Finding Aloha: Ironman St. George 70.3

Since my one and only dnf in 2012, I have owed revenge on the St. George Ironman course.  This weekend I got my chance.

To say that I was anxious would probably be an understatement.  In 2012, I dropped out because I was unable to adjust my expectations when mother nature dished out some horrendous conditions.  I was completely fine, physically.  But mentally I gave up in the swim.  I honestly was shocked that I didn't drown that year.  That no one drowned.  And over the last 4 years, my mind has turned that epic day into a blockbuster movie reel.  One in which the fish are six times larger than reality and the waves could easily swallow up Noah's ark.

Wind, in its greatest power, whirls.

We arrived into Utah on Thursday afternoon and headed straight to Sand Hollow Reservoir to swim before checking into our hotel.  The winds pick up as the day goes on, and so by the time we swam at 2 pm it was fairly choppy.  I was glad to experience that chop before race day and start to put some of my demons to rest.

The swim takes place in the reservoir at Sand Hollow.

On race day, I did not have my usual confidence jumping into the water and even though the water was relatively calm, I had to continuously remind myself that I was OK.  That I could breathe.  That I was going to make it through the swim.  One girl in my age group took off so fast at the gun that no one could go with her.  I settled into a rhythm with another girl and pretty much stayed with her off to my left until the final turn buoy.  At that point I tried to pick up the pace a little and worked on safely dodging slower swimmers ahead of me.  I was thrilled to see a sub-30 coming out of the water.

We had been following the weather for a couple of weeks as I'm sure everyone was.  Rain and 50 degrees were predicted for race day, and that's pretty much exactly what we got.  It was raining by the time I exited the water.  Knowing how my body reacts in cold weather, I had packed my Smashfest Queen vest and arm warmers into my T1 bag.  With wet skin it took me longer in transition to get my arm warmers on, but it was worth the extra minute to be comfortable during the bike ride.

All smiles at the start of the bike ride!

The bike ride was everything you dream about.  It was beautiful.  And challenging.  And fun.  And totally awesome.  I focused on holding my watts according to my race plan.  With the rain making it difficult to see at times, and the wet roads, I was definitely not as aggressive on the bike as I would otherwise have been.  The one thing my husband had said to me on Friday was that he didn't want me descending from Snow Canyon on wet roads.  With Kona coming up in just 5 short months, I cannot afford to crash out and risk my only real goal for the year.  As the miles went by I laughed to myself that, like it or not, I was going to be descending Snow Canyon in the rain.  I really wasn't bothered by it at all.  I was mentally prepared but it was just ironic.

Don't worry, I didn't stop mid race for this photo op!

In fact, coming into this race, I prepared for the absolute worst possible weather conditions.  In my scenario it was more of a repeat of 2012- wind, heat, and more wind.  The cold and rain was much easier to deal with as I can just put more clothes on.  I never felt chilled until the final descent and when you're flying downhill at 44 mph for 8+ miles, it doesn't matter that you have layers on, it's darn cold.

Running into T2.

T2 was once again super long because with cold hands I had a hard time changing into my running shoes.  I was super excited to be off the bike, not because I was happy to be off the bike but because I felt like no matter what happened now I would get to the finish line.  I took off out of transition and saw my #bff about 2 blocks up just as you start the first 3 mile climb.  She got this awesome pic of me as I'm shouting to her:

# whatthefuck #frozen

Apparently I got a good laugh from all of the spectators in her vicinity as they heard me yell #whatthefuck?! #frozen!  In reality, I was staying plenty warm working my way through 70.3 miles.  They were standing for hours in the pouring rain, wind and cold.  Thank you #bff for doing just that!!

There is basically no flat ground on the St. George run course.  You're either running uphill, or coming down.  The good news is that the first 3 miles are uphill, which means that the last 3 are downhill!  In between it's a nice mix of climbing and descending to break up which muscles are being taxed.  I actually really like hills.  And I think this course favors strength over pure speed.  With my experience on trails, I definitely fall into the "strong" category and felt like I was running strong the whole way through.

