 |
| Wet & muddy race venue |
The race took place at World's Fair Park, Knoxville, TN, May 5, 2013. Unfortunately, a low pressure system hovered over the area for a few days dumping 7 inches of rain in 48 hours, during which participants struggled to swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles & run 13.1. This was my first race in almost a year, & the first race since recovering from my crash & clavicle fracture. As a training race for IM Wisconsin, I had 3 goals for this race: practice IM pacing, practice IM nutrition & have a negative split on the run.
I will preface this report by saying, this was my first Rev3 event & it was top notch! I have nothing bad to say about the event. It was great! Even though the sky was grey & the ground was wet & sloppy, the race people kept it positive & made it seem like we were still having fun :)
The day before the race
Besides the rain, my race did not start out perfectly. First, I arrived to find my front 404 flat & knew something was wrong, it's never flat & found that I had brought 2 extra REAR wheels & no front! Also, I could not find the wristband for my Garmin 310 that I was planning on using for the entire half ironman race to keep track of my heart rate, pace & time. Also, my Rudy's were at home! (my favorite accesory)Attended the pre-race athletes meeting, in the pouring rain the day before to hear what their plans were, if the nasty weather continued on race morning. It would take the apocalypse to alter the race plans. I talked with some co-participants who were discussing wussing out. But my mind kept saying, "what if it rains during Ironman? You gotta do this! This is your training race!" So, after checking in my bike to transition, I went to warm up at the hotel. Not much sleep that night since it was prom night & the halls were filled with the sounds of rowdy teens all night long.
Race morning
3:30 am, I awoke to 53 degrees & still pouring down rain. The weather reports were not encouraging, the were predicting record amounts of rainfall today. Yay :/.
My pre-race breakfast included a peanutbutter & honey uncrustable sandwich, beet juice, banana, Isalean shake & water. Arrived to the G10 parking garage at Neyland Stadium where transition was set up @ 5:15. Kudos to the race directors, this was excellent! Covered T-1 & T-2 & parking made a huge difference on such a horrible weather day.
My pre-race breakfast included a peanutbutter & honey uncrustable sandwich, beet juice, banana, Isalean shake & water. Arrived to the G10 parking garage at Neyland Stadium where transition was set up @ 5:15. Kudos to the race directors, this was excellent! Covered T-1 & T-2 & parking made a huge difference on such a horrible weather day.
Again, my front tire was flat. Exhausting all my options, I finally decided to use my only can or Pit Stop, inflate the tire & hope for the best. If the tire didn't hold or if I got another flat during the race, my race would be over.
Lesson #1, always have extra pit stop & extra wheels, both rear & front :).
After setting my transition area up, the big question on everyone's mind was; "what to wear on the bike?". I heard it over & over. Someone even mentioned wearing clear goggles on the bike! (you know who you are, LOL)
My plan was to wear my Gore Bike Wear windstopper tank, under my race kit. There was a vest, winter jacket, arm & leg warmers all laid out in T-1. I would decide what was needed depending on how cold I felt after the swim. I downed an Isagenix Eshot energy drink & walked the .25 mile to the waterfront, in the rain.
My plan was to wear my Gore Bike Wear windstopper tank, under my race kit. There was a vest, winter jacket, arm & leg warmers all laid out in T-1. I would decide what was needed depending on how cold I felt after the swim. I downed an Isagenix Eshot energy drink & walked the .25 mile to the waterfront, in the rain.
The Swim
79 women lined up to swim @ 7am in my wave, in front of Calhoun's in Knoxville. The water temp was 61, a few degrees warmer than the air, making this a wetsuit legal swim. Thank God! (seriously) The water was so cold, it took my breath away. The race did not allow athletes to enter the water prior to their wave start, so my hopes of getting a good warm up were disappointed. (I'm old & rusty, it takes a good 20 minutes for me to feel good) I did what I could on dry land & looked like a waving idiot, but hey, my muscles were warm & loose when the gun went off!
The swim began against the current. We swam 1/2 mile to the turn buoy & continued the swim downstream. I had a good swim. I was never able to catch a draft, guess because I was very near the front & had lots of clear water. Found a good strong rhythm & settled in for a 37 min 1.2 mile swim. Thankfully, there was a strong man available to pull me out of the water at the dock. Came out of the water 4th in my division. A good swim for me, since swimming is not my strength.
The swim began against the current. We swam 1/2 mile to the turn buoy & continued the swim downstream. I had a good swim. I was never able to catch a draft, guess because I was very near the front & had lots of clear water. Found a good strong rhythm & settled in for a 37 min 1.2 mile swim. Thankfully, there was a strong man available to pull me out of the water at the dock. Came out of the water 4th in my division. A good swim for me, since swimming is not my strength.
Athletes had to run back to T-1, 1/4 mile & this was hard because my feet were frozen & numb & the ground felt extremely harsh. My T-1 time was relatively slow, as my hands were also frozen & numb, making it difficult to get changed & loaded up, but eventually I made it & was excited to see my husband on the sidelines with my Rudy's in hand :) I grabbed em on my way out of T-1 & they made all the difference in how my ride went!
