My Journey to 70.3
A Brief Background...
I’ve only been “tri-ing” for a little over two years. I did
my first sprint distance triathlon in July of 2012 and my first Olympic
distance tri in July 2013. When I finished the Olympic distance triathlon last
summer, I told a friend that I wasn’t yet ready for the 70.3 distance that she
was training for. I really didn’t think I was at that point.
Then in December of 2013, the news came out that an Ironman-branded
70.3 event was coming to Princeton, NJ. It was going to be held in Mercer
County Park, the same location as the New Jersey State Triathlon, and a
location I love. The water is clean-ish or at least seaweed-free, the roads are
fairly flat, and it is an hour drive from home.
The problem was, I had just promised my ever-patient husband
that I’d take 2014 off from long distance training. I’ve completed one or two
marathons every year since 2011, and that training takes its toll on a family. I
told him about this incredible opportunity, and he gave me his blessing. The
moment registration opened, I was signed up.
Training...
My 16-week training plan officially started in May. I sat
down with a calendar and a training guide
and planned my weeks of training. I’d hoped to hire a trainer to help get me
safe and strong to the start line, but sadly that wasn’t in the budget. I was
on my own.
Anyone who knows me knows I tend to overbook myself with
races and other activities, but I made a concerted effort to scale this summer’s
activities back. I did a sprint triathlon in June, an Olympic triathlon in
July, and took August off completely from racing.
On the whole, I enjoyed 70.3 training much more than
marathon training. Every day called for a different activity, which is a nice
change from the monotony of day after day of running. As the training distances
got longer, I really started to struggle with balance. Being a midwife, I’m
often scheduled to work 100+ hours in a week. Work combined with the important
needs of my family left me trying to squeeze in my workouts, having to choose
which workouts were crucial and which were okay to miss.
In the end, it was swim training that got the short end of
the stick. I am a comfortable but not fast swimmer, and knew that I could make
it through the 1.2 mile swim easily with little training. (Notice I didn’t say
quickly!)
I did almost all of my training solo, as I knew that I’d be
on my own on race day, but my friend Jackie was kind enough to come join me on
two of my long rides. She is a stronger cyclist than I am, so her tips and
advice were invaluable. I was most concerned about the bike portion of the
race, since that is my newest sport. I also had four friends who were seriously
injured in bicycle accidents this year, which was never far from my mind on
every training ride.
At Long Last - Race Week Arrives...
I was scheduled to work 200 hours in the two weeks leading
into the race and came down with a cold the Monday before the race. I rested as
much as I could and watched my nutrition and hydration. By Friday I was feeling
almost 100% better. I was smart enough to make sure I had four days off from
work for race weekend so I would be as well rested as possible and have a day
to recover after the race.
On Saturday, Chris, my friend Jackie, and I loaded up the
car and drove up to Mercer County Park to check our bikes in and pick up our
race packets. My used, entry-level road bike was racked next to fancy tri bikes
that probably cost well over $5000. I tried not to be intimidated by the level
of athletes I saw in the Ironman Village.
Jackie and I did some shopping for official merchandise and
then we dropped Jackie off at her hotel and we checked into ours. Chris and I
had an early al fresco dinner at one of my favorite places in the Princeton
area and then headed back to the hotel so I could get my gear set up and drink
my Osmo Pre-Load Hydration. I was settled into bed by 8:30pm, with my alarm set
for 4:45am.
Jackie texted me shortly after we got into bed saying she
was ill. I was panicked for her but tried to stay calm and encourage her to do
the same. I read a few pages of a book and was fast asleep.
Race Day!
Jackie texted me first thing race morning that she was
pulling out of the race. She had been sick all night, most likely from food
poisoning, and was too weak and dehydrated to even consider competing. This was
a difficult but wise choice. I was devastated for her and selfishly for me. I’d
been looking forward to seeing her along the course and accomplishing this
together.
Our hotel was only about five minutes from Mercer County
Park, so we left at 5:50 – after I’d had my mandatory coffee and a few nibbles
from a muffin. I did not anticipate the traffic to get into the park. We were
still sitting in a long line of cars at 6:32, and I knew transition closed at
6:45. I stayed fairly calm – for me anyway – and hopped out of the car as soon
as the transition lights were in sight while Chris went to park.
I made it into transition without difficulty and set
everything up. People were freaking out all around me about the traffic and the
difficulty getting into the park. I have never seen so many adults having
toddler-like meltdowns.
