allenttu
10-29-2004, 05:48 PM
I've had October 23 circled on my calender ever since I signed up for this race last December. Ten months of anticipation and training should have led up to an incredible day. I wasn't disappointed. This was my first iron distance race and the first in Texas as well.
Pre-race:
I drove the hour and a half to Boerne Friday morning to pick up the packet and get my bike checked into the transition area. At check-in they told us that only 37 people were starting this race. I picked up my packet and headed out to the Boerne City lake where the transition and swim was located. We racked my bike up near the bike exit/entrance and left it there overnight...by itself...out in the park...with the other bikes...alone. We drove back to the host hotel for the pre-race meeting and carbo dinner. The race director said that ten states were represented out of the 37 athletes participating. By the time the dinner and meeting was over, I was pumped and ready to get to the starting line. I checked the weather on the eveing news before turning in and noticed that the entire area was under a flash flood watch. This wasn't good news as there were several low water crossings on the bike course...without the rain we would have to go through the water at least twice, now with the rain??? I turned out the lights and tried to get some sleep before waking at 3:30 to get my 800-1000 calories down. I looked out the window and sure enough, sheets of rain were hitting the window pane. Nothing I can do about the weather, so I laid back down to get a couple more hours of shuteye. We woke up and drove through the puddles and mist to the transition area where I re-lubricated my bike chain and set out my tranisition area in the grass and mud on plastic garbage bags. The rain had stopped and the cloud cover kept things a little darker than normal so the start was delayed 30 minutes. In addition, the water crossing at the 65 mile mark of the bike was under 2-3 feet of rushing flood waters. The race director announced that the bike course would be changed to a 56 mile out and back. With all the rain the water temps dropped from 76 to 74 overnight...it was a wetsuit swim! We saw the last of the rain about an hour before the start and the weather was a perfect, cloudy, day with temps in the mid to upper 80's.
Swim (1:37:36):
We walked down the boat ramp and waded waist deep into the clear water and the day started. I tried to get into an early rhythym and had to follow the splashing swimmers for the first couple hundred meters because I couldn't make out the first buoy. I finally located it made the turn and continued swimming smoothly. I finished up the first lap of the two lap swim, grabbed a drink of water, crossed the timing mat and jumped in for the second. I was feeling very comfortable the entire swim and was very happy the last hundred feet or so that I had made it through the swim without my calves or feet cramping. I got out and stripped my wetsuit off on the run to the transition area feeling strong.
T1 (6:07):
I got my bike things on in the changing area and walked on my heels out of the transition area so I wouldn't clog my cleats up with mud. One event down, two more to go.
Bike (7:30:00):
Now is the time when the race directors tilt their hats back and start cackling. There was not one single flat spot on this 112 mile bike course. We were either grinding up a hill or coasting a few seconds down the other side of the hill after the cadence was maxed out flying down the other side. Out of the 7 1/2 hours I was on the bike, I swear I was going uphill a good 6 to 6 1/2 hours. It was out and back, but somehow the RD managed to get more uphills than downhills in. If he could have, I'm sure he would have made the swim uphill as well. All that aside, I had a blast on the bike. There weren't a whole lot of people left in the lake when I got out of the water and on the bike I started catching up and passing quite a few people. I never got passed on the bike and felt stronger on every hill as I would ride past people who were weaving all over the hill or just walking their bikes up. The scenery on the bike was incredible. Texas hill country with bubbling (flooding) creeks next to limestone cliffs, green pastures with horses, deer, and cattle, and a variety of pungent roadkill lining the roads. Twice I saw the out of staters surrounding a roadkill armadillo with cameras in hand. It was a beautiful, and very hilly ride. The bottoms of my feet started to bother me around 80-85 miles so I stopped at the 90 mile rest area, took a bathroom break, and walked around while eating a gel. By the time I got back on the bike, my feet were refreshed and that 60 seconds or so probably saved me a good couple of minutes over the last 20 miles. I finished the bike, ready to get off, but still feeling fairly strong and ready for the run.
T2 (6:48):
My T2 time should have been much quicker, but the changing area did not have a chair or bench, just a tarp that was used as a floor and it was covered with mud and muddy water. When I tried to get my running shorts on, both calves cramped up on me and before I knew it I was lying flat on my back in the water and mud. I laid there for what seemed like forever trying to stretch out my calves. I finally got them stretched out and got dressed. Definitely the most painful transition I've had. Two events down, one more to go!
