Redman 70.3 Act II: The Ride of My Life

Welcome to Act II of my Redman 70.3 story!  We pick up here right after the worst swim ever (okay, maybe not the *worst* since I am alive to tell the tale...but I digress).  If you missed it, click here.

Bike -  3:16:01 -  17.1 mph
I was still shaking my head a little bit as I came out of the water, but there was no time to dwell on what had happened there.  I had a long way to go still and was looking forward to getting on my bike. After the most awkward wetsuit stripping ever, I stuffed my pockets full of food and gels and hit the open road.  I spotted Mr K and the gang and knew that he must have been worried because that swim took much longer than expected.  It is always a boost to see "your people" out on the course!  I also spotted a hot dog and a shark and it took me a second to realize I KNOW THEM!  TPG and Robert always bring the smiles with their clever costumes.  It was a nice shot of energy as I headed out for my ride.

Team Hot Dog - Shark were awesome (Photo: Drum)

I can't remember a ton of specific details about the bike course itself.  There were no monster climbs or super rough roads - just a fast course on some country roads.  I passed a few people in the early miles and then settled in, focusing on my eating plan and keeping an eye on my heart rate.  I had heard so many stories of people ruining their race by going too hard on the bike and I wanted to make sure that didn't happen to me.  I'd also heard many stories of people bonking because they didn't eat on the bike....also did not want that to happen to me.  I did not have the speed displayed on my watch screen, just time and heart rate - although I could get a feel for it as my watch chimed every five miles.  This chime was also my signal to eat and I alternated between Honey Stinger waffles and Shot Blocks.  I tried to drink like it was my job, but I'm thinking that I could have done even more of that.

My face when I saw Team Hot Dog - Shark (Photo: TPG)

I had a yucky "burpy" feel that I've never had before, and I assumed that it was a result of my wild swim.  I've never done any swim to bike bricks and that might be something that I want to consider in future training.  It made eating and drinking a little less desirable, but I powered through. The bike course was mostly an out-and-back and early on I started to see people on their way back.  Some of these people were fellow 70.3 athletes who were finishing up their ride and some of them were doing the 140.6 or the full aquabike and would be starting their second loop soon.  I had an eye out for my friends who were also racing, but I didn't see anyone until I saw Debby heading back out as I finished my ride.

I've probably never ridden more than about 25 miles without getting off my bike and taking a break and I wondered if I would be able to make the whole ride on race day.  I made it my goal to go as long as I could go without stopping, but knew that I might need a minute to refill my bottles or stretch my body.  My right hip started to feel tired and a little tight, like nothing I have felt before.  It wasn't that bad, just annoying and I decided to pedal through it.

The volunteers at the aide stations were so friendly and welcoming, I tried to say thank you to all of them as I rode by.  Somewhere before the halfway point I grabbed a bottle of water as I passed a volunteer and I filled up my aero bottle while pedaling....and this made me smile SO BIG!!!  I FILLED MY BOTTLE WITHOUT STOPPING!! This was a good day, indeed!!

I got such a boost at the turn around part - halfway done and I'd already seen most of the course.  I was having one of my best bike rides ever!  I worked very hard on my cycling during training as I knew that I needed to make huge improvements.  I've ridden a bike for several years now, but I've never really "trained" on the bike like I did this summer.  Bike was always something that I did for recovery or for fun so I was able to make big improvements when I started doing the work.  I could tell that I was having a strong ride while keeping my heart rate in a good working range.

The more positive energy I put out there, the more I could feel it coming back to me.  I tried to thank all of the police officers who were helping with traffic and most of them had a positive word for me in return.  The volunteers on the course were so overwhelmingly positive and I tried to thank all of them.  I also made an effort to say a positive word to the other athletes when I passed them and most all of them had a positive word in return.  I love that about races!

Sometime in the last 15 or 20 miles I found myself stuck behind an 18-wheeler.  Two other cyclists and I were back there for a few minutes, hoping that the truck would turn or speed up.  The truck was "stuck" too as there were bikes before and after him.  We joked about drafting and patiently waited until we were safely able to pass him.  Another first for me!

It was so easy to wish those final 10 miles away, I was growing impatient and my body was tired of being on this bike for approaching 3 hours.  It was then that I attempted to focus and be grateful for the strongest bike ride of my life.  I could hardly believe that I'd done the whole thing without stopping and I was doubly thankful that I had no mechanical issues.

Finally I found myself back on the dam and pedaling towards the transition area.  I marveled at those who were headed out for a second loop, I couldn't imagine doing the whole thing again.  Regardless of what happened on the swim or what was about to happen on the run, I knew that I could be really proud of this ride.  I have improved so much and have so much more confidence on the bike then I did when training started in June.  As a runner, I would have guessed going in that the run would be my favorite part of the day...but I'm certain that the bike was my favorite.