Well, what can I say? We finished the race! Let me begin this post by saying that this is going to be a loooonnggg one, so tuck in!
Friday:
We left school on Friday about an hr after class ended. I drove and Courtney read out-loud our notes (big exam on Tues). We drove straight to the site and checked in. My first thought was: This is kind of small...but we got our t-shirt, bags, and bought a couple things, too. Then, we took some pics at the finish line. Yoga pics of course! After that, we went to Olathe, ate at a great pizza place called Spin Pizzeria, went to the hotel and called it a night. Didn't sleep too well, but that's ok.
Saturday:
My friend, Ryan, had driven in from Texas to do this race with us (his first tri, also), so he came to the hotel in the morning so we could all go over to the site so he could check in. We wandered around a little bit, but then drove back to Olathe and had lunch as Spin again. Side salad and half a panini for me. Went back to the hotel and napped from 1-3p since none of us slept very well the night before. Mom and dad drove out and got to the hotel around 330p. We went to Noodles for dinner at 430p and went back to the hotel to put our stickers on our bikes, helmets, and bags; as well as pack our transition bags. So many things! I planned on 3 GUs, one before each event, and ShotBloks and other things at each transition. That included Body Glide and sunscreen! Also, we stuck on our tattoos then went to bed around 7-730p. It took us forever to fall asleep! Until around 945, we were abruptly woken up by LOUD people on our floor. Turns out there was a baseball tournament and all the parents and players were in our hotel. I went out and politely asked the people to be quiet, but I was rudely and disrespectfully replied to by a mother. That's right, a mom...in front of her kids. That's some great parenting there...really teaching her kids manners. Anyway, pissed off, we went back to bed and didn't wake up again till 315a.
Sunday: RACE DAY!
Like I said, the morning was definitely early. We woke up at 315a, ate our waffles, peanut butter, banana, and Qi'a breakfast, packed, and was out on the road by 4a. We got to the site around 445a...holy moly was there terrible traffic! We ended up parking at least a mile away from T2 (T1 was another 0.5mi down the hill). We threw our stuff in T2, then was at T1 by 550a (T1 closes at 615a). We were super warmed up then from the brisk walk. We had decided to not put our bikes or stuff in transition till the morning-of, so we were definitely huffing and puffing while carrying all our stuff! We found our spots at T1, racked our bikes and tried to arrange our stuff neatly on the ground to make it easier. It was crowded and we were pressed for time.
The Swim:
After getting situated, we went and found my family, Ryan, and his dad. We all went to the restroom (super important before any big event), and waited. Ryan and I put on our wetsuits (water temp was 75.9deg, so wetsuit legal) and Court chose not to don a wetsuit. Then, we played the waiting game. The race was delayed by 15min (due to the traffic and poor parking). Finally, after waiting, it was our turn to enter the water for the start (we had a water start, aka, tread water for a little bit). While waiting, a girl kept trying to use me as a floatation device! Heck no! I moved away from her. The starting horn sounded and we were off. It wasn't as bad as you'd think. Sure a couple people got in the way and I had to swim over/around some people, but once you find your pace, it's good to go. After the turn around, I did run face first into an older gentleman (his wave was waaay before our wave, so he must have really taken his time) and it moved my goggles just enough to let water in them. I'm no stranger to water in my goggles (thank you swim team!) so I kept swimming and cleared them when I spotted every few breaths or so. What seemed like forever, finally turned into the ramp out of the water. Yay! As I was coming to my feet, I felt a little dizzy, so a nice volunteer held onto me for a sec and undid the velcro on my wetsuit. I got it from there. Taking my wetsuit off is so much easier than putting it on!
T1:
After walking to my bike, well, after getting lost for a bit then finding my bike, I stripped my wetsuit completely off, put on my socks and shoes, ate another GU and some water. Took Advil, put on my helmet and sunglasses, unracked my bike, and was headed toward the "mount" mark. It was time for my biggest challenge, or so I thought.
The Bike:
Getting on the bike was just ok. I had trouble with clipping in my right shoe, but that's nothing new. I'm just uncoordinated, I guess. The first hill came seconds after getting on the bike, so it definitely served as a good warm-up/waking up your legs, portion. There were 2 hills leading out of the park that are decent sized and are good to use to get your heart rate set. Once out of the park, you turn right and head toward the dam. Slight up on the dam, then you have a nice downhill and TONS OF FLAT! We read all these blogs about how hilly the course was, but in all honesty, I didn't think it was that bad. There were some major hills (like, 3-4), but they were definitely manageable. The first 30mi went great. Super fast. The last 26mi were a different story. I was getting fatigued a bit and there was a hill around mi 35 that was tough. But, you're rewarded with some nice flat before mi 50, which is where the "dam hill" is (aka, that hill you rode down at the beginning after crossing the dam). It was tough, but I just gutted it out. You have a nice flat on the dam, then a couple more hills to enter the park and in the park. Once I was there, I thought "finally!!!" Oh, and I had "The Good Life" song stuck in my head the entire bike ride! It was alright tho because the whole time, I was looking at all the sweet TT bikes there! Next big purchase = TT bike...someday.
