So, Matt and I had been debating for the past three months on whether or not to register for Ironman Muncie 70.3. With Matt's IT and Achilles issues he has not been able to run much. I told him I would rather not shell out that much money for a race that he's just going to walk. We were both set on not doing this race...that was until about two weeks ago. Matt has been recovering nicely and we both have been itching to see where we are at with our training (in prep for REV3 Cedar Point). So, we registered online and luckily found a hotel that still had rooms available about 40 minutes away from Muncie in Anderson, Indiana. We registered so late that we didn't get our names on our bibs nor did we get our names on the back of the shirts they were selling at the expo. No biggie though, really we just wanted to use this as a fully supported training day. Our goals were to work on pacing, nutrition, and to take mental notes of what we felt we needed to work harder on during training. Everything else was just a bonus!
We both took off work on Friday to head up to Indiana. My mom came over Thursday evening to house, puppy, and chicken sit...lol. She was a huge help in keeping us sane while we were packing for this trip. While packing for triathlons has gotten MUCH easier, Matt and I still have COMPLETELY opposite ways of doing things. Matt likes to wait until the last minute to get everything ready and then he just kind of throws everything in the back of the car, typically in plastic grocery bags, and there is no organization whatsoever. I, on the other hand, like to get things together early so I can organize everything and double check what is packed and what we are missing. I like to have all our bike gear in one Tupperware bin, our swim gear in another, and our tri bags packed with everything else, plus a cooler filled with healthy food for the drive and our nutrition for race day. So, Matt and I frequently butt heads the night before races.
Friday we were out the door by 8:30 am. It was about a 5 hour drive and registration opened at noon. We didn't make any stops and had no real traffic issues along the way. So, it took us about 4.5 hours to get to the convention center where registration was. Registration went really smooth! I remember at Steelhead last year registration seemed like such a process, it was very unorganized, timing chips were mixed up or non-existant, and the average age of the volunteers was about 75. So, it was slow and painful. Not at Muncie! These volunteers were on their A-game. We sailed through registration without a hitch and went to hit up the Ironman booth to score some awesome goods. At least we wanted to score some awesome goods. We both bought bike kits at Steelhead last year and they are honestly the best pair of biking shorts we own. We were both so happy with them we were looking forward to getting another kit. Well, the Ironman booth was a total let down. The only custom race gear they offered were bike jerseys, cotton tees, and running hats (which is another story in and of itself, come to find out we would get the same hats at the finish line of the race). We ended up both getting a jersey. Matt got a hat and a bottle opener keychain and I got the Ironman visor that I have been wanting to order online.
We hung around for the informational meeting which was short and sweet and then headed over to the race site at Prairie Creek Reservoir. We wanted to get in a 30 min bike and a 30 min run, but opted to do the 30 min bike and sub the run for a swim as it was 88 degrees outside. Plus they told us at the informational meeting that the water was not wetsuit legal an would not be wetsuit legal in the morning either. This really freaked me out. I had never gone this far in open water without a wetsuit before. So, I wanted to test it out and get comfortable before hand. It ended up being the smart choice. After our little workout we racked our bikes in transition and headed over to the hotel.
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| On my way in from our practice swim. |
After checking in and unloading all our gear we went to Olive Garden for dinner. It was the only local "pasta" place in town. Typically I would not eat Olive Garden the night before a race, but I played it safe and just ordered spaghetti with sauce on the side. It turned out to be an excellent choice. After dinner, we went back to the hotel, got all our gear ready for the morning and were in bed by 8 pm. I wanted to be in bed as early as possible because I knew I would not sleep well. I figured as long I was was laying down resting, that would get me through tomorrow. I ended up sleeping relatively well, but was ready to get up at 4 am. Our goal was to head over to the race site by 5 am in order to get a good parking spot. Let me tell you, this was the BEST parking spot we have ever gotten at any race we have ever done. Were were no more than 100 meters away from transition. So it made for a really easy morning unloading gear, setting up, and taking stuff back to the car.