Running downhill toward the finish!

I decided at the beginning of the run that I was not going to look at my Garmin.  Coach had told me during our pre-race briefing that on this course, it's impossible to sustain a specific pace.  (For example, at Oceanside the plan was to dial in a certain minute-per-mile pace and hold that throughout.)  With the ups and downs, my pace would be all over the place.  Rather than worry about it, I decided to just not look, and hold constant effort.  When I hit 2 miles to go I glanced down and realized that I was going to be well under my goal of 5:30 for the day I was ecstatic!

The camera man caught me running into the finish line... you can see me with 1:17 to go on the highlight video below!  

Happy camper!

Even though I didn't land on the podium at Ironman St. George 70.3, I accomplished all of my other pre race goals:
*Survived (and thrived!) the swim (Swim time: 29:50)
*Held goal watts on the bike
*Finished the bike under 2:55 (Bike time: 2:54:04)
*Finished under 5:30  (Total time: 5:20:09)

And I crushed my goal for the run course finishing the run in 1:47:37!

Post race!

After the race we relaxed and at dinner.  On Sunday morning we slept in and went for a nice easy bike ride with the only goal of capturing some of the gorgeous scenery in Utah.

I had to bike up a 12% grade for this photo op.  #totallyworthit

Our bikes are enjoying the view.

After our ride we had an hour to pack up and check out of the hotel.  This was our starting point...

Help!  A hurricane hit our hotel room!

Up next:
Tempe International Tri (local olympic distance race for fun!)
Ironman Coeur d'Alene 70.3

Approaching Race Week: IM St. George

I never really know what to expect from taper.  When you cut your energy output, strange things happen.  Your mind is trying to recover and rest, but your body has all this energy that it doesn't know what to do with.  You don't get your normal endorphin fix.  Emotions run rampant.  Sometimes I'm cranky.  Sometimes I get really nervous.  Sometimes, I am so worn out, that I savor every second of taper.  This year I find myself feeling a little nostalgic.

WTC announced this week that this year, next Saturday, is the last time that St. George will be raced as a full Ironman.  Next year, 2013, it will become a 70.3 race in an effort to entice a full field of athletes.  Lets face it, we all want to call ourselves "Ironman", but when it comes down to it, there are a lot of people who are afraid of a challenging course.  And St. George is notoriously one of the most challenging courses in North America. 

I feel so thankful that (my family and) I signed up to race St. George this year.  From the very first year, we knew that we wanted to take on this challenge.  Having completed 7 Ironman events, I'm not afraid.  I know I can complete the distance- I want to see how the distance can complete me.  I want to be beaten, (emotionally) broken, physically spent and still, at the end of the day, smile and raise my arms as I cross the finish line. 

It is the best feeling ever.  To know that you've worked for 6 months (or 7 years) with one goal in mind.  To know that you have given everything in training.  Sacrificed sleep.  And social life.  And time and energy.  To know that everything you have worked so hard for has paid off in ways that are unexplainable to the uninitiated.  It's what makes me go back for more.  Time and time again.  The emotional high is matched by the fatigue that sets into my whole body.  I lie in bed after the race and feel my muscles ache.  It's a good ache.  A satisfying ache.  An ache that deprives me of sleep, and reminds me of what my body is capable of. 

I also am feeling a little bit sad.  Sad that St. George will be no more.  I have one chance.  One opportunity to prove myself on this course.  There are no do-overs.  I do not take anything for granted and as I've entered this last couple week block of training I am almost irrationally fearful that something will happen.  A crash.  An injury.  Something that will take me out of the game before I start.  Having made it to the final week, I know now I will be on the start line.  But what if I love this race?  What if it pulls at my heart like the mountains of Tahoe, or the rugged shoreline of Big Sur?  I can't come back.  There is no second time.  It's now or never.  It makes me a little sad to think about it that way. 

