Finally got around to signing up for an Ironman branded 70.3. My last (and only) was Racine in 2014. For two years, I'd heard nothing but wonderful things about this race and I knew I just had to do it. The weather - BEAUTIFUL! The course - epically SCENIC! The Cambridge location - SO EASY TO GET THERE.
In truth - it was a very well put together race. Gerry Boyle does a phenomenal job with this location and he truly cares about the athletes. They can't help that it takes place on a weekend where you can't discern between Earth and racing on the surface of the Sun. Or that famous DC traffic... actually, really any traffic in the 100 mile radius of Virginia/Maryland/DC - its all terrible.
Holli, Bicycle Pete/Honest Sherpa, and myself stayed at the Comfort Inn, a few miles from transition - easy to navigate around town. We arrived Friday evening and got checked in, thrilled to have that activity checked off the list of stuff to do the following day. In an idiot move, I realized I had thrown my xlab aero bottle straw away (it was moldy and i'm only so into building up my immune system within reason) so I purchased some profile design products so I could fashion a new one. In a McGuyver-esque move, I was able to drink water from the bottle while laying in bed since the straw was three feet long. a completely useless party trick but amusing all the same.
In the morning, Holli and i geared up and did a 45 minute bike on the run course and a slow 10 minute run. the temps were rising and by 10 am, it was getting a touch uncomfortable. we reunited with BP/HS and traveled a few blocks up the road to a diner to enjoy a big breakfast and relax. shortly after, we packed up the bikes and dropped them off in transition. I bid miss daisy adieu and told her to behave herself overnight. there were a lot of pretty bikes and i didn't want her getting distracted for the ride tomorrow. like rider, like bike I always say.
back in the hotel, we settled in and relaxed. and laughed a lot. we danced. okay, i danced. i didn't feel a lot of race jitters - i was pretty happy hanging with my friends for the weekend, nearly forgetting at times that in less than 24 hours we would be done racing. rotisserie chicken and sweet potatoes for dinner - capped off with a handful of E.L Fudge cookies, water, rocket fuel, and osmo preload. mmmm SALT.
i coerced the group into falling asleep to titanic as i showed my skill at knowing nearly all the words to the 3 1/2 hour movie. i don't want to brag but... i'm pretty cool.
race morning - up at 3:45ish. obligatory 1 & 1/2 thomas blueberry bagels with peanut butter plus banana. another bottle of preload to wash it down. SALT. YUM. plus one bottle of rocket fuel to carry around for the morning - thank you BASE performance for the ever-so-excellent hydration products.
pete, holli, and i set out for transition - by the good grace of god, some fellow DC Tri-ers had a house 1 block from transition and were generous to let us park in the driveway and take over their abode for race morning (thanks you guys).
friends were doing a relay and adam had asked me when i thought it would pass him on the bike. they were starting about an hour before i did. my random guess? mile 43. we would see...
set up transition - bike was already there so topped off air in the tires, added bottles and nutrition, and set up camp on my red washington nationals rally towel. good to go. hung back at the DC tri house with a short solo dance party and then headed to swim start. wetsuit on, quick little freak out with Joanna (bless you friend for your hugs), and it was time to go.
swim:
i honestly recall close to nothing about this swim other than people were obviously cutting the swim short which is lame. as in - i could see them cutting buoys. meh. swam my swim, easy to sight with the sun way up (we were in one of the last waves), and it was pretty clear water, not a lot of wading through people with the lines i took so that made it easy. water temp was a little warm, very comfortable in wetsuit. really like my xterra vengeance for the shoulder flexibility and the rocking lavender sleeves. before i knew it, i was at the arch and running out.
T1:
wetsuit off, everything already on the bike, so quick ponytail adjustment, helmet and sunglasses on and it was time to roll. literally. pete hollered out that i was 22nd AG. we laughed.
bike:
goal was to keep HR at 140-145, i have the HR of a sloth, i know. the course is pancake flat, fast, and fun. i borrowed a pair of 808's from liz and felt like i was on cruise control just steady spinning - which i LOVE. none of those silly hills, just a constant high cadence and forward, steady movement. i felt great nutrition wise for the first loop - had all my calories in via honey stinger waffles and downed 2 bottles of rocket fuel - which is delicious cold but less than stellar when it is warm. as my heartrate set into the low 150's, i realized the heat was having an effect on me. i didn't feel tired, i actually wanted to push it more, but i actively slowed and conserved energy to follow the plan.
early into the second loop, my stomach stopped cooperating and as i forced half a waffle into my mouth, i took a big swig of rocket fuel, swallowed, leaned over my aero bars and watched that waffle and liquid come right back up and all over my arms. solid regurgitation at its finest.
well, bleh. that was nasty prochnow, i thought to myself. then a few lines of nasty girl ran across my brain and i laughed and looked around, still covered in puke.
this sport is pure glamour, start to finish.
i had my eyes peeled for adam as i rode into mile 40. sure enough, at mile 42.8, i passed adam - BOOM! "hey baby", i yelled at him, puke remnants still visible on my arms. damn, who wouldn't want to date me?
as i cruised into the final mile, a rider two bikes up fell in the no passing zone which caused a fairly abrupt slow down and stop. damn. so close but so far... we waited a little bit and then were able to continue the two blocks into transition.
T2:
aka re-rack, helmet/gloves off, adjust ponytail, grab all your shit and keep running.
run:
the plan here was to start with HR @ 140 for the first few miles- this is also known as fast-walking-in-the-heat speed - like 9:30-9:45 min miles - pretty awesomely sluggish. i shuffled along for three miles, ate a gel and water, loaded myself with ice/cold water at the aid stations, and marveled at the squishiness of my shoes this early in the race. i imagined the epic blisters that were likely forming with water going everywhere at all the aid stations/directly on my feet. I picked it up through miles 3-6, still feeling really slow but good in the heat. this wasn't a race to PR or set any records, more of a long training day and i understood that - though the competitor inside didn't love it. definitely a lesson in patience and HR regulation. after mile 6, i picked it up more and finally felt like i could run. pace started to drop quicker and i moved into the mid-8's for another 3 miles. I passed a few people as I myself got passed and i knew i was out of the top 5 - but again, training day. the last few miles were low 8's, high 7's and i felt fine. i could feel my quads tightening up around mile 11, but thats the homestretch! you just have to get to the finish, which i did. wasn't happy with the time, but for the 40th time, i reminded myself that i was sticking to ironman plan.
bigger picture, prochnow.
i felt a little weird for the first 15 minutes after finishing - i was just so hot. got some water, sat down, and felt normal pretty quickly. it was warm out there! saw teammates, old friends, new friends - the beauty of a "local" race - so awesome.
On to Placid!
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