The Ride
The 56 mile bike leg began out of Neyland Stadium parking garage, took several turns around downtown Knoxville & ventured out into south Knoxville country. It was a very scenic & enjoyable course with it's own set of challenges, some steep hills, winding & WET descents & a few fast & flat sections where one could haul a$$. My personal ride was overshadowed by a cyclist fatality that occurred the day before at 3State3Mountain century in Chattanooga where a motorist & cyclist collided head on, on the notorious Och's Hwy. So, I rode very conservatively with this person's death on my mind. With wet roads, the danger factor is so high... I know what my bike fitness is, so this was not the place to test it. Bike nutrition consisted of a 600 calorie bottle of maltodextrin & Isagenix Want More Energy electrolyte mix, salt tablets (in case it hadn't been raining & cold) & water, LOTS of water. Eventually, even though it was pouring rain the whole time, I kinda forgot about the rain & just enjoyed the ride. The cold on the other hand, was unforgettable. My fingers & feet were frozen & numb. I had to shift, using my wrists, because my hands were cramping & my fingers were useless. This made trying to handle anything (salt capsules, gels) impossible & dangerous.
Concerned about my front tire going flat, I rode even more carefully & stopped to check it half way through the ride. It held!! Feeling a huge relief, I was able to ride more confidently, knowing my tire wasn't going flat. Even though the rain continued to pour down & we were all soaked, I stayed hydrated, even justified that since it was raining, that it was ok to pee on the bike (a first for me), so I did! & laughed out loud at myself, making sure there was no one around. Figured, I was already soaked & the rain would rinse it away :). No worries.
Passed a lot of cyclist on my way back into town, so guess my nutrition worked. No GI upset, no cramping (except for my hands b/c of the cold), this nutrition plan is what I hope to use for IM, glad to have success with it during this trial ride. What I learned later, was that the event police were having to pull people out of the race left & right for hypothermia. I had chosen to wear my winter riding jacket & that kept my core temperature fairly warm. I spent half of the ride in a continuous prayer for safety & half of the ride I sang the chorus to Annie, "the sun will come out, Tomorrow!" :) It was enough to keep my mind off how miserable I really felt. I know my guardian angel was there & God does answer prayers.
Concerned about my front tire going flat, I rode even more carefully & stopped to check it half way through the ride. It held!! Feeling a huge relief, I was able to ride more confidently, knowing my tire wasn't going flat. Even though the rain continued to pour down & we were all soaked, I stayed hydrated, even justified that since it was raining, that it was ok to pee on the bike (a first for me), so I did! & laughed out loud at myself, making sure there was no one around. Figured, I was already soaked & the rain would rinse it away :). No worries.
Passed a lot of cyclist on my way back into town, so guess my nutrition worked. No GI upset, no cramping (except for my hands b/c of the cold), this nutrition plan is what I hope to use for IM, glad to have success with it during this trial ride. What I learned later, was that the event police were having to pull people out of the race left & right for hypothermia. I had chosen to wear my winter riding jacket & that kept my core temperature fairly warm. I spent half of the ride in a continuous prayer for safety & half of the ride I sang the chorus to Annie, "the sun will come out, Tomorrow!" :) It was enough to keep my mind off how miserable I really felt. I know my guardian angel was there & God does answer prayers.
End bike split was 3:09 & avg of just over 17 mph. Not fast, I know, but careful & steady & in control. Still 4th in my division after the 3 hour ride & happy; because there was lot's left in the tank.
The Run
Again, with the frozen feet! T-2: shed the dripping & soaked coat & grabbed dry arm warmers, put on socks & shoes, donned the race belt & headed out into the rain. My family was waiting outside T-2, encouraging me to run fast. It was so wonderful to see them! Not exactly a great day for them either, standing in the rain for hours to cheer on old Mom...
The trouble was, I could not feel my feet!
The trouble was, I could not feel my feet!
Normally I would use my Garmin to pace myself, but that didn't happen today. No HR info, I just ran on PE & hit the lap button on my watch at every mile marker. My plan was to practice IM pacing for most of the run & then finish with a fast pace if I had anything left & hope for a negative split. So, that is what I did. One fast girl did pass me during the run & I didn't even try to keep her pace. I kept telling myself to stick with my plan, that this is just a training race....stay focused & don't worry about what anybody else is doing. The rain caused flooding & we had to run through lots of water. I gave up trying to dodge puddles & just ran through it. One creek crossing was knee high! Reminded me of IM COZ 2011. It was a challenging course with lot's of hills, but there were many great volunteers out at the aid stations & police were managing traffic well. At the half way mark, I picked up my pace just a touch because I still felt good. No cramping, no stomach upset (another first for me), no blisters...everything was running right on target, despite mother natures attempts to derail the race. By mile 8, I could finally feel my feet again. At the 10 mile marker, elated that I felt so good, my pace picked up & I finished the last 3 lonely miles in the rain with a good 7:37 min mile giving me a negative split! (running is my weakness). I finished with a total time of 5:47 for 70.3 miles & moved into 5th place in my AG. The top 2 girls in my AG were overall winners, so that left me in 3rd place, & happy :)
 |
| some pretty hardware |
It's encouraging when a plan comes together. All the dedication, sacrifice & hard work seem to be paying off & Ive got to stay positive about upcoming IMMOO. Today's race definitely helps.
 |
| wet, but happy to be done |
 |
| East Ridge Triathlon Teammates |
4 months until Ironman Wisconsin! I sure hope it doesn't rain.
You can find all the race results here:
Triathlon Leaderboard
