Where do I begin with this race...lets start with the training.
Training.
I am a Dennis Welch Endurance Project Athlete and I waited until 2 months before the tri to inform Dennis that I was doing this race and that I needed a training plan...mostly because I had broken my arm in June and couldn't ride my bike until July (pain from the bike positioning). So Dennis made the plan and I stuck to it the best I could. I had a few hiccups during training which made me re-evaluate my recovery techniques. I began rolling out, using the stick, epsom salt baths, and stretching...which Dennis had already gone over the importance of back in MAY! I had knee pain in August due to a tight IT band that was pulling on my knee so after rolling out for a few days and taking it easy the pain was gone and I was back up and running. Last hiccup of injury was the worst! I had been increasing training and not really recovering accordingly...I began having foot pain a two and a half weeks before the big race! After a week of pain (where I could not run without pain) I went to my doctor, he said it was my tendon and this should not discourage me from doing this race...I continued the icing and no running. Race day came and NO PAIN! :) yay
Pre-Race Jitters:
I had been preparing for this race for 3 months ( a month in a cast where i could just run and not really swim or bike) and it was finally here! I was nervous, in fact so nervous that I hadn't had a full nights sleep in over a week.. I would be awoken by vivid dreams of failures on the race course such as not finishing, getting a flat, falling asleep, and i would actually wake up and be sitting up in my bed stretching. I normally do not have such bad race anxiety but this was such a long event that I was scared of "what could happen". The week prior I gathered up all my gear for the race and race nutrition packet my bags and my Mom and i headed to the Outer Banks!
Race Day:
We got there and got my transition area set up and ready to go!
The swim was first I did great, I always hate the first part of the swim because it is like a can of sardines until you get to the first marker. I continued on and passed those that flew past me at the beginning of the swim. I finished the 1.2 mile swim in 39:12. I got out and ran into transition and quickly got out there and started on the....bike.
The bike which was my fear...the bike I am bad at...I can run all day but that bike is my enemy. It started out fine then I realized that I forgot my gloves and cacao nibs...but o well that was nothing and the least important. I felt great out there and then my watch was dying...great but not the worst thing so I turned it off and kept going, it was my first 70.3 anyways. I am going along and more and more people are passing me...really discouraging but o well. I get to the turn around and make my second loop (at mile 28). Still feeling strong I keep pressing on...bad part is at this point I have to pee and don't want to get off the bike...if you have ever tried to pee while riding your bike it is HARD, really hard, so I waited until I was going downhill on the bridge to do it. Talk about gross, down my legs and into my shoes; I rinse my lower half off with water and keep peddling on! Well I am guessing about 10 miles until the finish I got a flat because I got slower...I tried to check the back wheel but the air pressure just looked low and I was on the verge of falling off the bike, so i kept going...I was almost done. I finished the bike in 3:46...HORRIBLE a 14.8 mph pace...yikes! O well I hopped of the bike and could barely walk...people are yelling for me to run and telling me "you can do this" "go go go". I made it to my spot and switched out gear not knowing how I was going to muster enough strength to continue on with the run. (Supplements used were homeostasis electrolyte pills, SR Bars, Roctane energy gels, cherry tart juice, and my camel back with water)
The run...I had been working with Dennis since June on working out with "dead legs", instead of normal recovery we would do lunges, squats, box jumps, etc in between running sets so I knew how to run on dead legs...but after a 56 mile bike ride...I wasn't so sure. So off I go with my goos, tart cherry juice (I don't drink gatorade), and my homeostasis electrolyte pills. I start the run exhausted, ready to already curl up and sleep...I just wanted to stop but I said I would do this and I was already over halfway done. I am running and I see NO ONE, literally no one running with me, when people flew past me on the bike I kept thinking...don't worry I will see you on the run, but that didn't seem to the the case this time, NO ONE WAS IN SIGHT! I kept going and saw the water stations and at mile two a few tears started up and I wanted to sit down a ball my eyes out...my body was tired I was thirsty and hot it was about 12pm. I kept thinking about how Dennis had gone a total of 90 miles pushing an athlete rider...20 with swollen ankles, I can do this. I got to a water station at mile 2.5 and went to the bathroom and dumped cold water on my head and body and had about 3 cups of water. I got this new surge of energy and kept trucking on! I started picking up speed and began seeing other racers around mile 3.5. At this point I was actually catching up to people and felt strong! I kept going and eventually saw more and more runners, that I passed! I passed over 30 runners during that 13.1 mile run and I would say over half complimented me on how strong I was looking and how great of a runner I was. If I hadn't been so hard on myself in the beginning and wouldn't of had GI issues than I would have been close to setting a PR for my half. I finished the half marathon in 2:14.
The total race time was 6:48...not that good but not that bad! I placed 1st in my age group, I may have been the only one in my age group but that just means that I am doing things that people my age are not and that is a HUGE accomplishment!
