Drove down from Kelowna on Saturday, and met up with Sara, Chris and a group of other CSracing athletes at the beach. Had a blast practicing swim starts and sighting. Reminded me of that Clif Bar commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3S0wu4Zbfk
I felt great in the water, and so happy and fortunate to be there. I definitely went into this race feeling like I was primed and ready to go.
Second race in a row, where I had some surprise stresses to deal with prior to the race. At Wasa, it was driving my car over that huge rock and blowing my tire on the way to the race. This time it wasn’t AS bad, but I was jolted awake at midnight to the sound of the fire alarm at the hotel. Nothing like going from a calm, pre-race sleep to heart rate of 160 in a split second. A trip down to the lobby revealed it was a false alarm. After what seemed like forever, I managed to calm back down, and fall back asleep, only to be awoken 2 hours later by the phone ringing. Wrong number. SERIOUSLY!?! Needless to say, not the most restful pre-race sleep. Dozed on and off until my alarm, and then started the morning routine. I’d been feeling a bit anxious the day before, and was happy that despite the night’s events, I woke up and managed to get right into a trance-like zone.
Headed to the race sight early, and plugged myself into the iPod while I got my gear set up. Overhearing the conversations of fellow racers usually doesn’t phase me, but for some reason this morning, I only wanted to hear my thoughts, and not those of everyone around me. Chatted with Michelle briefly before the race and spent the rest of the time visualizing how the day would play out.
I seeded myself right at the front of the pack...something I have never done before. I didn’t really even think about it. I just had this feeling of confidence. I started the swim out hearing Sara’s voice from the day before “stay with the lead pack” playing in my head. I went hard off the start and found a perfect little pair of feet to draft off. She was not sighting perfectly, but I could really feel a difference when I wasn’t on her feet, so I decided I’d stick with her for the first lap and then re-evaluate. As we got out of the water on lap one, I stayed with her, but as soon as lap 2 started, I realized I could pick up the pace, so I moved forward. I tried to find some good feet after that, but had no luck. The second lap got a bit congested because the first wave only started 5 min ahead. I can’t believe how much my swimming has improved. At the start of this season, I was content with my swim abilities, and wondered if it would take more time than I had to make a significant improvements to my stroke. My swim time was almost 7 minutes faster than it was when I raced this race in 2006. I felt great about my swim without even knowing my time, because I felt I swam to the best of my abilities. I had a few moments of nausea during the long run to transition....”uh-oh” ran through my head but I pushed it aside.
Wetsuit strippers could NOT get my wetsuit off. And then they almost took my race shorts with it. I’d still rather have them struggle with it, than have to worry about it myself! The volunteers were fantastic and the race was extremely well organzed.
The bike was relentless. I loved it and hated it. I loved the hills. Especially the downhills. I hated the wind. I was prepared for the hills, but had forgotten about how windy it can get. I also discovered the one drawback to making significant improvements to my swim time....getting passed on the bike. I felt like I was biking strong, and there were some girls just flying past me. I’d tried to keep up, but couldn’t keep their pace. I also learned not to listen to people on the course giving you splits. Other racers and spectators were telling me I was anywhere from 3rd to 10th, and since it wasn’t a pure out-and-back, I really had no idea how many girls were ahead of me. Didn’t really matter, anyways...I think I race better when I just focus on my race. Nutrition plan was good. At hour 2 on the bike, I started to get a hint of the stomach issues that plagued me at Ironman, but they faded quickly. Coming down the front of Richter, my neck and forearms were getting pretty tight, and I was happy to be off my bike, and satisfied with my results. 18 minutes faster than 2006.
The last time I did this race, I remember thinking in T2 “Well, this isn’t so bad....” until the run started where my thoughts quickly changed to, “You have got to be kidding me.”. Not today. I headed out for the run feeling about as good as can be expected after that ride. Saw Sara at about 1km, where I realized I am now starting to read her, to see how I look...she told me to keep up my cadence, and I remember thinking, “Does that mean my cadence is good? Or does that mean I should pick up my cadence?” Either way, the cadence became my focus. Lap 1 was good. I also realized that having a stronger bike than run means....getting passed more. And the girls that pass, again, were FLYING by. Where does that speed come from??? As much as I wanted to try and keep up, I felt like I was already running as hard as I’d be able to maintain for a half-marathon. During the first lap, I managed to leapfrog a few girls during the aid stations. Nutrition for the run was perfect. Grabbed water and sponges at every aid station, and took 3 gels. I think this was key for the second lap. I felt like I’d maintained my pace and form for the second half of the run, and wound up catching a few girls that had passed me. Having a solid second half of the run was a victory for me...in the past, when I’ve felt like I couldn’t catch or be caught, I’m sure my pace has slowed. I managed to shave 19 minutes off my run time, and PR’ed my run time for a half Ironman! A very pleasant surprise for me, especially on a day where the bike course was such a challenge.
Overall, I felt great about my race. I stayed mentally focused, pushed as hard physically as I was capable of, and was pleased with the outcome. Compared to when I raced this race in 2006, my swim time was almost 7 minutes faster, my bike time was 18 min faster, and I shaved 19 minutes off my run. After years of training and racing, it is so rewarding to see constant improvement. While I know she won’t take the credit, it really is because of Sara. My scientific brain is programmed to change one thing at a time, so that you can analyze its effect on the outcome. Having Sara coach me was the one thing that I did differently this year, and every race I’ve had solid results. This particular race, I cut over 40 minutes off my time, felt a million times stronger, improved significantly in my age group placing, and had a blast with Sara, Chris and all the other CSracing athletes.