I racked my bike in T2 and looked at myself for the first time all day and I saw a filthy mess! Cycling on those roads wet from rain left me with quite a bit of road grime. My feet were also soaked from all of the puddles. I had already planned on taking a minute or two to put Body Glide on my feet and change into my toe socks as I had some big blisters by the end of the run last year at Redman. Blisters can be a huge issue for me and I felt it was worth my time to take some preventative measures before I took off. Looking back, this decision probably saved me a good deal of grief on the run. As I stood up and began to hustle out of transition, I noticed that my right hip was still a little bit tight from the bike. I stopped for a moment and stretched and then I was off.
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The weather had already been quite interesting and I could tell by looking at the skies that it was about to get a little bit wild. The big, dark clouds that were in the distance were getting closer and closer to us. I prepared myself to run through the rain and just crossed my fingers that there was no lightning or thunderstorms in those dark clouds. I made it to the turn around and walked a few steps through the u-turn section at the very end before heading back towards transition and the rest of the loop. It wasn't long after then that the skies just opened up and dumped so much rain on us. I could hear grumbles from those around me, but I was not about to let the weather ruin my fun. I couldn't help but to think of the famous quote: Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain. This rain wasn't passing anytime soon and I was ready to dance!
I saw Mr K heading out on the run as I was making my way back and he called out to me that he lost about 10 minutes with a bike mechanical. I was bummed to hear that since he is such a beast on the bike, but I was glad to see him safe and sound. Racing with one's spouse can be worrisome as you just have to hope that they are okay and are having a good day because you often don't see them for hours at a time.
The rain kept coming and coming, it was running ankle deep across the running path in several spots. I was a little concerned about blisters and the fatigue that running in wet, heavy shoes would bring (not to mention that I hate wet shoes and socks), but I decided not to focus on that and just wait to deal with it if it happened. This race is especially mean as you run past the finish line four times before you get to turn into the finisher's chute. Right after the finish line there was a huge bridge and many spectators were huddled under it seeking shelter from the rain. I later saw an update on Facebook instructing all of the spectators to head to that bridge during the downpour. It was a fun area to pass through because it was super loud and packed full of good energy. There was one small out and back after this bridge and then I got to pass through it again on my way to the second loop.
My pace felt great so far, not too fast and not too labored - it just felt like an all day kind of run. I also saw that my heart rate was staying fairly steady and was in a great range for that point of the race. I was pretty pleased when I finished the first loop in just over an hour. A quick round of mental math told me...oh, who am I kidding, I'm not great at math on a regular day...but I knew that I was on pace for a really great run and I was still hoping to negative split the second loop.
My run at Redman was just such a mess, I walked way more of it than I care to admit and that hurt my pride a bunch. I like to think of myself as a strong runner and a 2:54 half marathon was disappointing. I had some very encouraging brick runs during training and they went a long way to build confidence in my run. I didn't really have a time goal in mind for this race, I just knew that I wanted to run it well and feel good about it when I crossed the finish line. I honestly thought that anything in the 2:20 neighborhood would be pretty awesome.
Coach Frank was hanging out in the Tri-Now tent on the course and he made me laugh each time I passed. My favorite might have been "Hurry up, MK! I'm getting wet here!" As I began the second loop, I told myself that there would be no stopping until that u-turn at the far end, then I allowed myself one very short walk break. This was probably the longest part of the run, it felt like forever to get out to that u-turn. It was still raining too, sometimes just a drizzle and sometimes it came down on us in sheets. It was during this loop that I noticed that the aide station volunteers had all been pulled and the aide stations had become self-serve. This was one run I would never forget!
I saw Mr K a couple of more times on the run and we cheered each other on each time. He was looking steady and strong and that made me feel happy. The second "out" section of this run was definitely the toughest for me mentally - as the middle miles in races usually are for me - just past the halfway mark, but not close enough to be to the "almost done" part. I was tired, but felt nice and steady, it was just impatience starting to set in - gotta calm the restless mind. The nitty gritty, time to dig in and focus on the task at hand. After what felt like forever I reached the u-turn at the far end and walked about 20 steps. And guess what? Running felt a lot better than walking so off I went again.
I love the last time through a looped course because it feels a little bit like a victory lap to me. There is something uplifting about knowing that is the last time you will see all of the landmarks. The way back didn't seem as long as the way out and as I passed by the finish line I knew that the next time I came by I would be making that turn. As I approached the final miles, I knew that I had to go for the LOFO (last one, fast one). My buddy Stude (The Encourager, remember him?) raced up at Redman the day before and cranked out an impressive LOFO despite the rough conditions. As I made the last turn around and heard mile 12 chime on my watch, I dug in and gave it all I had. The people under the noisy bridge seemed to know that I was headed for the finish and they gave me extra loud cheers. These are the moments we live for!
Finally, the finish line. I crossed that line knowing that I had executed the best possible race that I could. I had no regrets and knew that I left nothing out there, my training was solid, my mental game was strong, and my race came together perfectly. That finish was everything that my finish at Redman was not. I had been waiting a year for that redemption, to put together the race that I knew that I was capable of, to live up to my potential. My official time was 6:21:05 - an hour and seven minute PR! Placing in my age group was not a goal, but I was thrilled to learn that I was 4th.
A couple of weeks later, I was talking with Drum while we were running on the beach in Port Aransas. She shared that she believed that an athlete gets a limited number of "perfect" races in their lifetime and when they happen they should really be savored. I believe that she is right about this and I know that I experienced one of those dream races in Kerrville. I've been working hard to savor it before moving onto my next big goal. In looking back over the day, I can honestly say there is nothing I would change or do differently. And most importantly, I had an absolute blast! I can't remember the last time that I had that much fun racing. I found myself moping about a bit in the days following the race simply because it was all over. I loved the training and the race so much that it left a bit of a void when it was all said and done.
So there you have it, my Kerrville 70.3 story. I'm not sure where I am headed from here, but I feel certain that it will involve a fast bike and a pair of running shoes. Heck, I'll throw in some goggles and a swim cap too, if I must. I know that this race was not a destination, but a fabulous experience a long the road. I'm enjoying the ride and I'm waiting to see what is around the next corner.
Run: 2:06:03
2nd AG
Total: 6:21:05
4th AG
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