I FINALLY got to punch Ironman finish number seven in my athlete passport. I did it. I raced for 140.6 miles faster than I ever have in my whole life. And I have to admit, I kind of felt like a super bad-ass coming into that finish line so strong!
I arrived in Scottsdale six days before the race and had the pleasure of staying with my teammate and good friend, Andrew's graciously hospitable parents. I have come to know and love Anne and Gary through races and training camps I have done with Andrew. It was the next best thing to being at home. What can I get you to eat pre-race? Do you need a foam-roller? Make sure you are sleeping well! My comfort was my tri-momma's main concern that week and it took SO MUCH tension off of my mind. It also helped knowing that I was riding and running faster than I ever had in my life. My left shoulder was causing MAJOR issues for me while swimming and cycling the last six weeks of training. The discomfort was most likely due to a bike fit that just wasn't working for me anymore in addition to an ill-placed saddle that was kind of the fire-starter. I had a little concern that my swim was going to be slow due to the pain and subsequent missed swim workouts, but I really didn't care too much. I knew I wasn't going to win IMAZ, so my subpar swim time would be overshadowed by my gained bike and run strength.
I had intended on racing with a disc wheel on the back, which would provide me with free speed (read: faster bike split). I rented a disc wheel with a Powertap hub, but I discovered the Powertap was wildly inaccurate after my first practice ride. Try as I might to fix it, it was clear by Friday that all of my efforts were fruitless and Foof's suggestion to bring my race wheels, just in case, was very wise. I have so much appreciation for the guys at DNA CYCLES for patiently dealing with my bipolar switching of the race cassette back and forth between the race wheel and the disc wheel.
Race morning was preceded by five solid hours of sleep, which is a record for me. We were staying about 30 minutes away from the race venue. At first I was concerned about the distance, but as it turns out, it was the most peaceful outpost and I was not surrounded by the well-known pre-race nervous energy. Foof and Sherpa Andrew were up and ready to head to the race venue at 4:30a on the dot!!
We arrived to transition and I quickly set up my bike and nutrition. I got body-marked and exited transition while Sherpa husband and Sherpa Andrew deposited my special needs bags and helped me get my wetsuit on. We had decided to meet at the entrance to the swim start where I would give the sherpas my shoes (I could not travel to the swim start the same way they did because it would have me on the wrong side of the fence). Ever since nearly ending my racing career in 2010 by ripping open my foot and plantar fascia at a small race, I do everything I can to protect my hooves, even if that means I am one of few walking to the swim start in shoes. Once at the swim start, it was clear that my sherpas were way on the outside of the fences and there was no way for me to get my sneaks to them, darn. Visibly showing signs of panic, a WONDERFUL volunteer, Diana, came running up and said, "What can I help you with? Do we need to get your sneakers to somebody??" I showed Diana who to take my shoes to and then thanked her profusely. Just as she was walking away, she said, "Kate, you're going to have a GREAT race today!! Love you, girl!!!" AND THIS, PEOPLE, is one of the many reasons why I love this sport with all of my heart. It makes me so super happy to race with such a loving, positive and wonderful community of people-- complete strangers telling you they love you...seriously, no words!!
The pro women were called into the water, and I made my jump off the pier deep into the water. This was it!!! I have waited for over TWO YEARS to put another Ironman to bed and I just KNEW today was not going to be another DNF like Tahoe. I had been given so many different pieces of advice as far as following the course/sighting buoys on the swim course. One person told me to swim staying close to the buoys, one person said DON'T hug the buoys, but swim with the curve of the wall, AHHHH!!! Decided... I was going to just...follow everyone else! As we collected at the deep-water start line, the sun was just barely breaking off to the east. BOOM!!! Love the sound of that cannon!! I swam hard, but was definitely conservative, needed that left shoulder to make it through 2.4 miles of swimming. I was shooting for 62 minutes, and with the way the water felt, it seemed that perhaps it might happen. The water was smooth and calm. I immediately felt myself surge ahead of a couple of ladies and held onto one set of feet. After a couple hundred meters, the feet in front were going at a slower pace than I wanted so I worked hard to get around her. I continued to plug away at a good effort, spotting a group of five ladies all working together maybe 100-200 meters ahead of me. With maybe 300 meters before the turn to head back to transition, I caught the group of five and easily moved passed all but one of them. After passing four of the five ladies, the fifth decided to hang on and slap my feet every third or forth stroke. Once we were westbound, headed back to transition, it was quite clear just WHY the water felt so smooth going out...pretty choppy coming back!!
