Setting the Stage
Pre-Race Prep
I flew to Baltimore on Wednesday with my husband. We stayed at the host hotel, the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay. It was pricey, but it was a nice hotel and it was about 3 miles from Ironman Village. I got our grocery shopping done at the Walmart across the street, and then we had an awesome dinner at Carmela's Cucina. Thursday was jam packed with activities: a 3-mile run on the hotel treadmill, a 1500-yard loosen swim at the local YMCA, registration and packet pickup, athlete briefing (where I was a few minutes late and missed the early discussion of the swim map), bike pickup from TriBike Transport, race wheel pickup (404 front wheel, 808 rear wheel) from Race Day Wheels, a 24-mile ride with Brian and Ali, and a trip to the bike mechanics in the rain while they fixed my rear tire alignment issue (I didn't want to risk the back breaks rubbing on the Zipp 808). I finally returned to the hotel in the evening, and Cliff and I went to Rock Lobstah for dinner.
I flew to Baltimore on Wednesday with my husband. We stayed at the host hotel, the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay. It was pricey, but it was a nice hotel and it was about 3 miles from Ironman Village. I got our grocery shopping done at the Walmart across the street, and then we had an awesome dinner at Carmela's Cucina. Thursday was jam packed with activities: a 3-mile run on the hotel treadmill, a 1500-yard loosen swim at the local YMCA, registration and packet pickup, athlete briefing (where I was a few minutes late and missed the early discussion of the swim map), bike pickup from TriBike Transport, race wheel pickup (404 front wheel, 808 rear wheel) from Race Day Wheels, a 24-mile ride with Brian and Ali, and a trip to the bike mechanics in the rain while they fixed my rear tire alignment issue (I didn't want to risk the back breaks rubbing on the Zipp 808). I finally returned to the hotel in the evening, and Cliff and I went to Rock Lobstah for dinner.
Cheesin' in front of the crabby Ironman sign at registration/packet pickup:
On Friday I did a short 1.3-mile treadmill run at the hotel and 1,000-yard swim at the YMCA to keep things moving. I got my hair braided (I found someone in the Ironman Maryland Facebook group who was braiding in exchange for a donation to the local school) and Cliff and I had lunch at Overflow Cafe, which offers food at low prices to bring in folks from all over the community.
My friend at Overflow Cafe:
That afternoon, I checked in my bike, bike gear bag, and run gear bag. I was so relieved when the logistics were finally all taken care of! My awesome besties, Melissa and Stacy, joined us on Friday. We met up for a pasta dinner at Carmela's Cucina (again!) before Saturday's race.
Friends by my side, pasta in my belly:
Race Day Morning
I set the alarm for 3:30 am, and I slept fairly decently. I drank coffee, ate breakfast (Cheerios with almond milk, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread, and a banana), and then we drove over to Brian and Ali's AirBnB and walked over to the race. I found body marking, aired up my bike tires, put my remaining items (Garmin GPS, nutrition, and bottles) on my bike, and made a restroom stop (fortunately I did that early because the lines became insane). I sat down near the swim start so I could relax and rest my legs. I felt really calm, and I was ready to start the face. My big mistake was not checking the swim course and understanding where the buoys (including the finish chute) were located.
Brian, Ali, and I ready to tackle the race:
A photo with my #1 fan before heading to the swim start:
Stacy, Brian, Ali, Me, and Melissa
The Swim
I headed to the start line ready to race. I felt calm and prepared. I didn't want to push my way to the very front of the sub-1-hour coral, because I figured some of the dudes were swimmers. The race organizers had three lines (sort of like getting on a roller coaster at an amusement park), and they set us off a few seconds apart. I was probably around group 10 or 12. I spent the first loop passing people. I was hoping to draft, but I would settle in behind someone and then feel like he was going too slow, so I would pass again. There was a timing arch at the end of the first loop, and my split was under 28 minutes. That was really great for me considering my effort (and the course was about 200 yards over 2.4 miles). I started the second loop and immediately it turned into a mess of lapping people who weren't strong swimmers. There were so many people starting their first lap that it was even difficult swimming in between people. I tried to stay as close to the buoys as possible and keep my heart rate down. I began getting anxious about the finish line and whether I needed to make a special turn because 99% of the people around me were only on their first lap. I rounded what I thought was the last corner (circled on map) and headed to the timing arch again, thinking I would just swim straight to the shore.
