Ironman Louisville Race Report: Third Time is Not a Charm

Swim Start Area

 

 

                                                                                                  After swimming around the island, back    
                                                                                                               down the river this way

Part of the bike course with smaller continuous rollers

Ironman Louisville was my third Ironman race, and still not the proverbial ‘charm’. Again, major (and a minor) bike issue cost me time on the side of the road and an indeterminable amount of time lost during the bike and consequentially the run.

Bike worked so well the day before the race, I'm baffled

Race morning, getting ready

The race stated at 6:50am in the Ohio River. The water seems clearer once you are in it, than it does from ashore. I was still wondering if perhaps I should have brought some prophylactic antibiotics. For roughly the first half of the race I snuggled in nicely right behind a group of eight or so. The group keep speeding up, slowing down, swimming wide, and just generally pissing me off. So, after around half way when they started to veer wide, I swam the buoy line. We met back up again right before the slight turn to exit. Swim time was 48:58.

Swim Start- Pros had one mass start, age groups time trial start

Swim exit

 

T1 was simple with no issues. Out onto the road. I’m feeling great, holding watts above planned but feeling like I was putting in 50% effort. I also heard a slight woosh or sweep sound with every revolution of my rear wheel. Not good, but I also needed to wait until the right time to fix that. At the top of a hill about 16 miles in, I did find the right time- a tech guy was right there and was at the top of the hill. He helped me to identify the right break as the source of the sound, and fix it. But then I was stopping a mile later because the bike was shifting incorrectly. The tech guy tried to help me again, but the bike still didn’t shift quite right. Not good, not good at all on a hilly course. Other than the first and last 10ish miles, you are always going either up or down. This continued as I tried to decide if it would be more costly to stop a third time to try and fix it or to just keep riding with finicky shifting.

Then around mile 45 I had my answer. Dropped my chain on the inside. Dropped it good, stuck in a you- need-Hercules-strength to pull that bad boy out kind-of dropped. I tried and tried. Held the bike this way, that way, pull from here, from there, rock your body to get some leverage, and try one more time but please just don’t cry. The chain was not budging. I heard some people cheering up the road (which of course, was also up one of the steeper hills of the race) so I started walking to them figuring if nothing else they could help call someone so I could be picked up. A good number of guys asked if I was alright or what happened, but only one was kind enough to stop and help. If you ever lose faith in humanity, just head to an ironman or any triathlon. In a competitive individual sport, where seconds can matter, you will find generous people. People willing to help you out before, during, and after a race. People who really care about other people in what really can be a very selfish sport. But for now, back to the chain. He tried a few times with normal strength to no avail. Then he finally summoned his Hercules strength and success! The chain was out. I was good to go! Sort-of. By the way, I did not cry (yet).

The chain was out but the shifting was awful. I tried two more times to try to fix that. I was never able to get it to shift to the smallest gear or the biggest gear. And had to pick which gears in the middle I wanted to work. I had to go with it being able to go on the second one so I had a chance in heck of finishing the hilly course. It never went into the third one, the fourth was picky, the fifth worked, and maybe one more. And even between the ones that worked the shifting was as smooth as a 15 year old driving a manual transmission car for the first time.

For the next 15 miles I was pissed off, sad, wondering “why me, why can’t I just have a race with no major issues”, especially since I was headed into it feeling confident, ready, tapered, the most race prepared I had felt in a long time. But then I turned to do the second loop around mile 60 and said either just ride or stop. I decided since I was out there I mine as well keep riding and if nothing else, get a good training day out of it. The shifting was piss poor but I had learned how to best manage it, so I could ride the 112 miles and use it as a training day if I decided not to do the run, or I could finish the race and look for the positives and build towards the next race.