Run (6:35:12):
Up until the T2 incident, I was feeling tremendous. Afterwards, my calves felt extremely tight and I couldn't quite get into a comfortable running form. I just kind of shuffled the first couple of miles worrying that they would cramp up again but not quite being able to stride it out. It didn't matter a whole lot, because after the mile two aid station the run went up. The hills on the bike didn't really bother me too bad, but the hills on the run were pretty much 5 miles of up with an incredibly steep mile known as "the Big Hill" about the 5 or 6 mile mark of the run. Luckily, the first loop turned around at the top of the Big Hill while the second loop turned around at the bottom of the Big Hill. Therefore the RD's didn't seem quite as sadistic as they could have been. The Big Hill kicked my butt. Up until then I was trying to run uphill between power poles with walk breaks in between. It was tough enough just walking up the Big Hill. Once at the top I ran to the turnaround and found the hill was so steep on the way back that I had to walk it back down to the base. Running the remaining downhill back to the transition area, I started feeling my running legs, but still could not find a comfortable stride. The second loop back out saw a lot more walking on the uphill back up to the bottom of the Big Hill. I would try to run when possible, but the running spurts were getting shorter and shorter. There was no shoulder on the road we were running and my elbow was starting to get sore waving my glow stick at every vehicle that drove by to make sure they could see me. I made it back to the 2 mile aid station and saw a glowstick up the road in front of me. I spent the next mile and a half working my way up to the man in front of me and passed him with a little over a half mile to go. He was the only one I passed on the run as several others that I had passed on the bike had returned the favor over the course of the run. The last quarter mile to the finishing line was surreal. The RD had placed luminaries along each edge of the roadway that served as the entrance to the City Lake and my son met me at the entrance to the park to run the last stretch with me in the candlelight to the finish line. I crossed the finish line in 15:55:44 and was on cloud nine. It had been an incredible day and I was still feeling strong even though my calves had been bothering me so bad. I had finished my first iron distance race and I had done it in my backyard!!!
Post race:
I talked with several people at the post race brunch that had done several other IM events including Canada, Lake Placid, Spain, etc. and the consensus was that this was one of the most difficult iron distance events that anyone had done. The overall winner finished in 11:30:17 and only 22 of the 37 starters finished the race. It really felt good that I was able to finish this race when other veteran triathletes thought so much of this race. I felt even better when they announced that I placed 3rd out of 10 starters in the Open category and I received a check for $200. I thought I had registered in the Age Group category and would have placed 3rd out of the 6 people who started in my age group, but somehow I was placed in the open category and came away with most of my entry fee. My first iron distance race and not only do I finish, I come away with a little cash.... I couldn't ask for anything more.
Recovery:
I knew my recovery was going to be somewhat of a challenge. I'm a wildlife biologist and I had a major project that was finishing up the week after the race. It required spending this past week deep in the east Texas swamps, hiking 8-10 miles a day through waist deep water, collecting data. I was thinking of it as active recovery. Monday was a challenge and I had to call it a day around 1:00 as my legs were just dragging. The rest of the week was exhausting, but I got everything in including a massage I had scheduled for Tuesday evening at the town I was staying in. With the weekend coming up, I plan on spending as much time as I can relaxing and re-working the race out in my mind while it is still fresh. I'm not sure it has really sunk in yet. I am an Ironman!!!!!
Pre-race:
I drove the hour and a half to Boerne Friday morning to pick up the packet and get my bike checked into the transition area. At check-in they told us that only 37 people were starting this race. I picked up my packet and headed out to the Boerne City lake where the transition and swim was located. We racked my bike up near the bike exit/entrance and left it there overnight...by itself...out in the park...with the other bikes...alone. We drove back to the host hotel for the pre-race meeting and carbo dinner. The race director said that ten states were represented out of the 37 athletes participating. By the time the dinner and meeting was over, I was pumped and ready to get to the starting line. I checked the weather on the eveing news before turning in and noticed that the entire area was under a flash flood watch. This wasn't good news as there were several low water crossings on the bike course...without the rain we would have to go through the water at least twice, now with the rain??? I turned out the lights and tried to get some sleep before waking at 3:30 to get my 800-1000 calories down. I looked out the window and sure enough, sheets of rain were hitting the window pane. Nothing I can do about the weather, so I laid back down to get a couple more hours of shuteye. We woke up and drove through the puddles and mist to the transition area where I re-lubricated my bike chain and set out my tranisition area in the grass and mud on plastic garbage bags. The rain had stopped and the cloud cover kept things a little darker than normal so the start was delayed 30 minutes. In addition, the water crossing at the 65 mile mark of the bike was under 2-3 feet of rushing flood waters. The race director announced that the bike course would be changed to a 56 mile out and back. With all the rain the water temps dropped from 76 to 74 overnight...it was a wetsuit swim! We saw the last of the rain about an hour before the start and the weather was a perfect, cloudy, day with temps in the mid to upper 80's.
Swim (1:37:36):
We walked down the boat ramp and waded waist deep into the clear water and the day started. I tried to get into an early rhythym and had to follow the splashing swimmers for the first couple hundred meters because I couldn't make out the first buoy. I finally located it made the turn and continued swimming smoothly. I finished up the first lap of the two lap swim, grabbed a drink of water, crossed the timing mat and jumped in for the second. I was feeling very comfortable the entire swim and was very happy the last hundred feet or so that I had made it through the swim without my calves or feet cramping. I got out and stripped my wetsuit off on the run to the transition area feeling strong.
T1 (6:07):
I got my bike things on in the changing area and walked on my heels out of the transition area so I wouldn't clog my cleats up with mud. One event down, two more to go.
