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| IMTX 2017 |
The Good:
12:46 Overall
PR by 46 minutes
Amazing support crew and friends
The Bad:
Nasty canal water
Flat tire at mile 6.5
The Details:
Pre-Race -
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| View of the canal from the host hotel |
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| Racked and ready |
This was my 4th IMTX so I had some degree of complacency with
training and expectations. I prepared with minimal training (no more than 12
hours per week) using a flexible schedule so that my priorities were always
clear - Family First. Because of my ever-changing schedule, I mostly trained
alone. It gets lonely out there but builds mental toughness. I volunteered
to participate in a research study that would require me to provide blood and
urine samples at the swim start and race finish. The study was looking at the
effects of endurance training on organ failure. I was happy to help out and
unconcerned about any negative effects of my participation. I rented a Beacon tracker in hopes of helping others track my race, the IM app has previously been delayed with updates.
I attended the practice swim Friday morning. I started the morning
wearing sunscreen and sneakers, past experience included lots of walking and
hot sun! The water was 78 degrees so I swam in my suit, about 900
yards. Assuming temperatures would hold, I planned to wear my swim skin on race
day. The water felt comfortable and I enjoyed the swim practice.
After the swim, I rode my bike a couple miles to make sure
shifting was on point and the wheels were seated without rubbing. I rechecked
my run and bike gear bags before check in and let some air out of the tires.
Next we drove to transition to drop my gear. I quickly moved through the check
in process. There was no need to stall, I had done this before! We left to eat
lunch at the Cheesecake Factory then check into the hotel.
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| Best sherpa ever! |
The day moved slowly. I am not accustomed to so much down time. We
walked the mall and relaxed in our room only to leave again to walk the
waterway and expo. We ran into some friends at the bar and had a cider (and a
water) while enjoying the shade and breeze. We grabbed a sandwich for dinner
and headed back to the room for the night. Lights out at 9 and I was calm and
ready for sleep.
Race Morning-
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| Transition- Race morning |
I woke at 4:15 to start my coffee and routine. We sun screened,
tattooed, and headed to transition. Again, I moved with purpose, knowing that I
wanted to be at the swim start by 6. I filled my tires and put my hydration and nutrition on the bike, then filled my gear bags. We drove to the swim and said our good
byes as Jason was driving back toward the finish line to volunteer with the VIP crew for the remainder of the day. I arrived at the research tent and provided my samples then walked
to the swim to seed myself with the 1:20 swimmers. I met up with a training
buddy, JP, and we chatted and waited for the cannon. While waiting in the
corral, it became apparent that women were vastly outnumbered (75/25) as I was
in a sea of green caps and tall men! Regardless, I was calm and ready to start
my day.
Swim- 1:18 (PR 2 minutes)
I entered the water and started off. The crowd never waned, always
a swimmer near me or touching me. I found it easier to sight off of a pink
swim cap rather than search for the buoys. My first mistake was hitting the lap
button on my watch (as if this was a training swim) at the first turn buoy. I
didn’t realize my mistake until I was approaching the canal, so much for swim
data! I have completed races and even an Ironman without the use of my watch so I was
unconcerned and remained calm. Entering the canal was chaotic with the addition
of buoys and kayaks to further hinder traffic flow. The smell and taste of the water was
of mulch and manure and made me feel nauseated. I knew this section would
feel long so I searched repeatedly for some feet to draft unsuccessfully and
kept swimming forward to the final turn buoy. I had been thinking about my
effort and was concerned that I hadn’t pushed hard enough on the swim. I
climbed the ladder to the landing and wasn’t tired, it was a good swim.
Transition- 5:11
After grabbing my bag, I saw Paul and received a quick high 5 and
a bootie slap on the way to the tent. My volunteer was calm and awesome. We
methodically got my gear out and on quickly. The mud in transition was piling
into my shoes but onward I ran to start the bike. As I mounted, I noticed that
that the pedal was tight to push so I dismounted and checked the chain to make
sure I hadn’t dropped it. In hindsight, I think the mud was making it difficult
to clip in rather than hard to turn the pedal. The slow down allowed me to see Lee and Jeff on my way out to the first turn.
