July 2013 registration opened up for the 2014 Ironman 70.3 Texas in Galveston, Texas to be held on April 6, 2014 at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Resort (beautiful place if you have not been). I was so nervous and intimidated by what I had just got myself into to but I thought that 9 months was sufficient to train for this 70.3 mile distance. It's kind of funny that I have traveled down a path of endurance training and racing since the simple thought of a 1.5 mile run twice a year for the Navy made me ill just thinking about it. Boy, have the times changed
The night before the race I could not sleep. I woke up every hour rechecking my transition bag making sure I had everything. Transition opened up at 5am and I got there around 5:30. First thing I saw were the awesome volunteers making sure we were where we needed to be and also doing body markings. I got 183 marked down both arms and 30 put on the backs of each calf (you age on December 31 of the race year). This made everything surreal at the moment. I could not believe that I was finally here. I had one goal... Finnish. I could hear others talking of trying to win their age group and secure a place in the World Championships or be the overall winners (These were the Pro Triathletes)... Nope, I just want to cross and I do not care if I am the last one.
This tri was half of what a full Ironman Triathlon is. The distances are as follows: 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. The race started at 7am and course closed at 5:30pm. The race did have other cut offs as well. You had to be out of the water 2 hours and 10 minutes after the last wave hit the water. My wave was 7:10 and the last was at 8:30ish. So I had a bit more time on my side... Lets be honest... I NEEDED IT!
Lets talk about this swim for a minute. So, yea, it was a bit ambitious to take on a half iron distance for my very first triathlon... yup, I said it, MY VERY FIRST TRI EVER!!! Most people start out with a simple Sprint or possibly and Olympic distance.. Nope, not me. Ironman 70.3 it is. Go big or stay home right. This swim was an open water swim.
This is the swim course. The day before the race, at the athlete briefing, we were told that the wind and currents should be in our favor... HA! Biggest lie I ever heard! Its about 500 meters out to the first turn (red marker), approx. 900 meters straight across, and the leg into the the finish is about 500 or so meters. Every bit of this swim sucked! The water was so choppy, waves splashing everywhere, oh and most definitely fighting the current the whole time. Constant head and crosswinds. So I broke this leg down by 100 meters. I basically went from buoy to buoy praying I did not drown :-)
It didn't mater how strong or weak a swimmer I am, the water conditions made it near impossible to get into a rhythm. I free-styled for the first 200 meters and my goggles broke. Yea, that sucked! Grabbed a hold of a buoy, tied then in a knot and carried on with this nightmare of a swim. I tried getting back into the motion but couldn't do it. So for the next 600 meters or so it was a lot of backstroke (until a wave came flying over my face and dam near drown me), breast stroke, side stroke, and of course, when in doubt, the doggy paddle :-). About 300 meters after the first turn I went back into freestyle and got kicked in the face by the swimmer in front of me. Ouch! he felt bad and asked it I was fine. My response was "Do I still have my teeth!".. For those who are not familiar with the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston, it's murky, and impossible to see with goggles on. Let alone some thousand athletes added into the mix swimming the same course you are. Not surprised I got kicked.
The rest of the swim was just trying to survive. Once I turned at the second red buoy and saw the swim exit, I had a burst of energy and gave it my all. As I exited the water I was trying to rip that wetsuit off as fast as I could but I needed help. Some of the volunteers were "wetsuit peelers".. Once I got my arms out I laid down and two high school aged kids ripped it off in seconds.
I spent a few minutes in transition getting dried off and my bike ready for the next portion.
This leg was pretty straight forward.... Ride out 28 miles, turn around, ride back 28 miles. Done and done. Aid stations lined the course every 14 miles or so. Guess who stopped at every single one? Yep, me. I had 2 24oz bottles on my bike. One filled with water and the other with an all natural electrolyte drink from Skratch Labs.