T2:
After dismounting my bike, I went to my spot (the transition spots are assigned by number), racked my bike, took off my helmet and shoes, and changed my socks since they were wet still. Donned my running shoes, belt, and visor (sunglasses too), took a ShotBlok and a GU, then I was off.
The Run:
Let me tell you, it took me about 1-2mi to shake that wobbly feeling in my legs from the bike. But once I did get rid of it, the only thing that replaced it was pain. I have torn menisci in my knees (Grade 1, so not serious), but man, were they talking to me! The run was definitely the most challenging for me on a mental level. Every time I would walk, I had to talk myself into running again. I also had that song that goes, "Hey, hobo man, hey dapper dan..." from Annie stuck in my head the whole run. I guess my brain was trying to get me smile and trick myself into ignoring the pain. Or something...Anyway, I stopped at every aid station and got water, ice (both of which were either thrown down my tri suit or on my face after a couple sips), Powerade Perform (delicious, even though I didn't train with it), and potato chips the last couple stations. No GU or Chomps for me. It probably would have helped tho. Finally, the run and the race was finished! I was in a state of elation and also relief that I finished! If you're ever to do an Ironman 70.3, this one is a great one. Did I mention that we had perfect weather?? Cloudy, in the 70s, and NO WIND (or maybe like, 5mph at most). I can see how the weather would play a huge factor tho bcz there really isn't shade on the bike or the run...and the wind could just knock someone right off their bike, too.
Anyway, I am so happy I did this, and while I'm a little sore today (esp my knees), it's a feeling I can't shake. I am proud of this accomplishment and I will remember it always! Thanks to everyone for their support. Seriously, there were times I didn't think I could do it, but you guys really helped!
Race Results: Bib 552
Swim: 1.2mi - 1:53/100m = 36:41
T1: 6:05min
Bike: 56mi - 15.91mph = 3:31.15
T2: 3:35min
Run: 13.1mi - 10.33min/mi = 2:18.16
Total: 6:35.52
Friday:
We left school on Friday about an hr after class ended. I drove and Courtney read out-loud our notes (big exam on Tues). We drove straight to the site and checked in. My first thought was: This is kind of small...but we got our t-shirt, bags, and bought a couple things, too. Then, we took some pics at the finish line. Yoga pics of course! After that, we went to Olathe, ate at a great pizza place called Spin Pizzeria, went to the hotel and called it a night. Didn't sleep too well, but that's ok.
Saturday:
My friend, Ryan, had driven in from Texas to do this race with us (his first tri, also), so he came to the hotel in the morning so we could all go over to the site so he could check in. We wandered around a little bit, but then drove back to Olathe and had lunch as Spin again. Side salad and half a panini for me. Went back to the hotel and napped from 1-3p since none of us slept very well the night before. Mom and dad drove out and got to the hotel around 330p. We went to Noodles for dinner at 430p and went back to the hotel to put our stickers on our bikes, helmets, and bags; as well as pack our transition bags. So many things! I planned on 3 GUs, one before each event, and ShotBloks and other things at each transition. That included Body Glide and sunscreen! Also, we stuck on our tattoos then went to bed around 7-730p. It took us forever to fall asleep! Until around 945, we were abruptly woken up by LOUD people on our floor. Turns out there was a baseball tournament and all the parents and players were in our hotel. I went out and politely asked the people to be quiet, but I was rudely and disrespectfully replied to by a mother. That's right, a mom...in front of her kids. That's some great parenting there...really teaching her kids manners. Anyway, pissed off, we went back to bed and didn't wake up again till 315a.
Sunday: RACE DAY!
Like I said, the morning was definitely early. We woke up at 315a, ate our waffles, peanut butter, banana, and Qi'a breakfast, packed, and was out on the road by 4a. We got to the site around 445a...holy moly was there terrible traffic! We ended up parking at least a mile away from T2 (T1 was another 0.5mi down the hill). We threw our stuff in T2, then was at T1 by 550a (T1 closes at 615a). We were super warmed up then from the brisk walk. We had decided to not put our bikes or stuff in transition till the morning-of, so we were definitely huffing and puffing while carrying all our stuff! We found our spots at T1, racked our bikes and tried to arrange our stuff neatly on the ground to make it easier. It was crowded and we were pressed for time.
