Raleigh Ironman 70.3

It was a sold out race of over 2300 athletes!! This was my first half Ironman distance race & since it was the first one ever- we ALL PR’d!! We arrived on Thursday the 31st to allow travel acclimation from the eight plus hour drive with traffic & so I could get a good idea of what the course was going to be like. It was a point-to-point event that started at Jordan Lake, with the bike course going through multiple “back country” counties before entering downtown Raleigh for the run course. This meant two separate transitions. In addition to doing packet pick up, hitting up the Ironman store, & visiting my little sister who lives in Durham- my husband and I spent the days before the race driving the bike course & biking the run course. Well, we made it through about half of the run course on the bike- God bless my husband At the pre-race meeting we were told that the water was 77 degrees. With a forecast of sun and mid to high 80’s this was most likely going to be a no wet suit race.
3:00 am wake up on race day- nutrition was my main concern at this point (aside from the hills to come). Though the race started at 7 am with the pros, my wave would not be starting until 8:10 am. This meant I needed to have food with me before the start. I had cheerios, a banana, & a cup of coffee at the hotel before we left. Luckily, the hotel we were staying at was literally at the Finish, which was adjacent to T2. I had to make a quick stop there to drop off a second bottle of sunscreen b/c I was afraid anything that I put on before the race or in T1 would not be enough (foreshadowing of irony to come later). 5am shuttle pick up- busses drove us from T2 in Downtown Raleigh to the Lake Jordan swim start, which was about 35 mins away. As I was sitting on the bus, I noticed TJ Tollakson board who came & sat behind me. Yes, I am the geek who was secretly freaking out in her head :P. We arrived to a beautiful sunrise on the lake and a crowd like no other I have ever seen at a race start! I got numbered, did the normal pre-race business, & set up my transition- helmet, sunglasses, & number on handlebars. Cycling shoes & sunscreen were set out on transition bag below the bike. Suddenly the news was announced that the water temp was 76 degrees!! OH THANK GOD!!! Sleeveless wetsuit it is! I had a banana again as it was still only 6:15 am.
Swim Start- waiting for the race start was killing me. Watching the pros start was pretty cool- the traditional cannon start startled me as I thought that was only done at full Ironman events. As soon as the sign for WAVE 19 showed in the long line of awaiting athletes to start- I jumped up and took my place with my fellow blue cap wearing women. 7:45 am- ate my Gu Chomps. 8:10 am- Suddenly, I’m hearing a countdown & then the horn! The procession of kicking & punching in the water begins. The water felt great- a lot of the girls seemed to forget how to site or which direction we were supposed to be going in. I was focused on taking it easy. Sit back, relax, & keep a steady/strong pace. I’ve got a long day ahead of me! I came around the first turn buoy and the water became choppier. Then, suddenly I felt waves…aren’t we in a lake?? I came up for air & saw a boat! We were catching the wake from the boat & I felt like I was going nowhere. This happened at least one more time & I took water in when coming up for air a number of times because of it.
Total swim time= 49:18. I was hoping for 45 mins; but, the maneuvering around slantways swimmers, stopping due to choking on lake water, and one bought of reflux halfway through the swim must have held me up long enough. I still felt good regardless- I just finished the swim portion of a Half Ironman!!!
Upon exiting the water and heading up the ramp, I experienced a first in my triathlon racing career…the wet suit strippers. Within seconds, the wet suit was off. That was awesome!
T1- I got to my bike & it was slanted…someone had knocked it almost all the way off the rack. My helmet, sunglasses, & number were all on the ground. Got my shoes on, sunscreen, & then the rest. Then my bike fell. It’s ok…just pick it up and go alllllll the way to the other side for Bike Out!
Total T1 time= 4:49
Bike- what a beautiful scenic view of rolling hills I had for 56 miles! I had Gu gels & Bonk Breaker Bites for nutrition & water & a bottle of Gu Brew. The first half wasn’t as challenging as the second half. But, good Lord, I enjoyed those down hills!! I pushed all out as hard as I could on the down hills whenever possible & used the momentum to make it up the inclines. I have to be honest, I barely trained on hills. I got in the distance rides when possible, but I ultimately used my experience from the Rev3 Half Full Tri in October & the lessons I learned on those hills to the best of my ability. Not exactly smart, but I was determined to finish regardless. The best part- I had so much fun with it!! We had beaming sun down on us for the entire bike & I could really feel it for the last ten miles. The whole ride there was spectators!! I couldn’t believe it! These people are awesome!