Shortly after making the last turn and heading in the last 100ish meters to the swim finish my toe tickler went around me and I got caught behind two male amateurs, preventing me to match her surge, darn!! The lake (which was actually a dammed river) had a concrete wall all along it plunging deep into the water, so there were stadium steps set up for us to exit. We were told at the pro meeting that the volunteers would do a very good job of grabbing our arms and hoisting us up onto the steps. I threw my arms up, was pulled up forcefully by two strong men and slipped right through the open-back steps behind them! OUCH!! That DEFINITELY left a mark! They snatched me up quickly and I was on my way into the transition changing tent. Once inside, the tent was virtually empty so I instantly had four volunteers on top of me, putting my helmet on my head, getting my sunglasses out of the case, and helping me get ready to speed out the door. Just as I was getting up to go, I noticed my awesome volunteer, Diana, who helped get my sneakers to Foof and Andrew. She looked me in the eye and said, "Love ya, girl, go have an AMAZING race!" So awesome!!
Swim Time: 1hr, 6mins
Onto the bike, things felt good and even though I was disappointed to not have the free speed of a rear disc, I was happy to have correct data! With my new Sram Red cassette from CYCLES 54 and an excellent tune-up from Derrick at FLYING FISH CYCLES, my bike was shifting smoother than it ever before! The bike course was a three-loop course that was relatively flat with just a slight incline on the way out and a slight decline on the way back. The wind forecast for that day was fairly calm: nothing more than a couple 10 MPH gusts here and there. In years past, the wind has always picked up in the afternoon; so the sooner you are finished with the bike, the less chance of getting caught up in the head and crosswinds. When you have a three-loop course with almost no hills, there is very little to break up the field and therefore there is a lot of drafting despite the threat of having to stand down for four minutes if you are caught. The first loop went well, there were some age-grouper males here and there that passed me, but they passed with such swiftness that I really didn%u2019t have to worry about slamming my brakes on to get out of the draft zone. I confidently cruised through the first loop staying within the heart rate zones and power zones that Coach Cliff set for me. Thanks to BREAKTHROUGH NUTRITION, I was staying on top of my Carbopro/Nuun tablet hydration/calorie replacement. Coming into the second loop, I began to see the large drafting packs that I had heard many other athletes complain about. I felt like I was being swarmed and swallowed whole by these packs. It was so hard, virtually impossible, to drop back to the 10-meter zone without the next person cutting right in front. I felt like I was losing so much time and speed to this, but would rather be the last place pro than ever be accused of not racing fairly. As one pack of about 10 people passed me, one female competitor looked over at me and said, "I know!! Isn't this drafting ridiculous?!?" And then she sped off with the group she was drafting with...I don't know if that was suppose to be a joke, or what! I somehow managed to get through the second loop without throwing a bottle at the cheaters and hit the turn-around for the last loop. Despite the headwind that had picked up, most of the drafting issues had dissipated, and therefore made it easier to just do the work and not worry about getting yourself in trouble. There is a certain satisfaction that comes with knowing that you will blow right past most of the drafters once on the run course!
I pulled back into transition and having spent almost all of the five hours in the aerobars (a first for me while racing), my low back felt like it might have forgotten what standing erect was! I ran into the tent and sure enough, there was Diana by my side! The volunteers were AMAZING and had my hat on my head, my socks on my feet and my race belt around my waist before I even realized what was going on! While leaving the tent, Diana shouted out to me, "Love ya, go get 'em girl!!"
