LongHorn Triathlon Festival - Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Wow - this was the most brutal swim I have ever participated in. First I had no wetsuit because I hate wetsuits. However, many others were wearing them which cut down my normal advantage on the swim. I also refused to sprint any of this and promised myself I would take it easy and not blow up on the swim - I had a long day ahead of me. However, to drop people without sprinting is hard. So, I had to settle for slowly passing people. One girl in particular was not letting me pass. I'd get just passed her (her head at my waist) and she would speed up just enough that my head would be at her waist. The first 4 or 5 times she did this without dropping me or dropping back annoyed me, then I figured just go with it, I'd swim with her the entire way. So, I did. We hit the first bouy super quickly and I made that turn well. I'd been siting well and hadn't gone off course at all. It helped having her right next to me because as long as she stayed on course so did I. However, I kept siting for myself.

Once we turned the first bouy however, all bets were off. We started catching the waves in front of us and it got messy. 3 girls in a pack started to catch us but apparently she had the same idea as I did and we kept ahead of them. Then as I was passing a guy from a few waves ahead he decided he didn't want me to pass him. I was still keeping with the other girl and she was breaking ahead due to this guy being a jerk. He kept pushing me back and blocking me. When I almost passed him for the 3rd time he actually threw an elbow! It hit me in the eye and knocked my goggles crooked. I wear socket rockets so this severely hurt. My eye swelling and my googles on crooked I had no choice but to speed up and dust him. I didn't sprint but sped it up just enough to pass quickly. I got around him but couldn't stop to fix my goggles as I had just caught mys wim buddy and the other 3 girls were right there with us. So, I just kept swimming. The sun was to our right so I could only breathe on my left side. I was not trained for this at all and my right oblique decided it was just not happy with the situation. Side stitches and pain ensued but I kept going. Close to the nex tturn around I got kicked pretty hard in the face. But - guess what? He kicked my goggles back on! So, goggles on, side stitches and a swollen eye, I hit the last bouy.

I'd never been in such a crowd. I lost my swim buddy in the mess and never did find any place to swim from here to the end - it was just constant people. So, no speeding up at the end like I was planning. Oh well, I had swum strong but not hard and was not tired at all. That's how I wanted to come out of the water.

I had no watch so I had no idea how I did on this. I debated wearing a watch, but being a swimmer th eswim can make or break a full race for me. I was scared if I had a bad swim and saw a sub-par time I would screw up the rest of the race so I decided not to time it. When I saw my finish time I knew something was wrong - there is no possible way I was that fast! However, the general consensus is that the course was 200-300m short. Even if it was 300m short, I still swam 1:31/100m which is incredibly fast for me, so this was awesome!

Not get punched. Have more confidence in my swimming ability. I know I can break away and recover in the water but I didn't want to push it on my first half. Next time I will speed it up earlier to drop others when necessary. I also severely need to work on swimming through crowds - I hate swimming over people so I tend to wait to pass until it's clear which killed me after the last bouy. I'm a pool swimmer so I'm not used to being aggressive.

This was slow, but I knew it would be. It's a long run (walk) up to the transition area and I knew the day had barely started so I didn't want to get my heart rate up here. I looked for Chad as I was going and missed him at first so eh got a terrible picture of me. Then I saw him, smiled and headed off to my area.
Here's where mistake #2 came in. I forgot a bottle to rinse my feet. The hand towel didn't cut it since the grass was so dry. I tried in vain to wipe some of the crud off, but then had to just deal with it. So, I put on the shoes, grabbed my bike and headed off. I saw Brittany here and said hello. I knew I'm still not smooth with getting clipped in so I walked a bit past the mount line to the corner. Rounded the corner so I was out of the way of those who can get clipped in and then started my ride.

If this was a shorter race I would have run more, not worried about cleaning my feet and pushed it. But as it was a long day I took this easy. I am definitely adding "forget the extra waterbottle" to my list of mistakes to learn from.