So more hills it was. Things were really starting to warm up out there. Things were also getting crowded. Bikes and cars, and a few close calls. All the roads were just two lane highways. Quite adequate if it was just bikers. But this was not a closed course and the motorists either did not know what to do around bicyclists, or just didn’t care. There were a couple times a car would pull out from the left onto the road close in front of me, and then I would have to pass them on the left because they were behind a slower cyclist. The bike course is beautiful and wonderful, and could possibly be one of my favorites if it was a closed course. Total running time on the bike was over 6 hours. Ouch. Moving time was closer to 5:50-with less than half my gear, including the loss of the biggest and smallest, one of the worst courses for this to happen on. Let’s not forget the brake rubbing for 16 miles. So, taking all that into consideration, my coach and I both agree that I most likely would have been right where I wanted to be had things gone better. So I’m pissed, but also happy. Happy that my biking is improving, it probably is where I want it to be, my nutrition and hydration planned worked to a T, and I handled the heat well.

T2 was alright, then out to the run. I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I was pretty certain I was too far back to catch anyone, even if I had a great run and everyone else came down with a major case of diarrhea. Either I would run half way and call it a great training day or finish to again find more positives to carry over for Cozumel, and maybe partly because I’m stubborn. I saw my coach during the first mile and asked him what to do. He said just run for now, so I told him we would talk at mile 13.

The run was going great until about mile 14. My quads were feeling the effects of smashing up the hills in the improper gears. By this time I had forgotten about my plan to decide if it was worth it to keep going or not. I was too focused on how my stomach hurt and my legs were screaming and trying to find a way to push through. In the end, I’m glad I finished. The run probably also would have been right where we wanted it to be if I hadn’t had to smash my legs for 60+ miles on a bike course beforehand. But a 3:36 in the heat after what felt like 3508 squats with a 1000 pound bar, in 90 degrees and humidity, I can’t complain too much.

It is probably better that I finished this race and can recover and get back to training with more time to get a better build into Cozumel than I did for here. For a while I had danced around the idea of Wisconsin, but this would take at least 3 weeks away from training for Cozumel. Instead, this has just made the fire burn hotter, making the goals even higher. If I had stopped at mile 13 of the run, I would probably be trying to do another race to prove to myself that I have a great race in me right now, but it would be at the cost of other future races.

A huge thank you to everyone that makes this possible for me, and especially to the guy who helped me unstick my chain. Thank you to DiscountTriSupply.com, Kyle’s Bikes, Krueger Chiropractic, the Sanders family, my coach for coming down to watch something so pitiful, my parents, the volunteers, and everyone who had encouraging words for me leading up to, during, and after the race, it means so much to me just to know there are people that care.

 

Racine 70.3

Ironman 70.3 Racine was a beautiful race, swimming in the clear water of Lake Michigan, biking on the gently rolling Wisconsin country roads, and running along the lake on a path and roads lines with many cheering spectators.
Saturday morning I went for a practice swim in Lake Michigan. The water was cold (around 65 degrees) but calm and clear. On race morning the winds had picked up and there were significant waves and chop. The swim was a bit brutal. I had a mini panic attack, but I didn’t even notice the temp. My swim went ok, but the mini panic attack set me back at the beginning and I never quite made up the time I lost.

The bike was along picturesque country roads. Some of the roads themselves were in good condition, but many were bumpy. My bike went okay considering the training I have been doing and considering we decided not to really rest for this race with Louisville being just a few weeks after. My bike is still no where near where I want it to be, but I think finally, slowly, heading in the right direction. I did drop my water bottle right after the second aide station after passing all the people handing them out, so out of luck until aid station 3… about 15 miles later.
On to the run, a bit behind on hydration, but feeling pretty good. Run also went well, all considered. Again, still work to do, but headed in the right direction. Held a great pace through mile 9. Then headed deep into the hurt locker for the last 4 miles.

Felt good to get out and finally feel like I was able to actually push hard for a race and come out fatigued from racing hard, not just because I feel chronically fatigued. Time was quite off from what I was hoping for, the majority of that because of the bike, but I’m going to look at the positives from the race and get excited for Louisville!
Thank you to everyone who has helped me get this far, happy and healthy! DiscountTriSupply.com, Kyle’s Bikes, Krueger Chiropractic, TYR, Oakley, family, friends, wonderful homestays, and all the volunteers on race day!