The Swim:
After getting situated, we went and found my family, Ryan, and his dad. We all went to the restroom (super important before any big event), and waited. Ryan and I put on our wetsuits (water temp was 75.9deg, so wetsuit legal) and Court chose not to don a wetsuit. Then, we played the waiting game. The race was delayed by 15min (due to the traffic and poor parking). Finally, after waiting, it was our turn to enter the water for the start (we had a water start, aka, tread water for a little bit). While waiting, a girl kept trying to use me as a floatation device! Heck no! I moved away from her. The starting horn sounded and we were off. It wasn't as bad as you'd think. Sure a couple people got in the way and I had to swim over/around some people, but once you find your pace, it's good to go. After the turn around, I did run face first into an older gentleman (his wave was waaay before our wave, so he must have really taken his time) and it moved my goggles just enough to let water in them. I'm no stranger to water in my goggles (thank you swim team!) so I kept swimming and cleared them when I spotted every few breaths or so. What seemed like forever, finally turned into the ramp out of the water. Yay! As I was coming to my feet, I felt a little dizzy, so a nice volunteer held onto me for a sec and undid the velcro on my wetsuit. I got it from there. Taking my wetsuit off is so much easier than putting it on!
T1:
After walking to my bike, well, after getting lost for a bit then finding my bike, I stripped my wetsuit completely off, put on my socks and shoes, ate another GU and some water. Took Advil, put on my helmet and sunglasses, unracked my bike, and was headed toward the "mount" mark. It was time for my biggest challenge, or so I thought.
The Bike:
Getting on the bike was just ok. I had trouble with clipping in my right shoe, but that's nothing new. I'm just uncoordinated, I guess. The first hill came seconds after getting on the bike, so it definitely served as a good warm-up/waking up your legs, portion. There were 2 hills leading out of the park that are decent sized and are good to use to get your heart rate set. Once out of the park, you turn right and head toward the dam. Slight up on the dam, then you have a nice downhill and TONS OF FLAT! We read all these blogs about how hilly the course was, but in all honesty, I didn't think it was that bad. There were some major hills (like, 3-4), but they were definitely manageable. The first 30mi went great. Super fast. The last 26mi were a different story. I was getting fatigued a bit and there was a hill around mi 35 that was tough. But, you're rewarded with some nice flat before mi 50, which is where the "dam hill" is (aka, that hill you rode down at the beginning after crossing the dam). It was tough, but I just gutted it out. You have a nice flat on the dam, then a couple more hills to enter the park and in the park. Once I was there, I thought "finally!!!" Oh, and I had "The Good Life" song stuck in my head the entire bike ride! It was alright tho because the whole time, I was looking at all the sweet TT bikes there! Next big purchase = TT bike...someday.
T2:
After dismounting my bike, I went to my spot (the transition spots are assigned by number), racked my bike, took off my helmet and shoes, and changed my socks since they were wet still. Donned my running shoes, belt, and visor (sunglasses too), took a ShotBlok and a GU, then I was off.
The Run:
Let me tell you, it took me about 1-2mi to shake that wobbly feeling in my legs from the bike. But once I did get rid of it, the only thing that replaced it was pain. I have torn menisci in my knees (Grade 1, so not serious), but man, were they talking to me! The run was definitely the most challenging for me on a mental level. Every time I would walk, I had to talk myself into running again. I also had that song that goes, "Hey, hobo man, hey dapper dan..." from Annie stuck in my head the whole run. I guess my brain was trying to get me smile and trick myself into ignoring the pain. Or something...Anyway, I stopped at every aid station and got water, ice (both of which were either thrown down my tri suit or on my face after a couple sips), Powerade Perform (delicious, even though I didn't train with it), and potato chips the last couple stations. No GU or Chomps for me. It probably would have helped tho. Finally, the run and the race was finished! I was in a state of elation and also relief that I finished! If you're ever to do an Ironman 70.3, this one is a great one. Did I mention that we had perfect weather?? Cloudy, in the 70s, and NO WIND (or maybe like, 5mph at most). I can see how the weather would play a huge factor tho bcz there really isn't shade on the bike or the run...and the wind could just knock someone right off their bike, too.
Anyway, I am so happy I did this, and while I'm a little sore today (esp my knees), it's a feeling I can't shake. I am proud of this accomplishment and I will remember it always! Thanks to everyone for their support. Seriously, there were times I didn't think I could do it, but you guys really helped!
Race Results: Bib 552
Swim: 1.2mi - 1:53/100m = 36:41
T1: 6:05min
Bike: 56mi - 15.91mph = 3:31.15
T2: 3:35min
Run: 13.1mi - 10.33min/mi = 2:18.16
Total: 6:35.52