Bike- 5:51
The ride out was crowded as everyone was jockeying for position
while trying to hydrate and eat. During those first 5-10 miles, I knew it was
critical to find my position because of the new 12 meter drafting rule. I had a
flat on the front tire at mile 6.44. As I was changing the tube, support
arrived and finished the job with a pump and I was on my way. The road was
bumpy with uneven joints all along the toll road. Each time I wondered if this
is the one that would cause a flat. From the beginning of the ride, my heart
rate and power were not reading so I focused on cadence and RPE. Luckily, I
have trained many years without bells and whistles so it was an easy shift in
focus. I knew that I was riding faster than planned but not so much that it
would kill my run so I kept going. The tailwinds were speedy and the headwinds
were hell. My biggest complaint was the road surface and that six bike lengths
is a lot during a headwind! I didn't notice much of the scenery on the toll road because I was trying to keep my head down in aero position. All those lonely training miles helped me tune out the other riders and remained focus on executing my race.
Transition- 6:59
After handing off my bike, I took off my shoes and jogged barefoot
to the tent, it felt great to be out of my shoes. I was super excited to see Tom and Sue as I ran through transition. Again, I had a calm volunteer
who quickly assessed my gear and got me moving in the right direction.
Admittedly, my senses were dull and that chair felt fabulous! I changed my clothes, applied vaseline, and headed out for the run.
Run- 5:24
My plan for the run was to walk the aid stations and jog between.
I was able to hold to the plan for the first loop and was grateful to the
support of my Cypress Triathlon friends, Lea, and Amanda and the kids for the encouragement. I
knew that I would not be able to maintain my pace for the next loop but
continued onward. I was happy to see Leslie at the park, reminding me to stay
focused so that I could finish strong. The second loop had a couple more walk
breaks but I kept them short. The cloud cover and cooler
temperatures helped to keep me cooled down and I didn’t need ice. I began a
mental struggle as I finished the second loop. I stopped with Jason and Amanda
to have a good cry and meltdown but both sent me on my way to get this done! It
was the kick I needed but I sure wanted some sympathy too. It took a couple
miles for my motivation to get back on track then I went back to my walk/run
plan. I used the restroom three times during the course, a lot for me, so I thought I was doing a good job with hydration. Jason had told me that the Ironman app had predicted a finish at 7:15pm (45
minutes earlier than my stretch goal), so I focused on creating the biggest
gap. A PR was inevitable; it was about how much better I could do. I continued
to high five the kids, stop to thank friends, and find things to enjoy on the
run. My family was in the bleachers at
the carpet, flashing their pink shirts and smiles. Jason was my catcher and put
my medal on, just like the first time in 2011. I cried again, knowing that I
had surpassed what I had thought was possible.
Post Race-
After photos, we met with family in the village. I was so grateful
for their support. I went back to the research tent to submit my samples. Not
surprisingly, they had difficulty getting my blood sample! It was hard to
believe I had only lost about 1.5 pounds. Pablo and Faby walked me back to the hotel,
as I prayed we would not use the stairs! My legs had already begun to get stiff
and the chafing was becoming uncomfortable. I spent the evening trying to
hydrate and force myself to eat as I fought nausea and leg pain. I watched the finish
line on my phone and could hear Mike Reilly announcing from my room. I made a
decision that I would leave my race bracelet on until I completed my post race report. Following the race, I had a "freeze and squeeze" session at Cryo Recovery. Next I wore compression socks and sat in the hot tub. I may have resumed activity too quickly, lending my recovery to last a full seven days. As
I sit, almost a full week later with stiff legs and what looks like a soon-to-be-lost toenail, I have not forgotten the “work”
that it took to finish the race. I am not thinking of the next Ironman but I
also am not foolish enough to say that I’ll never do it again. For now, I just
want to be able to enjoy working out and living a healthy lifestyle.