Total Bike time= 3:29:55, avg. 16.01 mph!! I was pretty stoked since my avg on hills tended to be much, MUCH slower.
I got to T2 & there was my husband!!! He screamed for me, “You’re doing great!! Now, go run a half marathon!!” Racked my bike, more sunscreen, running gear & I was off. I had already made up my mind- potty break!!! This was the only time I was going to go to the bathroom during the race, so I made sure it was in transition.
Total T2 time= 5:49, damn bladder!!
Run- out of T2 & into Downtown Raleigh…oh my God the heat!! The temp was 91, and now I could feel the sunburn starting. I had just put lotion on though, so I should be good. Just have to finish the run & I’m done! I had Gu gels & I planned to take in bananas, oranges, pretzels, Bonk Breaker Bites, and lots of WATER. And, then the hills hit me. The first mile and a half were the most defeating on the run. I suddenly realized I was not going to run this whole thing. I had mentally prepared myself for this. Now, to strategize- walk the hills & run the straight a ways & down hills. I have time; I can do this!! It wasn’t easy, but it was working. When the aid stations would come I would dump ice down the front & back of my shirt, dump water on my head, consume whatever I was craving at the time, & just down water. Sometimes they’d have a hose spraying us & I definitely enjoyed that. It was what was going to get me though. Up and down we went and then it was the 2 loop section. That was a tough 2 mile stretch & it pissed me off. Two loops of constant hills?? Really!?! At the aid station there was a local fire fighter crew there spraying a hose to cool us down. Once again that felt fantastic. The rest of the run was uneventful. I made it back towards Downtown with more of the same- rolling hills. Finally, I could see the State Capitol building in the distance. I knew I was almost home at that point. As I made the right hand turn onto Fayetteville St., I got a teary-eyed seeing the finish line in the distance. Adrenaline then took over and carried me the rest of the way & my pace picked up. I was sprinting this baby out! I noticed some chick trying to pass me two blocks in- wasn’t having that!! Picked up my knees and that was the last of her. The crowds lining the streets to the finish were amazing. There were so many people out there. As I was about 200 m from the finish, I spotted my Joshua, which brought a huge smile to my face. What an amazing feeling to cross the finish line. I heard the announcer yelling, “Come on Stephanie!! Come on Stephanie!! Welcome to the finish line, Stephanie BLAZEMAN!!!” Well, close enough haha. I couldn’t help it but think of Jon “Blazeman” Blais as I crossed. Yet another inspiration to help me through this incredible journey.
Total Run Time= 2:56:28- Obviously, not my best by any means. But, honestly, it was a lot better than I thought I had done.
Total RACE Time= 7:26:13
Lessons learned-
1. Let the volunteers in transition put sunscreen on for you!! I can tell you with much certainty- I have 2nd degree sunburn still today...it has been a week and a half since the race. I also recommend having a small packet of SPF something on you at some point to put on during the race if you are fair skinned and are prone to sunburn.
2. Train on hills!!! I knew this was going to be a challenging race. I had every intention of making the most of my training time. And, for the first 3 months of training I did ok. I wasn’t exactly following my training plan to a “T”, but I was doing pretty well for awhile. I figured I’d get out on the hills when it got warmer. I’d struggle through these winter blues & really push in the final two months. Then some personal matters started occurring. I would barely have the energy for everyday life, let alone training. Then, we lost my dad. That was harder than I could have ever prepared for. With about 3 weeks until Raleigh, I finally started to get my head back on straight. It was what it was. I had been training, but definitely not as much as I should have been. I don’t know that I’ll ever do a race this big, this early on in the season. Winter training is a struggle to begin with since it is an effort to get through the winter alone. We live in South Jersey- find hills somewhere & practice!!!
3. I am realizing more and more- if I plan to do a full Ironman, I am probably going to need a coach or nutritionalist or something. Not only did I not train as much as I needed to, but I have definitely put on ten pounds since last season. With all of this emotional baggage has come the stress eating…that’s me. Emotional eater 101!! I need someone to kick me in the besides myself sometimes!
Overall, this was an amazing experience!! Aside from the sunburn and feeling tired, I felt wonderful afterl!! No sore muscles…no aches, no pains!