Training.
I am a Dennis Welch Endurance Project Athlete and I waited until 2 months before the tri to inform Dennis that I was doing this race and that I needed a training plan...mostly because I had broken my arm in June and couldn't ride my bike until July (pain from the bike positioning). So Dennis made the plan and I stuck to it the best I could. I had a few hiccups during training which made me re-evaluate my recovery techniques. I began rolling out, using the stick, epsom salt baths, and stretching...which Dennis had already gone over the importance of back in MAY! I had knee pain in August due to a tight IT band that was pulling on my knee so after rolling out for a few days and taking it easy the pain was gone and I was back up and running. Last hiccup of injury was the worst! I had been increasing training and not really recovering accordingly...I began having foot pain a two and a half weeks before the big race! After a week of pain (where I could not run without pain) I went to my doctor, he said it was my tendon and this should not discourage me from doing this race...I continued the icing and no running. Race day came and NO PAIN! :) yay
Pre-Race Jitters:
I had been preparing for this race for 3 months ( a month in a cast where i could just run and not really swim or bike) and it was finally here! I was nervous, in fact so nervous that I hadn't had a full nights sleep in over a week.. I would be awoken by vivid dreams of failures on the race course such as not finishing, getting a flat, falling asleep, and i would actually wake up and be sitting up in my bed stretching. I normally do not have such bad race anxiety but this was such a long event that I was scared of "what could happen". The week prior I gathered up all my gear for the race and race nutrition packet my bags and my Mom and i headed to the Outer Banks!
Race Day:
We got there and got my transition area set up and ready to go!
The swim was first I did great, I always hate the first part of the swim because it is like a can of sardines until you get to the first marker. I continued on and passed those that flew past me at the beginning of the swim. I finished the 1.2 mile swim in 39:12. I got out and ran into transition and quickly got out there and started on the....bike.
The bike which was my fear...the bike I am bad at...I can run all day but that bike is my enemy. It started out fine then I realized that I forgot my gloves and cacao nibs...but o well that was nothing and the least important. I felt great out there and then my watch was dying...great but not the worst thing so I turned it off and kept going, it was my first 70.3 anyways. I am going along and more and more people are passing me...really discouraging but o well. I get to the turn around and make my second loop (at mile 28). Still feeling strong I keep pressing on...bad part is at this point I have to pee and don't want to get off the bike...if you have ever tried to pee while riding your bike it is HARD, really hard, so I waited until I was going downhill on the bridge to do it. Talk about gross, down my legs and into my shoes; I rinse my lower half off with water and keep peddling on! Well I am guessing about 10 miles until the finish I got a flat because I got slower...I tried to check the back wheel but the air pressure just looked low and I was on the verge of falling off the bike, so i kept going...I was almost done. I finished the bike in 3:46...HORRIBLE a 14.8 mph pace...yikes! O well I hopped of the bike and could barely walk...people are yelling for me to run and telling me "you can do this" "go go go". I made it to my spot and switched out gear not knowing how I was going to muster enough strength to continue on with the run. (Supplements used were homeostasis electrolyte pills, SR Bars, Roctane energy gels, cherry tart juice, and my camel back with water)
The run...I had been working with Dennis since June on working out with "dead legs", instead of normal recovery we would do lunges, squats, box jumps, etc in between running sets so I knew how to run on dead legs...but after a 56 mile bike ride...I wasn't so sure. So off I go with my goos, tart cherry juice (I don't drink gatorade), and my homeostasis electrolyte pills. I start the run exhausted, ready to already curl up and sleep...I just wanted to stop but I said I would do this and I was already over halfway done. I am running and I see NO ONE, literally no one running with me, when people flew past me on the bike I kept thinking...don't worry I will see you on the run, but that didn't seem to the the case this time, NO ONE WAS IN SIGHT! I kept going and saw the water stations and at mile two a few tears started up and I wanted to sit down a ball my eyes out...my body was tired I was thirsty and hot it was about 12pm. I kept thinking about how Dennis had gone a total of 90 miles pushing an athlete rider...20 with swollen ankles, I can do this. I got to a water station at mile 2.5 and went to the bathroom and dumped cold water on my head and body and had about 3 cups of water. I got this new surge of energy and kept trucking on! I started picking up speed and began seeing other racers around mile 3.5. At this point I was actually catching up to people and felt strong! I kept going and eventually saw more and more runners, that I passed! I passed over 30 runners during that 13.1 mile run and I would say over half complimented me on how strong I was looking and how great of a runner I was. If I hadn't been so hard on myself in the beginning and wouldn't of had GI issues than I would have been close to setting a PR for my half. I finished the half marathon in 2:14.
The total race time was 6:48...not that good but not that bad! I placed 1st in my age group, I may have been the only one in my age group but that just means that I am doing things that people my age are not and that is a HUGE accomplishment!