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| Pre-race photo op. |
The 70.3 didn't start until 8 am so we had plenty of time to get ready, warm up, and hit the restrooms (several times). Our race was preceded by the Muncie Sprint Tri which started at 6:30. So at least we were able to watch some of that race and take our minds off of everything else for awhile. Honestly the 2.5 hours that we waited flew by. Before I knew it we were all down on the beach getting last minute instructions from the race director and then the national anthem was sung. After the national anthem everyone was all pumped up and in race mode when the race director came back on the microphone and asked us all to take a moment of silence for a female athlete who was killed in a bike accident training for this very race. She was a mother, a wife, and a well respected doctor. Talk a bout a major buzz kill...I wanted to cry. Its so tragic that so many people are killed training for a sport that they love so much. So, I caution everyone to please be kind to cyclists! Give them space and share the road. We are not objects, we are people...we are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and friends. Treat us how you would want to be treated when doing something you are so passionate about!
The Swim:
Shortly thereafter, the pros were off and it was time for the age groupers to line up in their respective waves. My wave was 7th, so after the first four went Matt kissed me good luck (his wave was 9th) and I went to line up. Surprisingly I was pretty relaxed for the start of this race. Granted I was freaked out about not being able to wear a wetsuit. My wetsuit is my lifeline! I am not a very fast swimmer, and without it I knew I would struggle time-wise. My biggest fear though was if I panicked in the water and needed to take a break I wouldn't have the extra flotation to rely on. It was just me, myself, and I out there. How lonely is that?!?! When the horn sounded and our wave went off I kept telling myself to just pace myself and pretend I was back home swimming at the rec center. I knew I was well prepared to swim the distance, but I didn't want to go out too fast and burn out too quickly.
It turned out to be a really smooth swim. It was pretty much an out and back swim, and by the time I was on my way back I had caught some slower swimmers from the wave in front of us. This was frustrating because I had gotten in a good groove and was able to remain calm for the majority of the swim. When I get near other swimmers though I get claustrophobic and tend to panic which throws me out of my groove. So, I tried to stay to the outside as much as I could, but I was also fighting the sun glare which resulted in not being able to see the buoys at all. So, you kind of had to swim with the mass to keep on track of where you were going (I just prayed the mass of people were not going off course...lol).
Upon the finish of the swim, I remembered one of our swim clinic instructors telling us to keep swimming until your fingers touch the ground. She said so many people stop swimming and walk out of the water way to early and it's a huge disadvantage. I tried to get as close as I could, but the water was so cloudy I couldn't see the bottom and didn't want to risk smashing my hand into the ground. I got pretty close to shore before running, but probably should have kept swimming a bit further.
Over all the swim was a HUGE confidence builder. I know I'm not fast in the water, but at least I know I can make it through (and feel really good) without the comfort of a wetsuit. I was really proud of myself for this! I think my form was pretty good, my bilateral breathing was excellent, and I was comfortable with my sighting on the way out (away from the sun). I could have pushed myself a little harder, but was playing it safe so as not to bonk and panic halfway through (especially without a wetsuit). The one thing I noted throughout the swim was that it felt like I could not catch my breath. It kind of felt like I had something stuck in my throat and just needed to let out a big burp, which I tried to do and failed at miserably. I'm not sure what caused this or if it was just due to the normal pre-race anxiety. My overall time was a 46:31 which included about a 300-400 meter run uphill to transition. This is 8 minutes slower than my time at Steelhead last year and at first I was really disappointed with myself, but looking at the facts I am satisfied with myself. At Steelhead we swam with the current, had wetsuits on, and it didn't include the long run to transition.