Pigman Sprint Race Report

The race was on June 2nd, but it felt like April 2nd. Cold, cloudy, and very windy. My race did not go well. The swim went ok, though I was faster two years ago. The water was 64 degrees, it a great temperature if you like wetsuits. I was leading the swim and out of T1. After exiting T1 I had trouble getting my feet in my shoes because my hands were so cold they didn't work quite right. For the first quarter of the bike I felt alright, felt like I could actually race. The last three quarters of the race I just felt flat and tired- I'm working on changing my bike position and a few other things to try and get this straightened all out-hopefully very soon! One very important thing to factor into racing and training is life stress. I had underestimated life stress that kept building throughout the month of May, and by race day I was spent. It was so evident on the bike with inability to even feel like I could find 'race gear'. Never underestimate the impact life stress has on you. Many endurance athletes are type A and want to complete all their scheduled workouts. This may look good on paper to see you successfully completed all your workouts, but it may co


me at a cost to your body if you are not listening to it. And, like happened to me in this race, it will become glaringly obvious at exactly the wrong time.

By the end of the bike I was in 6th place, but thankfully, no longer cold. My flat and tired feelings continued on the run. There was really no one super close to me to really race (try to catch or stay ahead of) either, so I didn't really feel pushed, nor like I needed to push as I knew it was going to be an all-around slow race for me. It was a very bad race for me but has reminded me that I must do something about my bike fit, rest and recuperate.

I had planned on doing Kansas 70.3 the next weekend, but by Thursday before decided not to go and take the long weekend to rest and re-energize. It turned out to be an awesome decision. I got plenty of sleep, did not feel stressed, and even had some great training.

Thanks to all my sponsors who make this all possible!

Next is a local sprint race, Copper Creek on June 23. Then Racine 70.3 in July.

Something I was able to work on my days off!

St. Croix Race (if you can call it a race!) Report

St. Croix wasn't much of a race for me. There were torrential downpours the evening and all through the night before. This left gravel all over the road. Not just a little gravel, I mean 10 feet long of thick rough grave every few miles. Many people were either fixing flats or had to drop out from flats or other mechanical problems. I did not get a flat, but had other issues. The biggest one was probably rocks. A blister started to form about the middle of the ride. It ended up causing me to run (well, hobble really) with my shoe half on. I just wasn't going to go all the way down to the island to not finish the race, with the exception of my heel I was healthy and decided to slowly enjoy the rest of the course simply because I could.

 

Practice swim

 

The water is crystal clear and beautiful. During the swim I saw fish, turtles, and a small stingray. St. Croix is my favorite swim course. The bike is hilly. Hilly the entire 56 miles. It rained on us. Some of the roads weren't in the best conditions to begin with, add in the damage from the night before, plus some new downpours during the race, and it became is crazy bike course. I think I personally really struggle coming from the trainer to outside, especially on hills or technical courses.  I need an adjustment period, especially if there are hills involved, and just did not get any biking time in outside prior here in the lovely Iowa never-ending winter. In the two weeks I've been back and riding outside I already feel tremendously strong and more confident on my bike. The run was hot. As I said I had a blister so by this time it was not longer a race for me. Just time to enjoy being happy, healthy, and on a beautiful island. We stayed a few days after the race to do vacationy type things and had a blast, it was hard to come back.

 

 

 

Buck Island

Buck Island

Buck Island

The Blister

Beer drinking pigs in the rainforest

 

Training on the course pre-race

More from the course before the race

Coming out of T1

 

Ironman Texas 70.3 Race Report

Texas 70.3 was not the race for me. I really enjoyed being where it was warmer and there was some sunshine, but as for the actual race, not so much. In February I got a few days of riding outside, but otherwise I haven't had wheels on pavement since October '12. I feel like I can push myself all kinds of ways on the trainer, but it's still never the same as just getting out there and hammering away on the road for consecutive hours. That, combined with all kind of 'life' things made going into this race tough. I knew that going into it, but wanted to race and get that first 'race' out of the way. In the end, it was a good thing, I reminded myself about riding and pushing while outside-and along with that-reminded about nutrition. I need to eat and drink more when I'm riding like that, especially when in the heat and humidity.

It also reminded me about putting my bike together correctly. It was only when repacking my bike to come home that I realized I had the stem spacers below where my handlebars should be, when I normally have my bars as low as possible to be more aerodynamic. Seriously, is there not more screening or something before one can race as a professional??