The swim map (so I tried to swim a third square rather than finishing!):
I asked a guy in the kayak, but I couldn't understand him, and I don't think he understood that I was finishing my second loop. I was nearing the arch and asked him again, and he pointed behind me. So finally I understood and swam back out. Then a woman in a kayak collided into me to tell me to shift right to pass by that circled buoy again. So I backtracked and then headed to the finish (the L-shape at the end). My bonus swim was probably about 450 yards given that my halfway split had my on pace to go 56 minutes, and my total time was 1:02:27. It frustrated me well into the bike course, but it was my own fault and a lesson I will never forget! Plus it's ironic that out of the three disciplines, I messed up on my strength!
Done with the swim and grimacing at my course navigation skills (or lack thereof):
Transition 1
I wore my favorite hot yoga sports bra and colorful bikini bottoms under my wetsuit, so I ran into the transition tent with my personal volunteer and asked her if it was cool if I got naked. I figured it was a good ice breaker, and then she literally hiked my bike shorts up for me. I wore the same bike outfit I wore on my long rides (with the wet Nike sports bra underneath), because I wanted to be comfortable and have the triple pocket in the back of my jersey to use for water bottle rotations. I gobbled down a Cliff Kids bar in transition with a few sips of water, and I was off! It was a pretty good T1 time (6:41) considering I did a complete change and ate a snack.
Talking to Cliff, Melissa, and Stacy (I'm sure I'm still babbling about my swim mistake):
The Bike
My focus this summer on the bike, and I did as many rallies as possible. This turned out to be a great strategy, because I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, rode faster, did a lot of climbing, and braved the heat and humidity in the Texas summer. The Maryland course seemed like a breeze (pardon the wind pun). Other participants complained about the wind, but it was nothing compared to some of the rides I did this summer (like the Hotter than Hell Hundred).
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the huge changes that Craig Fulk at Dynamic Bike Fit made to my clown car... uh, I mean bike! I won a free bike fitting at the Women's Tri Clinic, and I was apathetic about using it because it close to race day (September 1) and I was "fitted" for my bike when I bought it. Craig made some big adjustments, including raising my seat substantially and adding adding a plate to my cleat because one leg is shorter than the other, and I'm so glad that the stars aligned for that to happen and improve the efficiency of my cycling. Craig also advised me to shorten my aero bars, so I got that taken care of in September as well.
The biggest risk of Ironman Maryland is the weather and flooding since it's at sea level. The Ironman Maryland race director is one of the best in the business. A portion of the course had flooded, and he re-routed 12 miles of the course TWO DAYS beforehand so that we could ride the full 112 miles (I had heard in years past that the ride was 110 miles, but it was a full 112 miles this year). The course included two 45-mile loops, with about 12 miles at the start and 10 miles at the end. I liked the loops because I was mentally prepared for the second loop and knew what to expect in terms of wind, traffic, etc.
A portion of the original course. Thank goodness for the re-routing!
My first goal was to nail my nutrition plan. My nutrition plan was perfect (thanks, Eve at NutriWorks, Inc.). I drank half of a fuel bottle (200 calories of CarboPro) every hour and ate half of a Peanut Butter and Jelly Bonk Breaker bar. The only thing I will do differently next time is carry three fuel bottles (rather than two fuel bottles and one water bottle) so I don't have to stop at special needs halfway and prepare the last fuel bottle (although I needed to use the restroom, so I would have had to stop regardless). I wasn't sure that I could do the water bottle hand-off, but I had my big girl bike shorts on and I took two bottles to refill my Profile bottle. The only minor nutrition bummer was that they must have reformulated the Bonk Breaker bars, because my last bar came from a new box and it was thicker and much dryer than the first box. So I'll have to look into that and come up with another bar choice if necessary.
