The Swim
This was my first non-wetsuit swim in an Ironman event. And actually I've only done two open water long distance swims (ie: greater than 4k) without a wetsuit. So I had a lot of anxiety about how I was going to fare in the waters of Lake Woodlands. As always, I lined up in the front on the outside (away from the buoys).
Standing in the water prior to the start I was shaking. My husband rubbed my arms trying to warm me up, and I didn't have the heart to tell him I wasn't cold. I was terrified. Those 20 minutes are absolute torture waiting for the cannon to go off. Once the start was signaled and we began swimming, I was in my element and felt completely at ease. Magically all of my fears and anxieties fell to the bottom of the lake and I just put my head down and swam. Swam like I do every day.
The swim is a point to point swim, with 3 nearly equal distance legs. For the first leg, I thought 'just keep swimming, swim swim swimming' until I got free from the pack and settled into a rhythm. Then I began to recite my mantra from Arizona, 'I am a strong swimmer.' I. Am. A strong. Swimmer. With each stroke and each pull of my arm through the water. I became stronger.
After the first turn, the pack had thinned but I maintained my position on the outside. The water was more choppy but I continued to feel strong. Soon, we made the final turn into the canal. The last leg of the swim was approximately 1000 meters down a canal which was maybe 15-20 feet wide. Because it was so narrow and there were many bodies churning through the water it was a washing machine. I sighted every so often waiting and waiting to see the transition area come into view. It felt like FOREVER before the white tents finally appeared on the horizon.
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| Ironman Texas 2013: Swim exit |
I took my time in transition, making sure I applied sunscreen and had everything together for my bike ride through the Texas countryside.
T1 4:20
The Bike
The Texas course is often described by locals as rolling hills. Being from Iowa, and having ridden RAGBRAI twice, I was sort of expecting rolling hills. (Sidebar: anyone who thinks that Iowa is flat, I invite you to sign up for RAGBRAI. But please don't say I didn't warn you.) But as we drove the bike course on Friday, I realized that, in fact, there were no hills, just a gradual sloping of the road.
On race day, there was no free speed. I was constantly working for 112 miles. I was happy to have a single loop bike course on mostly fantastic road surface. I took it out of transition very easy and maintained my easy pace throughout. I told myself, once I hit 80 miles I could pick it up. By the time 80 miles rolled around I was happy to have paced myself so well as I had energy to spare in the final 30 miles of the bike.
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| Ironman Texas 2013: Bike course |
I encountered a few minor annoyances during the bike ride. The first presented as an inability to process fluids and calories. Everything I ate sat in my stomach for 112 miles (and then another 26.2...). I never felt nauseated, just full and sloshy. I tried changing things up. Taking in more salt. Taking in less salt. Taking in more calories. Different calories. Less calories. Nothing helped. I feel that the heat and humidity were somehow tied to this problem, and maybe I was just dehydrated but I just couldn't get out of this place.
Eventually my nutritional issues led to cramping of my adductor muscles. Thankfully, it was not severe and as soon as I felt the cramping come on, I took in more electrolytes and shifted to a lower gear. It never progressed to the point where I had to stop and stretch, I was able to manage everything to the transition area and even pushed the pace a bit in the final 20 miles.
The one annoyance that I couldn't control were the "big guys" who would pass me on a downgrade and then start coasting. As I mentioned before, there was no free speed on this course. So there really was no place that you could coast and maintain your pace. This meant that these guys would go by me, and then slow down. Some even slowed so much that I actually had to hit my brakes to avoid colliding with them as I have to drop back to legal distance before I can pass them again. Over and over and over again this would happen. I know if I had been racing the bike course as I did at Arizona last year this would not have been an issue. But that wasn't my goal for Texas so I had to just deal with it. I managed to take it in stride and maintain my happy-to-be-here attitude for the entirety of the bike course, but I was happy to see T2.
Bike 5:58:07.
