Half Ironman (Boulder Long Course Triathlon) - race recap!

Wow, training for this race has been a big part of my life the last 8 months and now it's over! Honestly, I'm a little glad for a break! The race went really well, though. I achieved my main goal of finishing, and my time was 6:15, which is actually right around where I expected (although I was kind of hoping to finish in under 6 hours).

I started at 7 AM but got to the Boulder Res. a little after 5, so I had a lot of time to get ready. Maybe I should have gotten there later, although I ended up spending 20 minutes in line for a portapotty and was glad that I didn't feel rushed! The swim went really well, surprisingly. I finished in about 35 minutes (top 400 out of 1130 racers, my best finish of the day). A 1:45 pace for about 2000 meters - woohoo! I'm not sure how big my wave was, but it was very nice that the waves were 5 minutes apart. I had much more space in this race than previous ones, so I was actually able to get into a good rhythm and really enjoyed the swim.

The bike started out slowly. My plan was to average about 18 mph, but it started out with a discouraging false flat that made me doubt my ability to even average 16 mph. Luckily, some nice rolling hills and beautiful countryside followed so according to my bike I averaged 17.8 mph. I was very conscious of my effort on the bike, and kept my heart rate below 150 bpm (about 77% of my max HR) except for a couple of times on some small hills. This made the bike section into a somewhat leisurely ride for me, and I enjoyed it for the most part (not to say riding 56 miles by yourself is easy! I don't think I've ever done a ride that long at that pace by myself before.). I had a gu at 10 minutes, and then every 45 minutes, while taking a sip of either gatorade or water every 10 minutes. I made sure to take my last gu with about 30 minutes left so that I didn't have too much in my stomach starting the run. The temperatures were very cooperative, I don't think it got above 80 so that was phenomenal. The only bad thing about the bike was that I got a flat with about 7 miles to go. Even this wasn't too bad though, since it gave my legs a break and neutral support (didn't even know there was such a thing) came along, so I got to just stand on the side of the road and catch my breath. So my official bike time was 3:13.

My awesome friends were cheering me on when I finished the bike. I still couldn't believe I was about to run 13 miles after everything else I'd done. But I was feeling confident that I could do it as long as I went at a nice, steady pace. Positive thinking has been my good friend leading up to and during this race (it should be that way all the time). Again, I aimed to keep my HR below 150, but the last half or so I allowed it to get higher and it was around 150-155 for a lot of the run. Even so, my pace was a little slower than I was hoping for. I averaged 10:40 per mile, which shouldn't be too surprising since my pace on my long training runs is always around 10-11 min/mile. One thing my training the last few months has lacked has been faster paced runs. But, then again, at least I had the fitness to finish the thing, which is really what was most important! :) I was pretty happy that I didn't have to walk much, just 30 seconds at every few aid stations. The last couple of miles I ran by several people (men and women) walking. I had two more gus during the run, and 4 clif blocks. No bonking, and no sloshing-stomach either! Yay!

I did feel really bad a few times on the run. I ran with another women for about 4 miles and we talked a bunch, which helped the miles go by. Then I sang to myself for a while, and also kept reminding myself that this was something I've been wanting to do for a while, so I should appreciate it! The other big motivator for me was the funraising for Faith Alive. My math skills during workouts is notoriously awful, but I calculated that I raised about $15 per mile. And that is almost exactly how much it costs for 1 month of life-saving anti-retrovirus drugs for AIDS patients. I'm not sure if that is what the money will go toward, but it was a nice physical thing to think about as I contemplated the viability of finishing those last few miles in the half marathon. :)

Actually the last half mile was the worst. That was the one time I thought it would be nice to just stop and lay down for a while, and maybe a spectator would take pity on me and carry me to the finish line. So I just said over and over again, "You can do it, you can do it ..." Maybe I sounded nuts, but it helped, and I finished! :) Once again, I had a loud little cheering contingency at the end, which brought a big smile to my face.

So, now that it's over, I am very happy that I did it. I enjoyed most of it, even the hard parts, just because I was so excited to be doing something so big! Two things I would do differently are: 1. We spent a lot of the day before out and about. I ended up being very tired and very busy getting things together Saturday night. In hindsight, I should have gotten everything together Friday night and spent less time in the sun and more time with my feet up on Saturday. 2. Something about what I ate. Too much simple sugars maybe (6 gus, lots of gatorade, and the 4 clif blocks), but my stomach felt awful for about 4-5 hours after the race (luckily it was after, though). If I ever do another one of these (which right now does not sound appealing), I will put some more thought into pre-race day and race-day nutrition.

Overall the race was great, the volunteers were all very cheerful and encouraging, the aid stations were great, the course was beautiful, there were portapotties on the bike which I appreciated. I would definitely recommend this race to someone wanting to try out the long distance!

I'm doing a half ironman in 4 days ...

Somewhere in our spare bedroom is a list that I made about 7 years ago. It was one of those "things to do before I die" type lists. Some things I have realized might not come to fruition (when would I have time to through-hike the Pacific Crest Trail?) but on Sunday I'll hopefully be able to check off one thing I've been wanting to do for several years: Do a half ironman!

One thing I will have to work on during the race is my pacing. I found an article about how to be successful in an Ironman, and the authors state that "race day is about execution, not fitness". I can see where they are coming from. Fitness-wise, I am ready to tear through the bike section! But that's not what it's about. Knowing that running is my weakest discipline, I need to save a lot of energy through the bike. I think I should never feel like I am going really hard on the bike. Which is kind of a relief but kind of sucks. :)

The other skill I will have to execute is my mental attitude. The same article says: "As your race day continues, you will eventually hit the Line. It's at this point that your body begins to debate, very loudly, with the mind. Unless you have a very clearly defined goal or compelling reason why you must continue, your body wins and your day will start...to get...very...long."

Do I have a compelling enough reason to keep going? I think having Chris and other friends' support will spur me on. Not that he would think any less of me if I don't finish, but he seems to believe in me and supports me in this crazy ordeal. If you need proof we can start with him getting up at 3:30 AM with me Sunday morning! The other big thing is all the support for Faith Alive. I feel like doing a half ironman is such a small thing compared to the daily struggle of living with AIDS in a third world country. Comparing the two feats makes me feel silly and very spoiled. But if I need strength trying to finish the race I will think of the people Chris met and the stories they shared - all of which remind me that the human spirit is way stronger than 70.3 miles!

I don't know what to expect. I know it will be very hard. I will probably get bored and kicked in the head during the swim, want to go faster during the bike, and want to lay down and cry at some point during the run. So why am I doing this?? Good question.

One strange thing that draws me towards these endurance type events is the whole idea of pushing yourself harder or farther than you thought possible. In those moments of feeling worst, you seem to learn all sorts of things about yourself. And the feeling at the other side is incomparable. Maybe I will have more reasons for why I am doing this a few days afterward (when I can walk again). :)

I will leave with a quote from another article from Bicycling magazine that I've been meaning to share. It is the best way I've found to explain why I like doing hard things. The author is referring to the sign at the top of the Col de Galibier, a famously brutal climb in the Alps.
"I remember that damned sign as if I still stand beneath it, damned now by myself because I want to ride my way back to it again and again. We all do. We seek the sign at the top of the Galibier, at the end of our driveways, at the beginning of the weekend ride. We try to reach it when we've had a bad day at the office, when we have a fight at home, when the traffic sucks and the ATM is down - and when illness or disease or bad luck or the plain act of being alive brings us the kind of suffering that can't be stopped simply by unclipping from a pedal. To be strong we have to truly understand once how weak we are."