From the minute I finished I knew that this was just a starting point for the season. Although far from where I wanted to start, I feel like things can pretty much only go up from here. Even though my race was pitiful, it was nice to be outside, by the ocean, and spend some time with my mom.

Thanks to my mom for coming with me, and special thanks to DiscountTriSupply,com, Krueger Chiropractic, and Oakley for helping me get to the start line with everything I need, including a healthy body!

Next race is St. Croix 70.3, so very excited to race (and hopefully feel more ready to race) and then spend a few days exploring the beautiful island!

The ocean, the day after the race

Swimming in the tiny, cold hotel pool the day before because it was too windy to swim in the ocean

 Tan Lines

 



Enjoying delicious Mexican seafood (and girly drink) with my mom post race

Revival of the Blog

I have neglected my blog. I'm trying to bring it back now that race season is quickly approaching. After seeing photos and results from the weekend's past races (San Juan and Los Cabos) I'm getting very excited to be in a race myself! Training also seems to be coming together quite nicely. Although the Iowa weather is doing the opposite of cooperating. Woke up to more snow on the ground this morning and winds that take your breath away.

The good news is at the end of February I did get away for a bit and was able to ride my NEW BIKE outside! We were in Henderson, NV and it was still a bit chilly and windy, but warm enough to train outside.

 

Pretty Bike

 

The one day I was able to train in a t-shirt and shorts, thankfully my biggest training day!

 

 

Back on my trainer in the mean time, hoping the weather changes very quickly so I can get the bike out at least a few times before my first race! H

Happy Training!

Omaha Triathlon and Lake Marion Triathlon

I did two races in August. The first was Omaha Triathlon. The race started at 6am, ouch! My swim was not the greatest. The swim venue was good and the water ok. Bike course was far hillier than I expected! That and the fact that I just couldn't hit the watts I needed to for an oly race made for a bad bike. Run- hilly also! My run went pretty well considering my injury earlier and time off. First time I felt like I was actually able to run rather than just suffer and survive.

 

 
Next up was Lake Marion Triathlon. Another 2nd place, getting old! The swim was in Lake Marion, a lake I have been boating and playing on with family many times. Good swim course except, just like at Omaha, we ran into sprinters at the end of the swim. Bike course here was good but my performance was again sub par. I have been training for 70.3s again, and when I do this, it just seems I CANNOT push harder on the bike. Bummer. Run was about the same as at Omaha. So run is heading in the right direction, and hopefully this means when it comes time for halves, my bike will be right on track also.

Evergreen Triathlon and Vacation!

Last weekend I raced the Evergreen Triathlon. It went okay for me. The swim was alright, either a bit long or I was really slow. The water temp was in the 80s and the swim course had to be changed due to low water levels. It was warm but tolerable and the first wave was elites/collegiate so it was nice to swim with people not too far from me the whole time.

The first 3-5 miles of the bike are nice, with trees on either side of the road that twists and turns a bit. Then you get into the corn field. Roads are a bit rough, the wind picks up, and besides an occasional barn, just more corn and wind. I was happier with my bike performance here than I have been with my other bikes all year. Still not were I want to be, but heading in the right direction. I pushed hard for the entire bike, minimized mind wandering, and remembered that I was racing out there on my bike.

My run performance was another story. I think it will just take more time not only for my running to come back after those 4 weeks I had to take off late spring/early summer, but even more time for me to get speed back after training for 2 ironmans. I am definitely frustrated right now, but that just keeps me working harder and motivated to get out and train. Especially those track workouts that make me feel like I might literally explode. The run course was out on open roads, also a lot of which were in the fields. It had become overcast, so we did not have to run in the blazing sun, but it was sooo humid, it felt like I had run throw floating puddles. Even my shoes were soaking wet.

All in all I ended up pretty disappointed with my performance here, but looking forward to continuing to train and improve and get out there and race again. Disappointments are part of racing. They help us focus, push us harder, and keep us going. Next up, Omaha Triathlon on August 5th!