Every 14 miles I went through both bottles. Refilled with water and obviously used the bathroom a few times on this course. Porta Potties... YUCK... Pretty much disgusting.
There were also mile markers every five miles so it was nice to have a visual of how far I am. Lets be honest I was not the most prepared athlete on this course. Lets look at the items I did not have shall we... Bike shoes: nope, rode 56 miles in my running shoes. Not the smartest of choices. Bike computer/watch thing up on the handle bars: Nope, I am sure I didn't think this through thoroughly. Aero bars: Nope, just had the basic ram handle bars..... Basically, I was not very prepared for this ride. For my next race, bike shoes are a must. My legs were destroyed by time I go to the run portion.
I reached Mile 45 and all I said to myself was "C'mon girl, 11 more miles to go.. 11 more to go". Oh, and I could not have an Ipod, phone, music... nothing. Just 56 miles of you and your thoughts. The bike portion took me about 4hrs and 14min to complete. That is a long time to be by yourself and your thoughts. So, being the history teacher that I am, I recited the preambles to the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Sang the Star Spangled Banner, said the Pledge, sang America the Beautiful... And then I hit mile 15... Hmmm.... what to do the rest of he time? Next, chanted some of the cadence I learned from the military, said hi to the cyclists who passed me (LOTS passed me), tried to understand what people were saying from the side of the road... Pretty much anything to take my mind off of the pain in my feet. Strong head and cross winds also bothered me on the bike. There was one gust and I though.."oh, here it comes, heading to the ground now".... My biked wobbled back and fourth a few times.
Phew.... I see the Moody Gardens pyramids and I know the transition area is not far... I MADE IT. Got off my bike and had a emotional moment of relief and shed a tear or two... then realized I have to somehow run 13 more miles.
This half marathon was pretty straight forward.. run 13 miles. There was an aid station every mile. Sometimes I took things and sometimes I passed it up. My go to snacks were oranges, bananas, and I had one Bonk Breaker bar for some calories. I drank tons of water and if there were volunteers spraying people down with hoses, I made sure I ran through that.
When I left transition and tried to make that first stride my legs felt like bricks and it was dam near impossible to run. So I walked the first half mile before I started to run. Well, lets be honest, my run was more of a shuffle :-) There are spectators all along the course cheering us on. Our first names are on the race bibs so it is personal when they yell out "Awesome job, Tiffany"... and so on. Well there was one little kid, about 7 or so. And he yells "C'mon, your almost there. Keep on going, don't walk!" HA! I was at mile 1! not even close. I told home that and he says "well, I'll see ya again two more times"..
I was so exhausted and this half marathon took be a little over 3 hrs to complete. Nothing to brag about.. But I did just travel 57.1 miles already so I was perfectly happy with a 14 minute mile pace. I made some interesting "Battle Buddies" on this run. Talking while running helps with breathing and helps time pass quickly. When I rounded the 12 mile mark I had this burst of energy and tried to give it my all. Then I saw the finish line.... HOLY CRAP! I just crossed the finish for a Half Ironman Triathlon!! I finished in 8 hrs 39 minutes (this time includes minutes spent in transition between the race legs)
It was an overwhelming feeling when they placed the medal around my neck and told me I was a finisher. Hearing my name and where I was from announced as I was crossing is something I will never forget.
Besides my wedding rings and my beautiful Sapphire ring from my Husband, this is the third most important piece of jewelry I have ever received :-)
I raced for Team RWB
My "Trusty Steed" that carried me through 56 miles
So like I said If you followed me on Facebook on race day my race was not pretty, I thought death was coming for me, and I have room for improvement. Here are my slits and I am hoping to shave two hours off my time by next years 70.3 race.
I am also racing in the Texas Oilman Triathlon with my husband Will in November. Yes, I have led him to the darkside and he is taking on this crazy sport I have become so fond of. The Oilman is a 70.3 distance but I don't think that between now and November I can knock 2 hours off. So here's hoping we both finish in November :-)
