Ironman Wisconsin 2013 Race Report

September 8, Madison Wisconsin. This was my 3rd 140.6 mile triathlon. I arrived well trained, well fed, healthy, loved & mentally prepared. My bike was tuned & running smoothly thanks to my friends at East Ridge Bicycles; I was ready! Or so I thought.

IM Wisconsin has the reputation amongst triathletes as being the hardest IM in the USA. So, I spent a good 7 months getting ready after recovering from a nasty clavicle fracture & surgery in July 2012. Armed with a trusted coach & training plan, many, many hours were spent in the gym, pool, on the road cycling & running all the hills I could find.

My husband & I drove the 13 hours from Chattanooga, leaving my 2 daughters with family so they wouldn't have to miss school. We arrived on Thursday with plenty of time to check in, check out, spend $$ on IM swag, drive the course, swim parts of the swim course & soak in the vibe.

Inspirational surprise from my daughter

chaaaa-ching! sucka!

This ain't no Cozumel!

Athletes pre-race swimming

Having ridden the bike course during the summer of 2012 & having a really bad experience on it, a black cloud of dread foreshadowed my expectations of racing 112 miles during IMOO 2013. This was wasted negative energy, shame on me.

So, Sunday morning I awoke @ 3:20 am for a breakfast consisting of my homemade smoothie concoction, (heavy on the carbs, low on fiber) & a Kind bar, water, Chai Tea & mentally visualized my race a number of times.

Stephen (hubby) drove me to Monona Terrace @ 5, dropped me off to pump tires, fill bottles & drop off special needs bags. It was still dark out but the energy in the air was buzzing with all the 2500 athletes & their pre-race jitters.

The morning was windy & the sky was grey. It even looked stormy. Lake Monona looked angry with chop & 2 foot swells. The forecast called for 15-17 mph winds & temps in high 70's. It didn't sound too bad to me, I've raced in all types of weather. It doesn't always turn out well, but it can always be worse.

By 6, I was at the water's edge preparing to slip into my wetsuit. I wanted to be in the water by 6:30 to warm up & line up properly. I guess my mind was fuzzy because I found my Garmin 500 in my swim bag; it was supposed to be on my bike. Now there was no time to run back to transition & make it back to the swim in time. The crowds were suffocating, there was no option but to either swim with it or have Steve try to pass it to me during T-1. 

I was one of the first people into the water. Swam out & treaded water, hung onto an SUP & chatted it up with my fellow IMer's for apx 25 minutes waiting for the cannon to go off. It was amazing to watch >2000 athletes funnel through the gate during that time. Some people were still on dry ground when the cannon blasted, even though it's a deep water MASS swim start.

I lined up along the buoy line, plan to take she shortest path & prayed for clear water. When the BOOM sounded, we swam. It was instant madness. If you have never swam an Ironman mass swim start & if you have not witnessed one in person, there really is no way to describe it & do it justice. I know some people swear the "rolling" swim start is safer & better, but I personally would not participate in an Ironman if it wasn't mass swim start. I believe this is an integral part of the recipe that creates Ironman; because it is THAT EPIC. I guess everyone else had my same idea, because there was no "clear" water. People were slapping, grabbing, elbowing, pushing, clawing, Im sure there was some biting & kicking. It was similar to a mosh pit at a punk concert (luckily, I am well versed) but without the rock music :(. It's a love hate relationship, I love it but it hurts & it's scary, you think you might die, drown, get pushed down & never surface but you just keep pushing & breathing & when it's over...it was soo worth it.  The heavy swells on the back section made it hard to breathe without water pouring into your mouth. All that being said, I emerged from the water in 1:18; my slowest IM swim time but also the worst conditions.

Here is a video I pulled from youtube of the 2013 swim. Grey skies, grey water.

Transition was a good one, running through the cheering crowd, up the helix into the ballroom was fun. I was able to grab my Garmin from Stephen :). The volunteers were excellent! So helpful & was in & out of there in a jiffy & onto the bike. I carried my shoes to the mount line, it made the running easier.