T1:
T1 was pretty uneventful. I didn't have a wetsuit to strip off so I just had to throw my bike gear on, shove one of Matt's century cookies in my mouth and head out. Overall time was 2:20. The only thing I could have improved on here was planning my route to my bike better and paying closer attention to where my bike was at. My bike was in the second to last rack right by the bike out, and I had planned out a certain route to my bike. I changed this route after the swim and ended up passing up my bike. It was only by like 5 bikes, but still I had to take the time to stop and orient myself and then head back for Eduardo.
Bike:
The bike course was a completely closed course. It consisted of a 10 mile stretch out to the first turnaround, then heading back on the same road for another 20 miles or so, turning around and going back down the same road then looping around the reservoir back to the transition for the last 6 miles. 50 miles of the race was on the interstate which was well maintained and smooth. The last 6 miles were on back roads which were a little rough. The course was flat flat FLAT, but had a VERY strong headwind. It seemed like I was either going 15 mph or 22 mph.
Matt was two waves behind me, so I knew he would catch me relatively quickly on the bike. What really sucked was that the guys were in the waves behind the girls, so I was getting passed by so many people. I kept trying to tell myself that it was ok, that they are supposed to be passing me because they are guys (and most of them had really REALLY nice bikes), but it still sucked being passed. I saw Matt (actually Matt saw me) at about mile 7 or 8 after I made the first turnaround. I knew it was him because he's the only one who would have been yelling out "GO FREDDIE." I don't know why I got that nickname, but he always calls me Freddie. I laughed and just awaited his arrival by my side, which was surprisingly not until about mile 16 ish. It took him a little longer than I expected, but by that time we were well into the headwinds. It was kind of funny because he passed my right at a farm that smelled of fresh manure. I was going to yell out to him and ask him if he farted, but he was too far ahead of me to hear me. I thought I'd get weird looks from others around me, so I just snickered to myself. After the race I mentioned this to him though and he said he was going to ask me the same thing...lol. I guess we are a match made in Heaven ;)
The first long 20 mile stretch was probably the worst. That was the longest portion in the headwinds and had a slight uphill grade, but I kept telling myself that the next 20 miles would be awesome, which it was. I love going 22-24 mph and feeling like I'm not even trying. It doesn't happen all that often, so it's really nice when it does! When I was looking at the course map before the race I didn't think I would like all the turnarounds and double backing on the course, but honestly it was kind of nice. I kept looking for the mass of people to start coming back and that's how I knew when I was close to a turnaround. It gave me something to look forward to anyways.
My nutrition consisted of a cherry pie Lara Bar, Poweraid gummies, Honey Stinger gummies, and a Honey Stinger Waffle. I also had Infinite in my Speedfill Bottle and had extra Gu's taped to my bike in an emergency. I planned on taking a bite of something every 15 minutes and taking a sip of Infinite every couple minutes or so. The Speedfill Bottle is really nice, because that's all you can do is sip. You can't take big gulps, so I wasn't worried about over-hydrating (especially in the already 85 degree weather). As for the solid foods, the Lara Bar carried me through to about mile 25. After that I switched to the gummies. These were just too sweet for me at this point and I was gagging them down. By mile 30 I was done with trying to take them. I switched over to the waffle, but that wasn't sitting well either. I just couldn't swallow anything solid anymore and I didn't want to get sick on the run by forcing myself to eat. So I gave up on the solids and stuck with the Infinite. I also grabbed some of whatever poweraide drink they offered at the water stops, which helped out alot.
The last 6 miles were my least favorite. First of all because my Garmin was off. I don't know what is wrong with the stupid thing, but it is always ahead of where I should be. I thought I was at mile 52 and then saw the mile marker for mile 50 and was kind of bummed that I still had 6 more to go. Secondly, the last 6 miles were on back roads that were rough and were directly in the headwinds. Third, it was mostly uphill. My butt hurt really bad, it was getting really hot out, I was drained from the wind, and I just wanted to get off the bike. It was a glorious moment when I reached the transition point. Just a 13 mile victory lap to go!