As I tried to get clipped in, Brittany rode by me and I knew that would be the last I saw of her. For some reason my shoes weren't cooperating today and it took me a while to get clipped in and on my way. I was passed a lot here in the first minute or 2. One girl rode by and thanked me for pulling her through the water. I thought it was nice she at least thanked me, even if she flew by me on the bike :).

This bike ride was a mental effort. I tend to get bored on the bike when I'm alone and start slacking. I also can tend to get competitive and I knew I had to ride my race, not try to keep up with the crowds zooming by me. I kept telling myself to take it easy, stay on pace. Don't eat the paste! It was hard mentally being passed by so many guys on fancy bikes, but I kept reminding myself this was about doing it, not winning it. I kept telling myself to look around, savor the moment. I'll never do my first half ironman again. I got into a nice rhythm and felt comfortable on the bike. At the first big hill I decided to switch my big gear ring to the easier gear. Ut-oh. This time it did shift, but it made all sorts of clanking noises and I was really afraid I lost my chain. Luckily I was able to shift back up and stand to climb the hill. However, I now knew I was in serious trouble for Quadzilla. Unfortunately I was still at the very beginning of the course so I had about 45 miles to worry about this.

I also hadn't eaten yet. I decided to get out of the hills and onto the main course before attempting to eat again. My nose was runny (hate the bike for that reason) so when we finally got out of the park area I slowed down for a few to regroup. Pulled out the tissues, took in a few jelly beans and continued on my way.

I hit the first aide station at the perfect time - my aero drink was almost empty. The first volunteer dropped the water just before I got there so I got one from the second volunteer. I hadn't practiced this so I was scared. I grabbed the bottle, dumped it into my aero bottle and was good to go! I was so glad this was easy, I had been very nervous about the logistics and getting run over, but everyone was really acting safely here.

My next mistake of the race came in here. I had heard to leave one bottle cage empty so I could pick up water on the course. I didn't think to pick up an extra bottle at this time. I grabbed one, filled the aerobottle and rode off. Wondering why I had the empty cage. I did the same at the second rest break. The third stop however, was too far for me to make. I ran out of water and got really thirsty and lightheaded. It was at this time I realized I should have grabbed 2 bottles - one to refill the aerobottle, one to hold on to for later! I was getting really worried waiting for rest-stop 3 as it was too late to drink my sports drink which contains protein. That was for earlier in the ride and I hadn’t drank it when I was supposed to (yes, another mistake!). Taking it too late would kill my run. I had no fluids and a severe headache. I drank lightly from my sports drink and that helped but not enough. I finally got to the third aide station where I took 2 bottles, just in case.

Most of the course was really nice. It was windy in every directions. Sometimes I dealt with crosswinds, other times a nice tail wind pushed me forward (I always knew when we hit a tailwind because I'd be going 20+ with no effort), then we'd turn a corner and hit a serious headwind and I'd fight to hold 16. I was really hoping to keep this between 17 and 18mph. We hit the midpoint and I was at 18.1 mph avg - awesome!

However, I had only eaten a few beans and I started to bonk just after the half way mark. Also, my left knee started to hurt. What was that about??? My knee doesn't usually hurt on the bike! I adjusted my position and that aggravated the hip. Shoot, I'm in trouble now as I still have the run once I get off the bike! I decided to ignore the pain and take care of the bonking by trying to take in a few more beans. I also took 2 bites of my bar. It helped immensely! I also started calculating my time vs speed. I knew I’d need some Advil for the run, so I had to play the game of getting it in early enough to kick in but not too early that it would wear off during the run. I figured at 2 hours in I’d determine if I should take it at 2 hrs or 2 hrs15min based on my current pace at that time.

I’m kind of blurry on a lot of the details from this point forward, so this may get out of order. I do know the following things happened during the latter portion of the race.

I was passed by someone who yelled “go BT!” and as I turned I realized it was Doug who I had met the night before at dinner. Very cool to see a friendly face! Then later I heard “Hi Erin!” as Jen rode by me. I was also passed by a person in a bikini – however, it looked like a guy. I was kind of staring, trying to figure out if I was hallucinating when a girl rode by and said “did we just get passed by a dude in a bikini???”. We both busted up laughing and she rode off.