So, here's to Ironman St. George.  I will meet you on Saturday.  I will dance with you for 140.6 miles.  I will embrace you at the finish line.  I will leave a little piece of my spirit in your waters an on your roads.  You will touch me.  You will teach me.  You will challenge me.  You will change me.  It is everything that I love about this sport.  And I feel blessed to have another opportunity to race.  I will be...  An Ironman. 

The Wake-Up Call: 14 weeks to St. George

This weekend I travelled to St. George, Utah to check out the Ironman St. George course.  The trip was organized by Durapulse and they graciously allowed us to join in their weekend training camp.  It was a slow start with a very long drive up to Utah, via Flagstaff and the very desolate roads skirting the Grand Canyon.  We arrived late afternoon and after a quick stop to view the reservoir (should be a nice one loop swim, with the potential for strong current due to gusty winds) we drove the first 20 miles of the bike ride en route to our hotel. 

I took copious notes as we drove so that I could formulate the best possible training for the remaining 14 weeks until race day.  So the first 20 miles looks like this (which you will understand if you live in Arizona..) 2 mile climb, not as steep as Usery.  Small Shea climb with a 6% Mt Lemmon decline.  Palisades and Shea climbs.  Flat.  Quick short hill.  Flat.  About 1 1/2- 2 miles of Shea and Palisades climbing.  Downhill.  Flat.  So in other words, rolling, punchy hills. 

After checking into the hotel, we went for a run on the course.  Like the bike course, there is really no flat ground to speak of.  If you can imagine for a moment, the course is run in the shape of an 'M', with a little diagonal out-and-back at the end on a street (ironically) named Diagonal.  The loop is run a total of 3 times during the marathon.  For the recon on Friday, my cousin and I ran one loop.  Each leg of the 'M' is downhill, turnaround and come back up hill, across the top of the M, and then down the next leg, turn around and come back up hill, across the top, then down the next leg.  You get the idea.  After the third leg of the M you continue the up hill to the top of Diagonal and then turn around and come back down. 

I really, really like this run course.  I am not much of a fan of flat ground when you have to cover 26 miles.  My muscles tend to really fatigue with the repetitive motion.  With the up and down hills, I am constantly changing which muscles I'm using, and thus allowing the opposite muscles to rest.  Plus, given the shape of the course, spectators will be all over the place and the family we have in town will literally be able to see us every 2 miles.  That's 12 times in one marathon, plus the finish line.  Even IMAZ doesn't have it that good. 

After our run, we changed into swim suits to hit a local pool.  I think we knocked out a quick 1500 meters, did a couple of 100 meter relays and then hit the water slides before we called it a day.  We ended Friday with some pizza and hit the racks by 9 pm.

On Saturday morning, the forecast showed temperatures in the low 30s.  This really concerned us as we prepared for our biking tour of the course.  However, within a couple of miles I realized I was really overdressed for the amount of effort I was putting out and tied my jacket around my waist.  I handed over my gloves to the sag vehicle and rode the course in a base layer and my jersey. 

The bike ride was nothing less than eye-opening.  A wake up call.  We started from our hotel and wove through town following the course through one loop.  I got a total of 47 miles in, averaging... wait for it....  14 miles per hour.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  14 mph.  14.  I know.  Hard to believe that one can actually bike that slowly.  But yes.  14 mph.  (Can you tell I'm struggling with this reality?)

It went like this:  we leave hotel.  Durapulse group takes off.  I, already dropped, follow.  Once we get out of town, it is just a relentless, slow climb for about 30 miles.  Mentally, it's very debilitating because it looks flat.  You're not climbing mountains.  There are no switchbacks.  There are really no hills to speak of for most of it.  You think you should be going faster, but you can't.  And then there is the wind.  Oh, blustery wind.  Head wind.  Cross winds.  No, no tail winds.  Just varying degrees of every other possible angle.  Wind. 

