoot!. My goal was to finish under six hours and there I was, just under. As I was running in, my name was announced with "50 years young today" ! It was great! What would you do differently?: Dial in the nutrition so I don't poop out on the run. Post race
Warm down: Met up with a friend who had come to cheer us on and waited for my other friends to cross. Drank water, but had absolutely no appetite. Waited for more than an hour in the baking sun for everyone. By that time I was feeling rather icky. Very nauseated. We went to sit under a tree and....puked. Felt like a gallon of water just gushed out. Guess I wasn't absorbing anything. Then I got the chills. Felt a bit queasy for a few hours after that. Fortunately we had booked the room for that night as well, so we could go shower and rest before driving home. What limited your ability to perform faster: I have Crohn's disease and food allergies so I am still working on the nutritional/fueling aspect of racing. I've gotten much better. I didn't have diarrhea after this race as I have in other long course races. But, I don't think I ingested enough calories on the bike to sustain me on the run. Of course the heat played into the whole situation as well so all in all I'm happy with my performance. Event comments: Hip's a bit achy for the past few days, but if that's as bad as it gets I can live with it. Don't want to have surgery. Despite the less than optimal conditions, I had a good race. I'm very pleased with my time and had a fantastic birthday. What a way to turn 50! Last updated: 2011-07-06 12:00 AM
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United States
HFP Racing
66F / 19C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 781/2150
Age Group = W 50-54
Age Group Rank = 7/37
The race was on my 50th birthday! I planned on wearing a tiara that said "It's my 50th Birthday" over my run hat. I really wanted to celebrate this milestone birthday as I've had to over come several health issues. I have Crohn's disease and some other fun autoimmune conditions. In addition, in February I injured my hip. Turns out I have a labral tear. Had to stop running and biking for 3 months and was not sure I would be able to race. So I was just so happy to be able to participate. I had a time goal in mind, but was going to be very happy with just having a fun day.
Friend and I arrived the day before. Picked up packet, racked bikes and went out to dinner. Got back to the hotel around 8:30. At 9, decided to get ready for bed only to discover that I had not brought my contact lens cleaner. I wear semi-ridged gas permeable so I need to clean them each night. Went on a mission to find a Walgreens etc. First place closed at 9. Really? Fortunately there are Walgreens practically everywhere. Got the cleaner. Finally in bed at 10.
We stayed at the Radisson which is about a 15 minute walk from the transition area. That and walking down the beach to the start consisted of my warm-up. And it was already pretty warm out. Upper 70's at 6 in the morning.