Spirit of Racine Half Ironman Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

COLD. Although it didn't feel as bad when I got in to try out (then LOSE!) my new neoprene cap. Saturday my feel were in pain from the cold, Sunday they just went numb. I will be eternally grateful to Susan, who had rented a full suit from Tri World for the sprint on Saturday and let me use it on Sunday. (As soon as I finish typing this I'm going shopping for a full suit.)

They combined 2 waves, I guess for time sake, so the start was crowded. I got out to the buoy line ok. Tried to actually swim once I rounded the initial buoy. Even though I felt fine "warming" up before the race, I couldn't get my face in the water and I felt my chest tightening up and I could hear myself wheezing. There were just bodies everywhere and I floundered badly. Tried doggy paddling but I was getting run over. Put my feet down. Doggy paddled more. It kind of went that way to the first buoy, I've never floundered around in the water as badly as I did for this race. When I could see the lifeboat through the thick fog I seriously thought i'd just swim to it and give up. It finally occurred to me to backstroke so I did that...calmed down...swam a little...couldn't breathe AGAIN...backstroke again...more thoughts of DNF. Well then I just got annoyed with myself. I also realized that the panicky feeling was coming every time I sucked in water. Just knowing what was going on helped me feel better, so somewhere between buoys 2 and 3 I settled into a rythym and just swam. My chest never loosened up completely but it got a little better. The nice thing about not being able to breathe is that you forget that you're cold.

I started kind of in the middle...I should have gotten over to one side.

The run up the beach was tough because I couldn't feel any of my toes, so I was kinda running on my heels. But my transitions in this race were actually pretty good, so not much to say here. The wetsuit came off beautifulyy for a change. (Did I mention I'm going shopping?)

Nothing.

For the first part of the bike I was worried because I still couldn't feel my left foot and I didn't know how I'd run. I finally got feeling back near my Aunt Nancy's house (around mile 15). Around mile 20 I was trying to get my cadence working and I saw my avg speed - over 20 mph! One of my goals for this race was to pace the bike to have something left for the run, since I blew myself up on the bike last year. So I dialed it back some. I resisted the urge to play tag with a few people, since that's often my downfall.

The bike was enjoyable but really pretty uneventful, except for this one guy. His shorts were worn so thin that not only could I see the crack of his butt, I could have counted hairs if I'd wanted too....UGH!!! I almost said something to him but I figured he couldn't really do much about it at the moment....

I drank one 2 scoop bottle of perpetuem, a 20 oz bottle of water and a little of the water I got at an aid station. It's fun racing in your hometown when your friends are manning the stations! Had a couple (3?) gels and a bag of shot blocks, which is a little more than I usually take in.

Probably not much.

Whoever racked next to me had thrown thier bike where mine was supposed to be, and when I tried to move his/her bike it fell. Rerack, refall. What a pain. My running shoes didn't go on quite as easily as I'd have liked either, I think my Yanks were a little too tight. It was still faster than tying them though.

Not knock other bikes down.

My watch had shut off at some point during the race, then I missed the first mile marker, so I really wasn't pacing the way I'd have liked. I started off slow because I had to pee horribly - a first for me during a race (I guess that happens when you drink half the lake on the swim). I had considered peeing on my bike but just couldn't bring myself to do it, so I hit the portapotties on the beach by the swim start since no one was waiting for them. I stayed slow because I wanted to run the whole thing...last year I completely fell apart on the run, and I thought if I could keep my head I had a shot at a decent race since I'd had a good bike. But I screwed up my watch so I wasn't pacing well. Ran the entire first lap other than walking a couple of aid stations. Had 2 gels (I think), salt tabs, water. Once after having a gel I accidentally downed a cup of heed instead of water...OOOPS! Thought for sure it would screw me up but it didn't. Had extra water at the next aid station just in case. At the halfway point I got what I now call the "spirit pain" in my left leg...I only get it on this race. Walked a little on the second lap up the hill and one other time, but kept telling myself to keep running, not to blow a good bike split. At about mile 11 I tried to pick up the pace and surprised myself by being able to do it....the more natural stride really helped the pain in my leg too. I actually had enough left to feel strong when I crossed the finish line.

Run harder. I was too conservative toward the middle of the run, because I was so afraid I'd blow up. In retrospect I could have picked up the pace.

Also, not screw up my watch. I usually try to keep a pace per mile. I think if I'd realized I was running so slow I would have picked it up.

Walk over to transition, where MarkK was still volunteering to let him know I was done. Then back to the donkey tent where I collapsed into someone's chair (not sure whose it was but THANK YOU!) and waited for Kim to finish. Then food.


Running too conservatively. I had to much left at the end of this race. I think my pace was good at the beginning and end but I slowed down too much in the middle. I plodded when I really didn't need to.

On the up side, my nutrition was really good for this race. I took in more in the form of gels and the shot blocks and it worked out really nicely. I think that's why I had more for the run. It certainly wasn't because I trained hard this summer, because this is the most undertrained I've ever been.


ALthough this race seemed slightly less well organized than it has in previous years, it's still the best run I've participated in yet.