I rolled into T2, and a good friend was camped out inside the tent. I asked her if she wanted to walk with me, and she declined saying that her knee was hurting and she was dropping out to avoid further injury as IM AZ is her goal race for the year. She helped me gear up for the run and gave me some words of encouragement. I took some time to apply more sunscreen and drank a little water. I hoped that by sitting for a few minutes my stomach would empty a little.
T2 7:23
The Run
I loved the run course at Texas. I know this might categorize me as crazy, or in need of mental help, but it was truly a fantastic course. As a 3 loop course, there was so much entertainment and hundreds of spectators on course to keep us distracted and motivated. The aid stations were wonderful.
The course starts out circling through the woods back to the park where the swim started. Then we continued through the woods alternating between paved bike path and a lane of the road. The woods provided some much appreciated shade and protection from the blistering sun. The middle couple of miles we looped through the most gorgeous neighborhood. Every singe home was like a plantation. Huge. Southern. Regal. Beautiful. It was wonderful to look at and so much fun. Then we went through the woods briefly again and ended up on the path that circled the canal where we finished the swim. This stretch was long, hot, and exposed but the sheer number of people screaming and cheering kept me smiling and moving forward.
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| Checking out the run course prior to race day. Beautiful!! |
Throughout the run course I had to manage my fluids and calories, just working my way from one aid station to the next. I was thankful to have brought along a bandanna which I filled with ice and alternated tying it around my neck or my head. The ice would slowly melt and keep me cool. I never felt overly hot, just occasionally weak when my blood sugar would drop. I had a hard time eating on the run because nothing sounded good. Usually I can take in a little solid food, or keep eating gels and I'm fine. But with the humidity playing tricks on me, I had to force myself to eat anything at all. I nearly did a cartwheel when I rolled into an aid station and was offered salted watermelon. Yes, please!
As afternoon turned into evening, the sun began to dip lower in the sky. The temperatures dropped ever so slightly and the aid stations brought out the chicken broth. By the third loop, I could feel the finish line and with 5 miles to go, I was already celebrating. I teared up a couple of times thinking about what an amazing day it had been and how happy I was to be nearly done. My last 4 miles were the fastest of the day as I ran with the hugest grin on my face. I was about to be done with my 9th Ironman race.
I had entered this race with a lot of trepidation and anxiety. I didn't feel ready physically or prepared mentally for the challenge. What I realized is that without expectation, I freed myself to enjoy every second of the race despite the challenges. I never had a negative thought. I never became discouraged even when I believed I swam a 1:23 or had to walk more than I would have liked to. I allowed myself to race for the simple pleasure of Ironman. It was a celebration of my strength and health and all the work I've done over the last 6 years.
I crossed the finish line in 12:33:04 with my arms in the air and joy written across my face. It was the perfect start to my Year of Ironman.
Post Race
After the finish, I wandered into the athlete area and found my husband who had just emerged from the medical tent. We went through the food line, but I just couldn't think of stomaching the burritos that were offered. I drank a chocolate milk and then suggested we head off to collect our gear before my hour window was up and I was starving. (It generally takes me about an hour after finishing to feel up to eating.) With my medal around my neck, and a smile still plastered on my face we walked the quarter mile or so back to transition to collect our things. We loaded everything into our car, parked in a garage across the street, and drove our bikes back to the finish line where we turned them over to TriBike Transport. And then we left in search of the nearest drive through chocolate shake! We made our first ever trip to Jack in the Box where we had burger, fries and shakes. With a full belly, we relaxed on the bed and watched movies waiting for sleep to overwhelm us.
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| Ironman #9 in the books! |
Thoughts on IM Texas
Though I wish IM Texas were in March or April, I truly loved this race. It was well organized, well supported by the community and such a beautiful venue. I'm already registered for next year!
There is something to be said for southern hospitality and I will never tire of hearing 'Y'all are doing awesome!' They could probably swear at me with a southern drawl and I'd giggle. The food at the pre and post race banquet was amazing. So if you're on the fence about Texas, take a leap of faith. Y'all will be happy you did!
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