New Balance 1/2 Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

The swim was bad, bad, bad. In addition to having to rush the start and not getting a warmup, I got into a fight with a guy in the middle of the lake (as we were turning the first buoy) who kept running into me and felt like it was my fault, so he kicked me and then elbowed me in the face and knocked my goggles off. So, in my infinite wisdom, I hit him back. I mean, what else does one do? Uh huh. Once the goggles came off, we had it out and I ended up waiting for him to swim away a bit so I could continue. But then my goggles were fogged, and I couldn't see the buoys in the distance, so I ended up swimming way off course and getting herded back by someone on a surfboard.


Um, everything. I definitely wouldn't get into a fight in the middle of the lake again. ;) I didn't even have time for a panic attack, so that was good.

I was SO dizzy coming out of the water that I fell over in transition and had to sit on the ground and wait until I could stand up again. Once I got onto the bike, I definitely felt myself weaving all over the road. It took me a while to feel like I had fully regained my balance.

I have heard that earplugs can help with that, so I'm going to try using them in some training swims and see how it goes.

After the diziness went away and I started to warm up a bit, I had a good time on the bike. Strangely, 80k doesn't seem like a very long ride now and I just concentrated on ticking of the kilometers. It was great to have ridden the course so much and to know the roads really well. I felt like I was going really slowly at the beginning, but I started to speed up as my body got into the groove.

I liked the loop course because the loops were long enough that they weren't boring, but I got to see lots of people. I got passed by James at around 60 km, and he paused for a minute to say hi and that gave me a big boost. I always love seeing him on the course. I probably went a little too hard on the bike, but I was having so much fun and felt good, so it was hard to back off. I recently got my bike fit and we changed my aero position A LOT, and I think it still needs more work because my arms and lower back were sore for the last third of the ride. At first I thought I just needed to get used to the new position, but now I'm not so sure.

The only real problem I had on the bike was nutrition. I planned to drink a 4-hour bottle of Perpetuem (with electrolyte caps mixed in), water only for hydration, and Clif bar nuggets if I wanted them. I ended up almost finishing the Perpetuem on the bike and drinking as much water as possible, but I didn't touch the Clif nuggets. The thought of them wasn't exactly repulsive, but I definitely did not want any solid foods. I also had a caffeinated gel near the end of the bike, per James' instructions, to give me a little jolt for the start of the run. Maybe my Perpetuem was too strong? I didn't feel nauseated, but right from the start of the bike and throughout the rest of the day I was fighting the urge to expel all the liquids in my stomach.

Also, the first time I passed the bike aid station, I asked for water and the volunteer who handed me the bottle said it was water, so I dumped it right into my aero bottle. But, when I went to drink, I discovered it was in fact lemon lime Gatorade. Blech!!! At that point I had no choice but to drink it and to try to keep watering it down. I'm not sure if the Gatorade contributed to the nutrition issues, or if I swalled too much water during the swim, or if Perpetuem is just not going to work for me in a race situation where my body is working a little harder than in training. But I'm going to make it my mission to sort this out over the next 2 months so that I don't have to worry nutrition problems at Ironman.

Oh also! I peed on the bike for the first time! It took me a while because I had to stop peddling and really focus on peeing, and wanted to make sure no one was behind me, and lining up all those variables was not easy. I was really glad that my nutrition was behind my saddle instead of underneath it! Sorry if this is too much information, but it is MY race report after all. ;-)

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to recommend to triathletes everywhere that they please check their rear views in the mirror before heading out on the bike. Poorly placed mesh panels and too-worn tri shorts provide very clear windows, not into the soul, but right into the bum crack. Nothing is quite as surprising as being passed by a big guy pushing big gears showing off a big, white bum. Thankyouverymuch!

My nutrition definitely needs some work, and I would probably go a little slower on the first loop to save more energy for the end of the second loop.

When I got back into transition, I saw that someone had racked her bike in my spot, so I had to hold my bike with one hand, move my transition setup with the other, and then rack my bike in her spot. Otherwise, it was a smooth, though slow, transition.

Practice transitions so I can get speedier. Also, I think I'll use speed laces next time I do a race of this distance.

This was a painful run! I was still having stomach problems. Again, no nausea (thank goodness!), but fluids just kept coming up. My legs felt tired for the first couple of kilometers, and even during the first loop I was having a lot of piriformis/hip/IT band pain on both sides. But my legs were definitely not the limiter. For the first several kilometers I focused on keeping a slow, steady pace, but I soon started to need walk breaks to combat the urge to barf. (Still no nausea!)

I took a Power Gel every 30 minutes, which I washed down with water, and took a sip of water at every aid station. I woudl have liked to get more water in, but the fluids just did not want to stay down. I also tried some Coke at a couple of aid stations because I wanted to see what it was like. It definitely makes you feel better, but it's VERY temporary and only leaves you needing more Coke at the next aid station. Also, the Coke was still fizzy, especially toward the start of my run, and that little surprise did not help my tummy troubles.

There was lots of chatting and encouragement from other people on the run, which was nice. As the run went on, I had to walk more and more often, and I have never been in as much pain as I was for the last 3 kilometers. With about 2 kilometers left, I heard a woman running behind me who was jogging along while making horrible wretching sounds. I absolutely had to get away from her, because I knew that if she puked, I would follow suit. So, the awful sounds she made were my motivation to give up the walk breaks and run with a purpose. Although it hurt, I was happy that I was able to pick up the pace for the last kilometer and run strong to the finish line. (It felt strong anyway, though some spectators may have other opinions.)

Throughout the whole run, I was so hoping to see James, but I never did. At the end of the run, though, I just kept thinking about the fact that he would be there at the finish line and that all I had to do was keep moving toward him. I was very happy that my friend Rob was a finish line volunteer and he gave me my medal when I finished. By the end of the run, I was definitely low on calories and my mood was not the greatest, and I remember saying to Rob, "That was horrible!!!" And I really was thinking to myself that I wouldn't do anything like this ever again, even if my life depended on it. But, once I got some food and the pain started to subside, I got a lot happier. :-) I'm still terrified about having to do twice that distance in a matter of weeks, though!!

OH! I almost forgot...I peed myself on the run too! It was actually rather unpleasant because my shorts got all wet, as did my shoes and socks, but it was a necessity. I absolutely couldn't hold it any longer and there were no porta potties in sight, and after careful consideration, I decided I'd rather get wet than expose myself to everyone on the trail. But ya, it was gross.

Again, nutrition was a problem and I had lots of stitches, stomach cramps, and pukiness. Must sort this out. BUT, I have to say that my half marathon PR is around 2:15, so even though the run was a real challenge, I wasn't as slow (for me) as I felt.

Leaned on my friend Rob for a minute until James rescued me and took me to get some food and water. I tried to walk around and chat with people, but I felt pretty bad until my bagel and banana digested. After that, I felt remarkably better! Picked up some ice on the way home for an ice bath, then had a big salad and a big nap, not to be outdone by James' big pizza. ;-) Oh yeah, I also had a bunch of Traumeel and did some self-massage with The Stick.


I really had no clue how to handle this distance. I learned an awful lot at this race!!


I had no idea what to expect at this race, and I have definitely identified a few things to work on before Ironman. Also, I felt like weird things were constantly happening that I had to deal with (e.g., swim argument, going off course, messy transitions, nutrition problems), and though I don't think I always made the right decision, I do think I maintained a good attitude and I did a good job of dealing with the problem and moving on. I have also learned how to stay in the moment while racing and to keep the positive self-talk flowing. Overall, it was a strange and painful, yet informative, race experience. And I am SO glad it's done! :-)