Bike split: 5hrs, 17min
In the first couple steps of my run it became apparent-- my bladder was NOT going to make it through the next mile, let alone the marathon without a potty break! In and out as quick as I could, I was fortunate that the first one I ran to was empty! On my way again, I had with me my salt/electrolyte tabs (vital for me, especially in warmer races) and a small 8 oz. FUEL BELT flask with about 200 calories of Carbopro and water. My caloric needs had changed a bit with this race. I have become a more efficient "fat as fuel" burner on top of weighing in lighter than races in the past. Where I had normally sipped regularly on the extra 200 calories, I would not be doing that this time, relying only on a cup or two of Perform and a cup of water at each aid station. I was a little nervous about this change and brought the Fuel Belt flask just in case. With the newly redesigned Zoot endurance tri shorts, the 8 oz. flasks were the perfect fit for the built-in pockets! I started off a bit wobbly, but my legs quickly adjusted. Running through the crowd, the hardest part for me was running in the correct zone early on as the crowd can get you pumped up. My legs felt good and wanted to do 6:45/mile, but I knew I would pay the price if I did that. The run course was two loops with most of it on concrete and a little bit of pea-gravel trail mixed in. Concrete tends to be MUCH less forgiving and shock absorbing than asphalt and tends to sap the energy from your legs a lot more. This run course was not pancake flat, but I certainly wouldn't call it hilly, either. I would say it was a flat course with a couple of smallish climbs. I eased into a good pace for the first 13 miles, making sure to grab one to two cups of Perform and one to two cups of water at each aid station. I felt strong and "chicked" MANY male age-groupers and several FPROS, which is always encouraging. Other than the first mile or two, I was not passed. I felt very strong, but also knew that I had to play my cards right as it had been over two years since I had run my last marathon and completed my last Ironman. My body is very comfortable with endurance running, but there were definitely some cobwebs that needed to be blown out. I wanted to pick up the pace at mile 15, but just felt like I should wait a little longer. And then it hit, what could have been an end to my race... The moment when nature calls, and it calls with a BULLHORN! I begged, pleaded and promised God I would be good and always let Foof win arguments if I could just get passed this little unpleasantness. I ran for as long as I could, found an empty porto-john and prayed to God that it was just going to be one stop... and it was, THANK GOODNESS!!! Back on my feet I was able to run solidly through mile 20, at which point I felt that I could bring up my HR, if only by a beat or two. I wasn't really paying attention to pace at that point, it was all by feel. I brought it home for the last four miles feeling strong and knowing I was going to come in under ten hours! I hit the last turn, the one that you could either make a left for your second loop or make a right to the finish and one volunteer said to the other, "she is definitely headed for the finish line, look at that glazed look in her eye, all she can THINK about is the finish!" And that about sums it up! The last two miles I was able to hold around a 6:50/mile pace and as I rounded the last corner, I zipped up my tri jersey and burned all the fuel I had left right into the finish feeling amazing!!!
Run split: 3hrs 20 mins
Overall time: 9hrs, 49mins
For over nine hours, I raced. For over nine hours, I swam, I biked and I ran, and I didn't just go through the motions, I moved at a race pace. I raced 140.6 miles faster than I ever have in my life. And despite not hitting the goal time I had in mind, I am pretty happy and incredibly grateful for what I DID do. Every day of my life I wake up and thank the Universe for giving me one more day on this Earth. I plan on using my gift of life in the best way possible. Thank you, Universe.
Eternal thanks to my husband for the unending, tireless, and selfless support he provides; to my wonderful, loving and helpful host family- Anne, Gary and teammate Andrew; to my INCREDIBLE sponsors- BREAKTHROUGH NUTRITION, TRISTAR ATHLETES AND CYCLES 54; to my supportive and caring friends and family- my support beams; and of course, to the amazing and wonderful Coach Cliff Scherb for making sure I am race ready! Love and hugs to you all!