After Evergreen my mom and I drove from Bloomington, IL to Bloomington, MN. Including our stops (gas, cheese shop, Norske Nook) it took us 9 hours. NEVER AGAIN. That is too long to be in a car in one day, but worth it for the fun I had on Sunday. Sunday was a day at the lake with the family! I didn't get nearly as many pictures as I would have liked because my camera died, but here are two of me and my little cousin tubing.

I have had the rest of the week off also. Monday was more family fun. Tuesday breakfast with a friend and shopping with my mom. Wednesday I came back to Iowa and went to Zoo Brew...and saw real live PENGUINS!!!! Thursday was Jenny's birthday so we went for a little bike ride and then out to the lake! After we went to Jasper Winery for their summer concert series. Friday morning we went swimming at the outdoor pool. After the crazy week, I was pretty lazy the rest of Friday! Time to get out for my ride today, happy training everyone!

Back to Racing!

After IMTX I wound up with a knee injury that stuck around for 4 weeks and pretty much prevented any training besides any swimming with easy flip turns.

Three weeks post IMTX I attempted Trinona olympic distance. I made it through the swim and bike, but immediately after dismounting my bike and taking a few steps, I knew I would not be finishing the run. My first DNF. This was a very hard decision to make, but I knew it was better to not finish this race and heal up then push through and miss more races.

That proved to be the right decision. A week later I completed my first run since the ironman (30 whole minutes!). Then one week later I did Copper Creek Sprint. Not the best way to go into a race- on one week of training after four weeks off. BUT, I was RACING!!! Ended with not quite the results I had hoped for, but alright given the circumstances, and, did I mention I was RACING!?!? And that was enough to really get me going and very excited for more training and some shorter racing where it feels more like true balls to the walls racing unlike longer courses.

Ironman Texas

Canal, swim exit to the right

Ironman Texas..well, I finished. I can't say much more about my performance than that. However, it was a good course, I had a fun time, and an awesome home stay. The swim course was pretty good. I could see how age groupers would have a difficult time in the narrow canal. My swim time was alright, I got in a pack of people and just cruised along, goal in swim accomplished.

Bike Course

I hopped on my bike and headed out, picking up speed quickly into a 90 degree turn with barricades on either side. I was wet, my bike was wet from dew, and I wasn't quite used to the brakes on the race wheels. This all combined for a nice little wipe out within the first mile of the bike. Bad news is I had to bike over 111 miles on a TT bike with road rash on my elbow. Good new, my injuries were no worse than road rash and a nice large bruise on my hip.

The rest of my bike was a bit less than stellar. I had minor issues throughout but no other major issues other than being much slower than I had hoped. My elbow bothered me on and off, it's hard to say how much it really affected me, physically and mentally.

My run started off at an ok pace for 16 miles. The pace I was going would have made for the slower end of my goal run time. Except after mile 16 everything fell apart. I couldn't drink enough, I didn't have enough calories, my knee started to hurt, and I kind-of wanted to cry! The last 10 miles of this race were probably some of the hardest miles I have ever done. I did finish, but now wonder if that was even the best decision as my leg still isn't quite right.

 The race was far from what I had hoped and thought I was capable off, but I learned a lot and overall had a great time in Texas. Thanks to everyone who supported me along the way- DiscountTriSupply.com, Kyle's Bikes, TYR, Krueger Chiropractic, my parents, my homestay, and all my other friends and family.

Galveston Race Report and Training Since

Galveston Race Training Report- the day ended up as much more of a great IM Texas training day than an actual race. I think the days and weeks leading up to the race were just too jammed packed with everything for me to really feel like I could race. Too much work, training, life, everything. Not enough sleep, rest, or just time to sit down or think. From the very beginning of the bike I just didn't have any of that 'extra' to give to actually be able to race. In the end I like to think that is all good news for IM Texas, that that leaves me with more of a build up leading to IM Texas so when I do get real and adequate rest (in all areas of life).

Running

My uncle. No shirt. Compression socks. His typical antics.

I really liked this house, now if I could just win the lottery...

Training since Galveston has gone pretty well. I'm a little disappointed at the number of my longer bike rides that have had to be inside. Last fall I was much more lucky with my long rides landing on days where I could get all or almost all my ride done outside. This spring seems opposite. Today is sunny and I have the day off...so I'm going to go outside, later!