The countryside is quite interesting.  And believe me, I had plenty of time to take it all in.  The hills are stark, bare, rocky.  It's desolate.  And then you'll drop into a gorgeous little valley with acres of green grass, and a white picket fence.  Or cross a little bridge over a small creek.  Not breathtaking, but beautiful nonetheless.  I believe we had about 4 actual hills which provided a much needed break from the relentless false flat.  I'm not sure where this "wall" was that people speak of.  Or the switchbacks.  I guess when you are used to switchbacks related to climbing a mountain, it is easy to overlook a small hill climb.  (I think it's maybe the U-turn that sparks the use of the term related to this course.)  Either way, the course was much harder than I expected in the relentless, gradual uphill.  And much easier than I expected in that there are really very few climbs to speak of. 

And in the same way, the "fast downhill" to the finish has been overrated as well.  When we reached the town of Veyo, I retrieved my gloves for the descent back to St. George.  We were told, one more hill before the descent.  So we cruised up the highway in a very similar ascent to the beeline, maybe a touch steeper, for about a mile and then.... it flattens out.  There's no smokin' downhill.  I keep waiting and waiting.  And waiting.  Don't get me wrong, my average pace went from 10 to 20 mph.  But we were by no means going down a mountain. 

Finally, we see a sign that indicates a 6% grade is coming.  So I put my jacket back on and glove up in preparation.  And really, it wasn't much.  There were a couple of steep sections but it wasn't nearly the mountain that I had built up in my head.  I was expecting Mt. Lemmon.  I think I got Usery. 

So the bottom line is this:  I have a lot of work to do.  But it's a different sort of work that I had expected.  I am going to focus my training on becoming mentally prepared for the unending effort that will be required from mile 20 to 50 and from mile 70-100.  I think Mt. Lemmon will be key, not for the sort of climbing that is required, but just in putting forth solid effort for 20 miles at a time.  And I will spend plenty of time in Fountain Hills, on McDowell Mountain Road, and repeats up 9-mile. 

After returning to the hotel, somewhat dejected, we changed into our running shoes for a quick transition run.  I did 2 legs of the 'M' and figured out that it took about 1 1/2 miles for my legs not to feel like Jell-o.  I figure I can at least double this for race day.  However, it was nice to start on a downhill, and the changing up and down did again provide relief for my legs. 

After stretching we said goodbye to the Durapulse group as they were heading back to the Valley.  We showered and headed out for a much deserved lunch at Great Harvest Bread Company.  They did not disappoint.  We spent the afternoon lounging by the pool and soaking in the hot tub.  We found a great little Mexican restaurant for dinner. 

On Sunday morning, we got up early for our long run.  I had planned to do 2 1/2 hours.  So I ran one 'M', made a quick stop the hotel to pick up my cousin who ran the last 1 1/2 hours with me.  We ran one full loop of the course and finished with a total of 15.5 miles.  I ran much slower on Sunday, but a strong consistent pace throughout the 2 1/2 hours.  And if I can match that pace on race day, I'll be a very happy girl.

After breakfast we hit the road for home, this time via Las Vegas which proved to be much faster.  After soaking in everything from the weekend and realizing that I have a lot of work to do in a very short amount of time, I have decided to forgo attempting another marathon.  At this point, it's more important for me to be as well prepared for IM St. George as I can possibly be.  In order to do that, I need to focus on building my endurance, strength on the bike, and getting some good long bike rides in.  If I am worried about training for a marathon, and being well rested and properly tapered, that goes against everything I need to be doing for IM. 

Se la vie.  Or if you prefer:  I've made my bed, now I must lie in it.  Trust me, no one is more disappointed than I am about not being able to run Boston in 2013, but the last thing I want to do is have another bad race (ie: St. George).  So I will become one with my bicycle in the next 14 weeks.  If I am not on my bicycle, I will be thinking about my bicycle.  Dreaming about her.  Visualizing the course.  Preparing mentally, physically, emotionally for the beating I will give St. George in May.