Things I noted on the bike were that in general I think this is the area I need to spend the most time working on over the next two months. I'm not a strong biker by any means. My overall time was 3:03:15 (18.3 mph average). This was two minutes slower than Steelhead last year and I was really disappointed by this, hoping that I improved from last year. However, I realize it was a different course and different conditions, but I was really hoping to improve. Could I have gone faster...probably. I was trying to maintain a good pace without pushing too hard so as not to have dead legs for the run. I definitely could have pushed harder on the way back with the winds at my back and the downhill stretch, but I chose to use this as sort of a recovery portion of the race. I was just trying to maintain a 20 mph average on this stretch without doing too much work. My legs felt pretty good. I didn't have the burning in my left quad that I have been frequently experiencing during my training rides, so I was happy with that. I definitely need to work on nutrition to find out what will work for me. Maybe I need to space it out a little longer, or maybe I just need to switch up what I am taking. It was really hot out and my mouth was super dry, so that could have been part of the reason the sweet stuff was not going down well.
One more thing to note on the bike....only because I found it comical. There was some guy of African American descent that passed me on the bike, shortly after Matt had passed me. At first glance, I thought this guy was wearing an all black full body speed suit...that's how dark he was. Then I did a double take and realized it was a black guy in a black Speedo. REALLY!??!?!?! He did a 56 mile bike in a frickin' Speedo...and I'm talking bikini style Speedo. The best part was that right after he passed me he stood up to stretch his legs and I got to see all the goodies. I just shook my head and said whatever floats your boat dude. I wonder how many people he flashed on the bike or if it was just a select few of the fortunate ones....lol.
T2:
Again T2 was uneventful. My overall time was 2:32 (both times were about 1 minute faster than at Steelhead last year). I threw off my bike gear, put on my kicks, put two Gu's in my pockets (just in case I got the urge to ingest something), and was off. I debated at weather or not to throw on some suntan lotion as it was 90 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, but honestly I didn't feel like I was roasting and I didn't want to take the extra time. As I was running out of transition I ran past a group of volunteers with gloves on their hands and by the time I realized they were putting sunblock on people I was too far to turn back. I do regret not stopping to get some lotion.
Run:
As I started the run I noted that my legs felt really good compared to how they felt at Steelhead off the bike. I felt like I had some good energy and would be able to make it through the run without feeling like death. My stomach felt good, although I kept vomiting in my mouth....compliments of my bike nutrition, but I didn't feel sick. The first four miles went really fast. My initial goal was to walk only at the water stops, which I maintained for the first five miles. With the heat and lack of shade, I ended up walking the hills as well. I could have pushed myself to run them, I didn't feel that bad, but I had noted that every time I ran up a hill my heart rate was through the roof. It felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest. So I quickly nixed this instead of risking the stomach issues that were guaranteed to ensue had I continued to keep messing with my HR like that. Plus I honestly felt really good when I was running. I didn't have my watch as I kept it strapped to my bike, so I didn't know what my paces were, but they felt relatively smooth and effortless during the run portions. I felt the walking would probably help me maintain this pace throughout the duration of the race, instead of pushing myself and crashing at the end....I was right and was happy with my choice.
There was a fully supported water stop at every mile on the run course. The volunteers were absolutely amazing, and the availability of all supplies and nutrition was outstanding. Normally by the time I get to the orange station all the oranges are gone. Not this race. There were oranges at almost every stop and let me tell you they frickin saved my life! I wasn't able to take anything else besides water, ice, and oranges. That's all my stomach would allow. But I took all three at every stop, plus an ice cold sponge that I tucked in my tri top. I was amazed at how much water I drank without getting a cramp. I did have to stop for one potty stop at mile 3, but was actually glad I had to pee because it meant I was well hydrated (something I'm not good at and Matt has been trying to ingrain in my head for months).