Well, I wish I could say that it went perfectly. But... this is where it all started to unravel. I came to this race more prepared than any other race. I was stronger, leaner, meaner & with more purpose! But, my HR strap never picked up. Guess it died during the swim & I was left to pedal 112 of the hardest miles in IM on perceived effort. UGH!!! Realizing early on, that this was for all intensive purposes, this was a race buster for me, my only option was to persevere & do the best I could. So I had fun with it. Breaking the course down into 14 mile sections & focusing on averaging 19 mph during those sections was my back up game plan. 

Once onto the loop, where the roads are extremely bumpy, it became apparent that my seat post was loose. Every bump, my seat fell a little lower! I did not have any tool to tighten it, so I just rode it to the finish & lost a few inches. So much for the importance of a GOOD bike fit ;) 

The course was AMAZING! The hills were no problem for me (maybe because I wasn't worried about HR?) I kept thinking "free speed!" & hammering the downhills, carrying my momentum into the next hill.

My tush never left the saddle, I spun easily up the rollers & when it came to Old Sauk Pass, all I can say is WOW! The crowd was inspirational, people were dressed in devil costumes, in drag, like cartoon characters, cowbells, cheerleaders, screaming, cheering; it was helpful & made the climbs go by quickly, even made it fun.

By the 2nd loop, I could tell my oomph was fading. Knowing this meant I probably overdid the first loop & made a conscious effort to ease off & eat more, but still hammered the descents. The course is unrelenting. It's just up & down, constant. The descents are not friendly either, there are hairpin turns & gravel, both loops I witnessed BIG guys go into the turns too hot & not make it out, crashing. The crowd support was there to help. The weather was perfect, if a little windy & I enjoyed the bike. When I got off the bike, I was frustrated at not having HR to gauge my race by & my tummy was unsettled, but I had had the ride of my life; meaning it was fun. My overall avg. was 17.9. Unable to hold 19 mph consistently, but it is what it is; there was a lot to be thankful for, no crashes, no flat tires, no cramping & still smiling.

Transition #2 was again, excellent because of all the wonderful volunteers. In & out quickly, changed shoes & socks & hats & was out the door. Immediately saw my husband & stopped briefly to hand off my worthless HR strap & have a quick kiss. At this point, it started to dawn on me that I wasn't feeling so hot.

exiting T-#2

The run was a sufferfest. I ran a focussed 10 min mile, purposely slow until mile 6, hoping to be able to pick up the pace after that. Didn't happen. From mile 9-18 I battled the IM  belly demons & actually walked quite a bit because my stomach was not having it. Never having to WALK in an IM before, I was devastated & wanted to cry. This is where the race gets real. The voices in my head!!! "why are you doing this? I'm NEVER doing another Ironman! Maybe I should just quit, what's the point?" Yeah, that was happening. I wasn't alone, it looked like the zombie apocalypse during my time on the run course. By mile 18, I was over my pity party & decided to get it done. Started hitting the chicken broth & cola at every aid station & found my purpose. Mile 19 I ran, told myself, "this mile I'm running for Alexa" (my oldest daughter) Mile 20, I ran for Emma (my youngest daughter) Mile 21 I ran for my Mom. Mile 22 I ran for my dad, mile 23 I ran for Steve & mile 24 I ran for myself & by mile 25 I was cruising for the finish line. This is what got me through, remembering all the people who loved & supported me to this point & letting their strength propel me to the line. My overall marathon pace equalled to 11 min mile (far from my goal pace) & my overall Ironman time was 12:35.

It wasn't the race I was hoping for. But it could have been much worse. It is doubtful I will ever put high expectations on myself or on a race result because the disappointment is more agonizing than the pain of the race itself. But I will race again. Now that IM Chattanooga exist, I must check that box & I have always wanted to do IMFL. My journey continues.

Biggest thanks of all to my biggest fan & supporter, my husband Stephen. None of this insanity would be possible without him.

(In the finishers chute I did slow down to allow the racers in front of me to clear so I wouldn't mess up their photo, but the guy in front of me decided at the last minute to give high fives to people on EITHER side of the finish line before crossing it!!! Whatever.)