I ran into a few tri-club friends at the port-a-potty line,
which helped calm my nerves. My friend Sherri arrived and she, Chris, and I
made our way to the beach for the swim start.
It was only then that I realized that the swim start would
not be the same as it was for the NJ State Tri. We had to enter at the beach
and swim about 100 or so meters to the start, where we treaded water for about
3-4 minutes.
I was in wave number 13 out of 22, which was perfect. Most
everyone was wearing a wet suit – not me. I made the choice a while back not to
worry about the wet suit. They make me very claustrophobic and the few moments
it might gain me in the water would probably not equal the time I spent
panicking.
The Swim...
At about 7:40, it was our turn to wade into the water and
head out to the start. I was happy to have a few friends out there with me. The
water was 70 degrees, chilly at first, but I was used to it in about a minute
and was happy with my choice not to wear a wetsuit. I took my time getting to
the start buoy as I did not want to be out of breath before I even started the
race. A woman near me had a panic attack on the way out, and I stopped to make
sure she was okay and helped calm her down and slow her breathing.
At 7:46 we were off. I really do love swimming in this lake.
The water feels clean and there is plenty of room. The course was rectangular
in shape, so we were just swimming straight, which I also like. My goal was to
finish the swim in 50 minutes, and at the halfway point, I was right on target
at 25 minutes.
Once we made the first turn, the younger men in the heats
behind us started catching up and overtaking me. I was kicked and hit and
smacked more than I’ve ever been in a triathlon. I swallowed water a few times,
but tried to keep focused. I knew I was slowing down and was worried that Chris
would be worried if I didn’t finish in my goal time.
Finally we made the turn to the swim out ramp. As I got out,
I saw Sherri snapping photos and checked my watch – 55 minutes – uhg. Oh well,
it was over and now it was time to focus on the bike portion, the part I was
most nervous about.
As I walked to transition, I heard Chris screaming cheers
for me and he stood right outside the fence of transition so I could chat with
him while I was getting ready for the bike.
This was really calming and comforting. I whined to him the entire time
about the swim, but then was thrilled to glance over and see my cousin Cheryl
standing with he and Sherri. I didn’t know she was coming up to cheer!
The Bike...
I grabbed my food and headed out of transition. My mantra
for the bike had become “No rain, no wind, no flats,” which is funny since I
could control none of those things. But it worked for me.
I rode out of the park and marveled at the perfect weather conditions.
The forecast had been an unseasonably warm and humid day with highs in the 80s
and sunshine. Happily, it was very overcast at this point and there was no wind
to speak of. Once we got out of the park and onto the road it was very bumpy
for the first 8 miles. It was nearly impossible to avoid the bumps and maintain
good race etiquette. I saw at least 4 people with flat tires in those first
miles.
My goal for the entire race was to enjoy it along the way as
much as possible. My goal for the bike was not to waste my legs, but to keep my
pace steady. After mile 9, the roads got much better. I enjoyed the bike
portion immensely. I kept a fairly fast
pace, for me, for the first 25 miles or so and then slowed down a bit as I got
a little fatigued. I kept reminding myself to take it easy as I still had to
run a half-marathon.
The course was really beautiful, despite at least 25 turns,
which didn’t bother me as much as it bothered the faster cyclists. I found the
hills to be equal to what I trained on – challenging but do-able. There were
two really long and winding hills that I struggled with, but I wasn’t alone. I
even considered walking my bike up one of them because I was going so slowly.
Thankfully there were enough descents to give the legs a little rest and build
up momentum.
People in the homes along the course were out cheering us
on, which was so nice. There was a group of volunteers from my tri club at the
second bike aid station, and seeing them gave me a huge boost at mile 31. I
continued to see many athletes with flat tires and crashes along the course,
but thankfully, Nellie Bertha (the name I gave my bike) and I stayed in one
piece. My nutrition choice of an almond butter sandwich on a potato roll and
some bunny cookies was perfect, along with lemon/lime Scratch in my water
bottles.
My bottom began to ache around mile 40. I’ve never spent
that long consistently riding – even on long training rides, I’d stop for
traffic lights or stretch breaks, but I really didn’t want to stop.
Once we got close to the finish, we were again on those
terrible bumpy roads, which felt so much worse after riding 50 miles. In fact,
it felt a little bit like childbirth. I slowed down quite a bit in these last
few miles, just trying to navigate the bumps and potholes. Seriously, it was
almost like attempting to ride on cobblestones.