The course was an out and back. It was actually pretty challenging with rolling hills throughout the entire course. I saw Matt when I was at mile 6 ish. He was on his way back and was looking strong. He had a cup of ice in hand and asked me where mine was, to which I replied, "it's in my bra". The guys around me laughed, but honestly it felt so good. My whole process of keeping cool during the run involved a sponge in my bra which I would keep cool by dumping ice down my bra at the water stops. Then I would drink a glass of water and keep two pieces of ice in my mouth until they melted. I also kept one piece of ice in each hand, which probably felt the best for whatever reason. The only downfall was that with all the ice dripping down my tri suit my shoes were soaked. By mile 6 I was literally squish squishing my way back and had some serious blisters forming. I didn't care though. It felt better than melting in the heat.
I saw Matt again at the finish as he was cheering me on at the final stretch. The last 650 meters included the biggest uphill on the course and then a nice downhill stretch to the finish. Keeping with my trend I walked up the top half of the hill, which I was awaiting Matt to yell at me for (thankfully he didn't), but then I was able to get a great kick in to the finish. I passed some guy and one of the women in the crowd cheered, "that's the way to do it 1677". I smiled all the way to the finish. My overall time was 2:15:01 (10:19 min/mile). This was two minutes slower than Steelhead, which I am really happy about. I walked ALOT more during this race, and was still able to maintain a comparable pace. I also did not feel like death during the run, which I was almost in tears last year at Steelhead.
I don't really have any other notes or changes that I would make to the run. I am very comfortable with the run/walk method and felt pretty good for the hot conditions. I felt like I could keep going and I am happy with that. Could I have pushed harder...definitely. Today was not a day I wanted to feel like death though. I needed to pace myself to see where I need to be for REV3. I was not trying to kill myself for a PR.
Summary:
My overall time was a 6:09:38. This is almost exactly 8 minutes slower than Steelhead. At first I was really disappointed that I had not improved, especially with the increased amount of training that we have been doing. I felt like I should have been faster. However, looking at the swim, the difference in transitions, the difference in temperature conditions, and the difference in how I felt at the end of the race, I think I definitely improved without a doubt. Though my time does not reflect that I can't compare course to course. I can look at the differences between courses:
- no wetsuit vs. wetsuit
- no current vs. swimming with the current
- long transition to bike vs. short transition to bike
- strong headwinds vs. no headwinds
- 90 degree temps and no shade vs. overcast and 80 degree temps (until the run when it got sunny)
The other major difference that I am trilled about is that after the race I FELT GREAT!!!! Last year, I felt like death and I told Matt I had no desire to ever do another HIM. I was sick to my stomach and couldn't eat a thing. This year, I really felt good. I wasn't overly exhausted, wasn't sick to my stomach, was able to eat, minimal soreness, and overall was just in really good spirits! So in conclusion I do think I need to focus more seriously on my bike for REV3. I also need to increase the run endurance. My swim is at where it's at. I don't know that I can improve the speed at all. I just need to maintain the level of endurance I am at. I am happy with our training plan and am really looking forward to REV3. After REV, I am thinking next years goal will be to break that 6 hour barrier that I am hanging around. I would love to get under 6 hours!
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| Post race with my favorite triathlete and number one fan! Note that Matt opted for the sunblock...lol. Although he looks like Casper the Ghost in this photo, he is not suffering from sunburn today, as am I. |
The other BADASS thing that I just realized when looking up the results were that there were 1530 total finishers. Guess how many of those were women? 4-5-5!!!! Only 30% of the competitors were women. Kudos to US! WE ROCK!
Final Stats:
Swim: 46:31 (2:25 pace)
T1: 2:20
Bike: 3:03:15 (18.3 pace)
T2: 2:32
Run: 2:15:01 (10:19 pace)
Overall: 6:09:38
Division: 47/79
Gender: 244/455
Overall: 938/1530
Also, a final, HUGE thanks to all the volunteers. I am still amazed at how many there were (1400 volunteers for 1500 racers)! They did an amazing job and I could not have survived this without them!
