For the first time since September 2019, I got the opportunity to race a triathlon. There were so many obstacles between 2019 and this race day - a global pandemic that shut down racing entirely for most of 2020, a stress fracture that left me unable to run for approximately 8 weeks in early 2021, and severe thunderstorms on race morning - to say that I felt fortunate to race would be a huge understatement! Ironman Des Moines 70.3 was finally here!
The days leading up to the race were pretty terrific, I got to leave the state of Texas for the first time since February 2020 and go on an old-fashioned road trip with Erik across some states that I'd never seen before. The day before the race Erik and I met up with some of my Coeur Sports teammates for a short ride over part of the race course. Even though it was my first time to meet my teammates in person, it felt like seeing old friends again. The connections that we made during the pandemic year were invaluable and while it was a huge bummer that I never got to race in my 2020 kit, I wouldn't trade the friendships forged during a time of isolation and no races. The ride was fast and fun and it had me feeling really excited about the bike course that we would be racing the next morning.
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| Photo: Ruth Rickey |
The forecast, however, was not looking as promising as that bike ride felt. I decided not to worry about the weather because it was beyond my control, but I really hoped that the race would happen, otherwise, we just took a really long drive to Iowa for a short bike ride. The communication from Ironman and the race directors was spot on - we were never left guessing and our safety always appeared to be top of their mind. We received notification the night before that the race would be delayed approximately one hour, I really appreciated the extra hour of sleep. Upon waking on race morning, we received another notification asking us to stay in a sheltered location and wait an additional update coming by 7:30. Eventually I got dressed, ate some breakfast, and we headed to the race as the rain was still falling. Upon arrival, we learned that the race would start for age group athletes at 9:40 and that the bike course would be half of the usual distance (27 miles instead of 56).
It was still raining as Erik and I made the one mile walk from the car to Transition, where my bike was waiting for me. I still wasn't sure that this race was happening and I felt nervous about riding on wet roads with all of those people (this race was huge with 2354 finishers!). I would be lying if I told you I didn't check the Ironman Lubbock website to see if they had openings for the next weekend (back-up plan, anyone?). But once I got into Transition, I found my groove and went about setting up my stuff. It has been so long since I've done this that I took a little extra time to double check everything. I left my sunglasses there as an after thought, not expecting to need them with continued rain in the forecast.
On the way out of transition, I ran into Erin who was also up from DFW for the race. It was great to have someone to talk to as we waited for our turn to start the swim and I also knew that Erik would enjoy hanging out with her husband Steve while we were racing. At 9:53 Erin and I found ourselves at the start line....at long last it was time to go!!
Swim This was my first time to race the 70.3 Half Ironman distance since Ironman Waco in 2018 and the swim in that race was cancelled due to flooding...so going back from there this was my first time to race the 1.2 miles swim distance since 2016 (all my other race swims since then have been at the full Ironman distance of 2.4 miles). I have gained so much confidence in open water swimming since then, I was interested to see what my time would be. The lake was small and shallow and thanks to the recent heatwave, the water temperature was somewhere around 78 degrees. I heard from others that they felt there was a lot of contact in the swim, but I didn't think much about it while I was swimming. There were pockets that were more crowded and there were swimmers that I had to just get around because they were inconsistent in their speed and sighting. As I hit the halfway mark, I felt really grateful that I was not swimming the full Ironman distance that day. I was thrilled when I crossed the timing mat and saw 44:09 on my watch -- a 9:27 improvement!
T1 I had my eye out for Erik as I began the run to Transition. I spotted him amongst the crowd and gave him a huge wave and smile as I began the very long run into transition....I'm not kidding when I say long run....it was .58 miles long! Maybe I should practice barefoot running straight out of the lake if/when I do this race again. When I *finally* made it to my bike I was grateful that I kept my sunglasses because the sun had come on strong while I was swimming. I got my bike and headed for the exit where I spotted teammate Elaina...10:47 later I was on my way to ride.
Bike The bike course was 27.1 miles, half the distance of a typical 70.3 triathlon, but I wasn't sure what part of the course they cut and I was hoping that the portion of the course we rode the day before was still included. I took it more conservatively in the beginning than I would have liked, but I found myself nervous around other people on their bikes. I credit that to not racing (or even being close to strangers) in over a year. Once I got out to the main road I settled in and pushed the pace a bit. Soon enough I recognized our route from the previous day and I felt even more settled. There were a few times that made me feel nervous as the crosswind caught my bike. Thanks to the recent rain in Dallas, I did not get the opportunity to ride much on my race wheels and didn't quite have the confidence on them that I would have liked. The course was an out-and-back and it was fun to cheer for teammates along the way. I hit the u-turn and saw some of my fastest bike splits on the way back. I didn't think much about speed or power and focused on having fun. It was a blast! This is a great course - roads are smooth and the route is fast! Again, I found myself riding more conservatively as we entered Water Works Park and neared the end of the ride. There is always something to work on for future races. I finished the bike in 1:25:05 with an average of 19.35 mph.
T2 Back in transition, I switched into my run gear and sprayed myself with sunscreen. I'm also thankful that I kept that with me, although it did not do much good as I still got a pretty good sunburn on my back. I definitely felt rusty in there and could have been more efficient. Fun bike was done and now it was time to run. Transition time 4:54 - another thing to work on for the next race.
Run Normally running is my jam. I came into triathlon as a long time runner and it is the event that I feel most confident at....except lately. Recovering from a metatarsal stress fracture in mid-December set my running game back a bit. This was only my 2nd time to run 13.1 miles since the injury. My confidence for anything over about 8 miles has not returned and I don't think that my endurance is quite there yet either. My plan was to find a steady all-day pace, click off some miles, and walk the water stations that were located every mile or so. This worked fine for me during much of the first loop and I held a steady mid-10:00 pace through the first 7 miles. My fastest mile was 9:40 and came during mile six when I saw Coach Jess, Ruth, Erik, and Steve - those cheers helped me so much! The second loop turned into a death march with the heat and the sun beating down on me. There is precious little shade on this course. I was walking more than I planned to or wanted, but forward is a pace and I was still moving! Seeing Kecia, Michelle, Sarah, and my other Coeur friends on the course gave me a boost here and there. Those smiles go a long way! I got a little more pep in my step during that last mile and I was so excited to turn that last corner and head for the finish. I think that you should celebrate every finish line because they are never promised. Being on that red carpet, hearing the announcer and the crowd again was pretty incredible and I tried to take it all in and really appreciate it. How lucky am I that I get to do these things that I love?! Run time: 2:32:14.
Total time: 4:55:51
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