Although the bike was officially listed as 56 miles, every
athlete I spoke to agreed that it was more like 57-58 miles in total. We turned
into the park at about mile 56 and I started to see people I knew along the
course. I spotted Jackie and her husband, with Sherri and Cheryl, cheering me on.
I choked up when I saw them, especially Jackie. I saw my friend Jennifer and
her daughter, and then Chris, right before I hit transition. I couldn’t believe
it - I was done with bike portion and faster than I’d predicted too! All I had
to do was run now.
I chatted again with Chris in transition as I prepped for
the run and headed out. I debated using the potty in transition, but decided
against it, as I felt pretty good.
The Run...
My plan for the run was to run/walk and take it easy,
particularly at the beginning. I didn’t have a set walk to run interval
planned, but I pretty quickly decided on a 2 minute run to 1 minute walk ratio.
I obviously headed out way too fast, as my first run split was 8:59. All those
brick workouts paid off, because my legs felt great and strong. I forced myself
to slow down considerably after the first split. I knew I couldn’t maintain that
quick of a pace for the whole 13 miles.
I saw some tri-club girls at mile 2 and then again around
mile 3, which was great. The run course was pretty boring. I was not paying
much attention to the passing miles as I ran them, I just focused on getting
through each 2 minute run.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a soda drinker. But
when I saw they had real Coca Cola at the aid stations, I was over the moon.
Never has a sip of soda tasted so much like heaven. I had water and Nuun in my
hand-held bottle, but those sips of Coke and the occasional orange wedge really
got me through.
Just past mile 5, I saw Jennifer and she walked next to me
for a few moments and encouraged me. At mile 6, I saw Chris, Sherri, and Cheryl.
Chris shouted out, “7 more miles until mimosas!” I thought about that a lot for
the next miles!
The second loop of the run was definitely tougher as the sun
had come out and it was really hot. I was putting ice cubes down my tri suit to
keep cool. At mile 11, I decided I needed to walk longer than a minute and
spent a few moments walking and giving myself a pep talk. I was so close I
could hear the finish line announcers.
The last two miles were difficult, as much of this part of the
course was a gradual incline. I took more than a few walk breaks, and stopped
to drench myself with ice-cold sponges.
Sherri was waiting for me around mile 12.5, and she jogged
on the grass telling me how close I was and snapping photos. She told me where
to sprint once I hit the chute (as if I wanted to sprint!).
We made a turn and there it was at long last, the finishers
chute! It was a long one, so I waited to “sprint” until I was about 200 meters
out. I saw Chris and Cheryl and Jackie and Tom. I heard the announcer call out
my name. And then I was done. I happily took my hat and medal!
It took me a few moments to find my crew, but when I did
there were hugs all around, despite me being a sweaty stinky mess. Chris told
me how proud he was of me and I got teary. I choked up again when Jackie hugged
me. I knew how hard she’d trained for this. Chris poured the promised mimosas
and we toasted. I grabbed my finisher food and thanked my supporters who’d
spent an entire day waiting around. We packed up and headed home – and I really
didn’t feel too bad physically.
My goal finish time was 7:30, I finished in 7:24:24. The
time I’d lost on my swim I more than made up for in my quicker-than-planned
transition times.
After...
A week later and I’m still on a high. I’m so happy I did
this race. It was a near-perfect day with near-perfect conditions. I remained
injury-free during training and the race. I’m pleased with my performance and
beat my goal time. I learned that you really do get what you put into training,
as I let my swim training slide and it showed in my time. But the training time
I put into biking and brick workouts absolutely paid off. I felt so strong on
those portions.
I don’t think I’ll ever do another 70.3 event. I had a great
day that isn’t likely to be repeated again. The training is so time consuming.
I can’t remember how many times I lamented, “A full-time working midwife and
autism mom DOES NOT mix well with half-Ironman training.”
I’m content to work on improving my shorter triathlon times.
I’d like to run one more full marathon (NYC) in the next few years and then
retire from longer distance events altogether. I don’t ever see myself doing a
full Ironman and I am more than okay with that.
I can’t wait to
attend this event again - and volunteer or cheer on other athletes. The course
support at this race was fabulous – from the volunteers to my fellow athletes.
I can say I really enjoyed almost every moment of 70.3. Similar to completing a
marathon, I feel like I really accomplished something big – and as my friend
Jill says, “I can do hard things.”