I hit the 40 mile mark and was thrilled. Shortly after I saw water bottles everywhere littering the road. Wondering what this was about I slowed down slightly when BAM! I hit the lip of a bridge. I heard all sorts of bad noises and metal on metal and my front wheel started feeling funny. I rode a bit down the road and decided I better get off and check my tire. Sure enough, it was low. I couldn’t tell if it was low enough to warrant the time it would take me to change it though. I’m not good at changing tires. In fact, I’ve never successfully done so. Last time I tried it literally blew up while I was refilling and hurt me. So, after some fuzzy logic I decided to get back on and keep riding until it became a real problem. I asked a girl passing me to look at it and she said it looked low but rideable so that was good. I kept on keeping on.

My neck started hurting immensely. So much so that holding my head up became a challenge. So, I started thinking about ideas for new contraptions to hold your head up while you ride. This passed the time, though painfully. I hit 2 hours and realized I should medicate at 2:15 because I had slowed down a bit due to the tire incident. 2:15 hit and I was so excited to take Advil. Until…Next mistake. No Advil in the bento!!! Seriously? I thought I had put it in there! So, I had no Advil, just a sore knee, hip and neck. Shoot. Oh, and a flat. OK, time for a spirit lift here. Lots of mental talk. Lots of positive thoughts. And a big fear of Quadzilla.

I hit that nasty sharp turn and here’s where not refilling the tire was not a good idea. I had slowed immensely but it’s not easy to turn on a flat. I made it through the first part but the second part was honestly completely out of my control. I felt so terrible being that person and so scared that I had no control over my bike! That was the 3rd time I felt like I might wipe out that day. The first was when I hit a groove in the road that took my bike out of my hands. The second was on a sharp corner where a crosswind caught me and almost blew me into the side-rail. This third one was the one where I felt most scared.

I made it through the turn and knew we were close to the end. Quadzilla was coming and I was terrified. I’ve ridden that hill several times before. It hurts but is doable. However, I’d always had my lighter chainring. Today it wasn’t cooperating. I realized I hadn’t eaten except 2 bites of bar and maybe 10 jelly beans so I grabbed a few more beans before hitting the hills. However, I would come to realize later this was too little too late. I hit the hill before Quadzilla and tried to shift. The shifter wouldn’t even move! Was I too tired or is it broken? No way to find out and seriously – what does it matter anyway? I’m stuck in my heavy gears. I barely make it up the first one. I know I’m in trouble now. I get up as much speed as possible and I see the runners next to me. I see bikes swerving all over and everyone’s going super slow. I catch a girl and we ride up together, slowly. My quads dying. Everything hurts. I’m going less then 8 mph. I try to stand. It hurts more but I move further so I get into a rhythm – 3 strokes standing, 3 strokes sitting. Will this hill ever end??? It finally does and I’m done. I take it easy back into the park and try to bring my heart rate down.

Lots and lots.

Eat more, eat early

Grab an extra drink at the first aide station.

Learn to fix a flat quickly and efficiently.

At least add air to the tire that was going flat rather then standing on the side of the road looking at it like a dummy.

Test out all of the gears and gear rings and be comfortable changing them regularly, not just when despiration requires it.

Don't forget the Advil!

Definitely fix the nutrition, I knew this was a limiter with my stomach and I really screwed up today and paid for it dearly later.

I dismount early and almost fall over. Not from lack of grace (which is my normal excuse) but I was supremely dizzy and suddenly unable to see clearly! I walked off to the side and walked my bike slowly to my transition area. I tried to lift my leg to pull off my shoe and promptly fell over. Now I’m scared. So, no reason to push it and pass out I sit down and relax for a few. Yes, I sat down in transition. Yes, I know transition is not for resting or sandwhiches or whatever, but if I was going to finish this race, I had to recover before pushing on and ending up in the med tent. So I rested. Then got my socks and shoes on and decided to take a stop at the port-o-potty before beginning my run.

Nothing I could have done due to the dizziness.

Ouch. Ouch Ouch Ouch. That is my summary of the run.