My second goal was to keep my heart rate down and save my legs for the run. I knew from Wisconsin that the overall Ironman performance hinges on the marathon and the amount of running versus walking. I had been riding 16 mph on hilly rides and 17 mph on flatter rides (like Peach Pedal and Mesquite) during the summer, so I knew 16 mph was very attainable, and I could probably go 17 mph (and still save my legs for the run) if I had a good day. My total time was 6:21:24 (17.62 mph).
Smiling on the bike since it was flat as a pancake:
Transition 2
I felt really good. I ran my bike in and joked with Cliff, Melissa, and Stacy that I was happy I didn't mess up the bike. I was so happy to finish the bike in good spirits and with no mechanical issues (I still can't fix a flat tire, so that fear was in the back of my mind the whole time). I jogged my bike in to get my legs used to being on land again. I changed into a dry sports bra (shout out to my volunteer who helped with that!), running shorts, and a tank top. I ran out of the volunteer tent, realized I forgot my sunglasses, doubled back for them, and then headed out on the run. I passed by Cliff, Melissa, and Stacy and joked with them about running fast enough so that we could watch the TCU game. T2 time was 7:26.
The Run
I started the run in good spirits. It felt a lot like the 18-mile run I did the day after the Hotter Than Hell 100. My goal was to keep running as far as possible while walking the aid stations. The course was 2.5 loops, and the back-end of the big loop was pretty boring (essentially running through some sort of weird loop/parking lot type thing). I was running 10:00-10:30 mile pace, and I made a bathroom stop around mile 5 (which was probably a good sign for my hydration). I kept running through the first loop (10 miles), and I started getting queasy.
I had trained with lemon lime Gatorade Endurance (and water), since that would be provided on the course. I took a Vanilla gel early on and then drank Gatorade and water as I walked through the aid stations. I didn't learn to add ice to my drinks until later on, and the warm Gatorade became pretty gross. I have never thrown up before while working out, but I stopped on an immaculate front lawn and took care of business! I attracted a lot of attention, but I assured everyone I was okay. I felt so much better after that and was able to run again until mile 20. I tried to stomach some food, but nothing worked (a bite of cookie was too dry and grape skins felt like glue in my mouth). I switched to Pepsi and water and added ice to both at each aid station. It worked surprisingly well. I had to walk/run the last six miles or so, but my marathon time was 5:09:10 (11:48/mile average), which was much better than I had expected.
That's my "running and trying not to vomit" stride:
The best part of the run was High Street, which we passed three times. I got to high-five my sherpas, who were enjoying Rar Brewing!
I actually had quite a bit of juice left in my legs once I was on High Street for the third time and got to run down the finisher chute (it's tough mentally to pass the finisher chute twice before you actually get to run through it!). I need to work on my nutrition for the run, which will probably include more salt on both the bike and run, because the nausea is what hindered me the most.
The finisher chute was absolutely amazing with all of the spectators and cheering. It was the ultimate culmination to all of my hard work.
Can you tell I was happy to be done? I wish I had toned it down a notch, but at least this picture makes me laugh:
A big sweaty "thank you" to my awesome husband:
I have the best BFFs. And they are also Iron(wo)men too. Now to convince them to do Ironman Maryland 2019 together!
A comparison between my two Ironman races (12 years apart!):
What's Next
The only races I have signed up for so far are the Friends of the River 5K-ish this Thursday and the Azle Half Marathon (a local run) next month. I have a few goals in the back of my mind (a sub 4-hour marathon and a 50-mile trail run) and I am considering another Ironman (possibly Maryland again next year), but I am not ready to take the plunge quite yet. I did hire a running coach, Michelle Blackard (Coach Drum), and my run plan starts this week. I feel like I have more potential with running, and I wanted to shake things up to become a better athlete.
Thank you so much for the friendship and support!
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