Bike (7:30:00):
Now is the time when the race directors tilt their hats back and start cackling. There was not one single flat spot on this 112 mile bike course. We were either grinding up a hill or coasting a few seconds down the other side of the hill after the cadence was maxed out flying down the other side. Out of the 7 1/2 hours I was on the bike, I swear I was going uphill a good 6 to 6 1/2 hours. It was out and back, but somehow the RD managed to get more uphills than downhills in. If he could have, I'm sure he would have made the swim uphill as well. All that aside, I had a blast on the bike. There weren't a whole lot of people left in the lake when I got out of the water and on the bike I started catching up and passing quite a few people. I never got passed on the bike and felt stronger on every hill as I would ride past people who were weaving all over the hill or just walking their bikes up. The scenery on the bike was incredible. Texas hill country with bubbling (flooding) creeks next to limestone cliffs, green pastures with horses, deer, and cattle, and a variety of pungent roadkill lining the roads. Twice I saw the out of staters surrounding a roadkill armadillo with cameras in hand. It was a beautiful, and very hilly ride. The bottoms of my feet started to bother me around 80-85 miles so I stopped at the 90 mile rest area, took a bathroom break, and walked around while eating a gel. By the time I got back on the bike, my feet were refreshed and that 60 seconds or so probably saved me a good couple of minutes over the last 20 miles. I finished the bike, ready to get off, but still feeling fairly strong and ready for the run.
T2 (6:48):
My T2 time should have been much quicker, but the changing area did not have a chair or bench, just a tarp that was used as a floor and it was covered with mud and muddy water. When I tried to get my running shorts on, both calves cramped up on me and before I knew it I was lying flat on my back in the water and mud. I laid there for what seemed like forever trying to stretch out my calves. I finally got them stretched out and got dressed. Definitely the most painful transition I've had. Two events down, one more to go!
Run (6:35:12):
Up until the T2 incident, I was feeling tremendous. Afterwards, my calves felt extremely tight and I couldn't quite get into a comfortable running form. I just kind of shuffled the first couple of miles worrying that they would cramp up again but not quite being able to stride it out. It didn't matter a whole lot, because after the mile two aid station the run went up. The hills on the bike didn't really bother me too bad, but the hills on the run were pretty much 5 miles of up with an incredibly steep mile known as "the Big Hill" about the 5 or 6 mile mark of the run. Luckily, the first loop turned around at the top of the Big Hill while the second loop turned around at the bottom of the Big Hill. Therefore the RD's didn't seem quite as sadistic as they could have been. The Big Hill kicked my butt. Up until then I was trying to run uphill between power poles with walk breaks in between. It was tough enough just walking up the Big Hill. Once at the top I ran to the turnaround and found the hill was so steep on the way back that I had to walk it back down to the base. Running the remaining downhill back to the transition area, I started feeling my running legs, but still could not find a comfortable stride. The second loop back out saw a lot more walking on the uphill back up to the bottom of the Big Hill. I would try to run when possible, but the running spurts were getting shorter and shorter. There was no shoulder on the road we were running and my elbow was starting to get sore waving my glow stick at every vehicle that drove by to make sure they could see me. I made it back to the 2 mile aid station and saw a glowstick up the road in front of me. I spent the next mile and a half working my way up to the man in front of me and passed him with a little over a half mile to go. He was the only one I passed on the run as several others that I had passed on the bike had returned the favor over the course of the run. The last quarter mile to the finishing line was surreal. The RD had placed luminaries along each edge of the roadway that served as the entrance to the City Lake and my son met me at the entrance to the park to run the last stretch with me in the candlelight to the finish line. I crossed the finish line in 15:55:44 and was on cloud nine. It had been an incredible day and I was still feeling strong even though my calves had been bothering me so bad. I had finished my first iron distance race and I had done it in my backyard!!!
Post race:
I talked with several people at the post race brunch that had done several other IM events including Canada, Lake Placid, Spain, etc. and the consensus was that this was one of the most difficult iron distance events that anyone had done. The overall winner finished in 11:30:17 and only 22 of the 37 starters finished the race. It really felt good that I was able to finish this race when other veteran triathletes thought so much of this race. I felt even better when they announced that I placed 3rd out of 10 starters in the Open category and I received a check for $200. I thought I had registered in the Age Group category and would have placed 3rd out of the 6 people who started in my age group, but somehow I was placed in the open category and came away with most of my entry fee. My first iron distance race and not only do I finish, I come away with a little cash.... I couldn't ask for anything more.
Recovery:
I knew my recovery was going to be somewhat of a challenge. I'm a wildlife biologist and I had a major project that was finishing up the week after the race. It required spending this past week deep in the east Texas swamps, hiking 8-10 miles a day through waist deep water, collecting data. I was thinking of it as active recovery. Monday was a challenge and I had to call it a day around 1:00 as my legs were just dragging. The rest of the week was exhausting, but I got everything in including a massage I had scheduled for Tuesday evening at the town I was staying in. With the weekend coming up, I plan on spending as much time as I can relaxing and re-working the race out in my mind while it is still fresh. I'm not sure it has really sunk in yet. I am an Ironman!!!!!