Oh, I should put details? Well the above sums it up anyway. I live in Houston. We don't have hills here. Austin, well, it has hills. So, my training thoughts were this: the park is hilly, and we spend 2 miles in the park each loop. So, that's 4 miles of hills and 9 miles of flats. And I trained on the hills I could find and knew they were enough to get me through the hills in the park and I could recover on the flats in between. However, the flaw in the plan was that the part outside of the park had worse hills then in the park! I hadn't trained for 13 miles of steeper hills! I had trained for 4 miles of rolling hills and walking part of quadzilla.

My goal was to run between the aid stations so I'd been practicing a 9/1 run/walk ratio figuring if the stations were a mile apart, that would be a perfect walk break. Well, I did walk the aide stations. I also walked more - a lot more. A lot. An embarrassing amount actually. But, my legs felt like lead towards the middle and I used everything I had in me to keep moving forward, so I can't be upset with my effort, just with my training.

My run started pretty strong, I kept reminding myself to keep my speed in check speed-wise because I still had a very long run ahead of me. I was passing people and ran up the first 2 hills. I probably should not have done that as it tore up my muscles. I kept trekking forward and found my feet on fire and covered in blisters right in front of the mile 4 marker. 9 miles to go and no skin on my feet already - this is going to be awesome!

As I was shuffling up quadzilla at a lightening slow walk, the girl in front of me made a comment about contending for the king of the hill prize (she was walking too). I told her she'd have to beat to get it. We both cracked up laughing and started talking. The guy behind me joined us and we had a grand old time walking up the hill together. At the top, I started running and he said he was going to try to keep with me. We said goodbye to our new friend and ran off together. I had no idea that this man would save my race.

We ran and walked together until 9.5 miles. We shared all sorts of stories and kept each other motivated to keep moving foward. He was an angel to me. He kept pushing me and making me run when I didn't want to. Then we would walk together some more. But, just before mile 10 my legs were too heavy. I was now slowing him down (earlier I was keeping with him) and despite his initial protests he ran on without me. I was hoping to find him after the race to thank him but never did find him.

On my own I found myself walking more and my mind and legs playing games with me. "I'll walk just to the top of this hill". At the top "I'll walk just around the corner". Oh wait, there's an aide station, I'll walk to there. Well now I have to finish my water, I might as well keep walking. Ug :( I promised myself when I hit the disco fans I would run again. One gave me a huge high 5 and I was off. Slowly, but I was running. I'd run to the next walker at times. I'd stop and walk with them, most were happy for the company. I can't even remember how many people I met on the course and spent time with, pushing each other along. They helped me so much along the way. Triathletes are wonderful people. I had fun out there (at parts) and I suffered immensely. I don't feel I did myself justice though, so I have to do another half iron and do a stronger run next time. No excuses, I'll be better trained. I was very well trained - just not for the right course. I will also have my nutrition nailed down better. I kept trying to throw up, but there was nothing in my body to come out. It was a terrible feeling and I spent some of the race on the side of the trail, doubled over in pain but there wasn't a spare calorie in my body. I will know better next time. I will fuel better and I will prepare better. And I will run faster :)

The best part of the run was by far the BT Tent - y'all know how to cheer and motivate the runners! First off knowing the tent was coming made me start run stronger. Then running by with everyone yelling I couldn't help but smile. It was definitely something to look forward to each second loop. Thanks for being out there for us! :)

Trained for more hills and bigger hills. I would have done some longer run bricks and come up with a better nutrition plan.

Got my towel, finishers picture and found Chad. I signed up for ART since my entire glute/hip area was threatening to stop working. Then I headed over to the tent to get out of my shoes. My feet were disgusting. Mis-shapen, blistered, bloodied, the works. 2 new black toe-nails too! My flip-flops were heavenly. The ART hurt but I felt so much better afterwards. Then it was time to find some much needed food. I must have been at -3000 calories for the day by this point. Then it was off to the BT tent to talk with others and cheer on those still on the course.


Hills and nutrition.


Of course this was a great race! Keith and Endorfun never disappoint.