Ironman Arizona Race Report: Part 1~Pre-Race
I had ambitious plans to write throughout the past year as I trained for my first Ironman. Obviously that did not happen. In the upcoming week I am excited to share with you my race experience on completing my first Ironman race in Tempe, Arizona which happened on November 19th.
As soon as I paid for my race I begin the search for a training plan. I ordered, Be Iron Fit: Time Efficient Training Secrets for Ultimate Fitness by Don & Melanie Fink. The book has three different training plans: Just Finish, Intermediate, and Competitive. I used the competitive plan, a 30 week plan broke up into three phases: base, build and peak. The money I saved in not having a coach I used for chiropractic, acupuncture and naturopathic care which I added into my weekly and monthly training plan. My thought with going with the competitive plan was if I can hit most of my training then I would be prepared enough to cross the finish line. I went into Ironman training with a good base from the previous year. I started my training in May. I did a Half Ironman relay in, Santa Rosa. I did the run portion of the race. I incorporated half marathon plan in with my base training. I kept my race calendar pretty empty this season. I was a pacer for the Newport Marathon in June. Pacing the 11:20 group the second half of the marathon. I did Elkhorn Relay in early August, an overnight 206 mile relay in Eastern Oregon. Great training, running at night, running on tired legs and hot weather. I had the amazing experience to be apart of my first Hood to Coast Relay, less than two weeks later. At the time I was worried about over training and having to miss bike and swim training. In retrospect is was amazing training that prepared me to have such a great run during IMAZ. The only other triathlon that I did this season was my race preview 10 week prior at Best of the West Triathlon Festival doing a half Ironman distance race. I had a great swim and bike but my run was awful. I learned a lot of valuable lessons that I carried with me into the final weeks of my training for IMAZ.
I have to add that this past year and a half was not the easiest. I don't want to go into detail but let me say it was a trying time for our family. Ironman training was my therapy and helped me stay centered. When my oldest daughter asked me a few weeks before the race, "Mom, what happens if you don't finish?" My reply to her was I would be sad but I've accomplished so much in the past seven months, swimming, biking and running the furthest and fastest I've ever have under stressful conditions, making to the finish line in Arizona I had already won.
Before I realized it I was in the final two weeks before race day. I had scheduled a repair and picked up my bike from my bike shop on Friday two weeks before race day. Shout out to The Bike Peddler in Salem. They were amazing. I scheduled a one-on-one session with a Kalen, bike mechanic a few weeks earlier. He was fabulous helping me perfect my tire changing skills. I had new a pre-race tune up and put new tires on and added a aero drink system between my aero bars. I had one more long bike ride that I wanted to test out my new tires and get one final ride. Taper. What is all the fuss about it? Maybe because I was exhausted and sick I was thankful to finally have a break from the insanity of training such long hours.
A few months earlier I asked my nine year old friend, Abby to design my race helmet so I'd be visible to my cheering squad during the race. She has a love of all things glittery and flashy. As you can see it turned out beautiful! It's even more sparkly and awesome in person. What you can't see are positive quotes and butterflies on it.
I set up a staging area in my living of all the stuff that I would need. I love Ziplock bags of all sizes. Can you tell? I had a notebook full of notes about the course, helpful tips and what to pack. I checked, double checked and then triple checked. I had a pre-race plan and a race day plan. My little black notebook came in handy throughout the packing process and the days leading up to the race. It kept me calm. I had a carry on bag with the necessities like my beautiful helmet, wetsuit, bike and run shoes as well as my Garmin charger and nutrition, all the stuff I couldn't replace if my luggage didn't make it. I am Virgo, I always have a plan B.
I didn't want to hassle with my bike. I used Tribike Transport to ship my bike to Arizona. Yes, it was expensive but it was worth every single penny not to have to worry about my bike while traveling and post race. (Are you doing IMAZ next year? I believe they currently have a coupon when you book for next year. DO IT NOW.) I had to travel to Portland to drop my bike off. It worked out as Mr. W and I were able to attend a Blazer game. I had my first freak out moment when dropping off my dog at my parents house I noticed a piece of medal sticking out of my rear wheel. That panicky feeling when you think you have lost your purse or cell phone. It must have happened on my last ride. I realized there was nothing I could do in the moment. My tire seemed okay but I was about to ride 112 miles on it. I dropped off my bike at the bike shop in Portland for transport, the mechanic looked at it and deemed it okay. I had my reservations but knew there was going to be bike mechanics in the Ironman Village.
Unfortunately before leaving for Arizona I developed intense lower back pain as well as an awful cold. Since September I have been dealing with hip/lower back pain. I had been seeing my acupuncturist weekly. I was still able to swim, bike, run without much issue as the pain only really bothered me after activity. This intense lower back pain was new. It was painful and had me worried as I didn't know if I'd be in pain on the bike or the run as I was sick with a cold and wasn't even biking or running the final two weeks before the race. I saw my acupuncturist the Monday before I left as well as my chiropractor Wednesday, both didn't offer any real relief. I was an emotional mess. I was in tears in my chiropractors office. How was I going to ride 7+ hours and run a marathon with the pain I was in?
Early Thursday we flew from rainy Pacific Northwest to sunny Arizona. Thankfully my luggage arrived with no issues and my cold seemed to disappear as soon the plane landed. I was so blessed to have so many family and friends who jumped at the opportunity to come cheer me on. Mr. W's aunt Robin and cousin Brandy came from Denver, Colorado and were in Phoenix when we landed. My friend and training partner Miranda and her daughter Livy and my friend Amy joined us later that evening. Our friends Jeff & Megan joined us later, arriving the night before the race. I didn't see them until race day.
Mr. W is traveling guru when it comes to securing accommodations as well as getting a fabulous deal. It was no surprise at all when she found a fabulous condo for us and our accompanying family and friends for race weekend. I was beyond thankful that our condo had a ginormous bathtub that I took full advantage of.
Friday morning we made my way to Ironman Village for athlete check in and athlete briefing. Surprisingly I was not nervous or anxious. Since I've done two other Ironman races and tagged along with my friends last year in Chattanooga for their fist Ironman. I knew the drill of packet pickup and crowds of Iron Man Village. It was reassuring but also very exciting! I was surprised how short the lines were for the amount of athletes who were racing. It never seemed overly crowded in the Iron Village. I was so thankful to have Miranda with me as she was familiar with the Ironman race experience and just her presence alone kept me relaxed and calm. Especially when I went to the bike repair tent to inquire about having someone look at my bike tire. That was my only freak out moment. Jason, from Bikes + Life. was so helpful and friendly. He gave me a great pep talk and helped me figure what to do along with Miranda and Amy. For my own piece of mind I settled on replacing the tire. After a quick trip back to the condo to retrieve my pedals, I picked up my bike from Tri Bike Transport and dropped it off at the repair tent to pick up the following morning. Next was athlete briefing. Checking off all my pre-race to-do list.
The highlight of Friday was meeting pro athlete Heather Jackson, who lives and trains in Bend, Oregon as well as the voice of Iron Man, Mike Reilly. Both were super friendly. Could this week get any better? I am still in disbelief that that really happened.
Saturday was bike check in and swim practice. Before that was Iron Kids one mile race and family 5k race. Mr. W did his first 5k! I was so excited when Mr. W, Aunt Robin, Brandie and Olivia all signed up for the 5k as well as Miranda and Amy. It was such a fun way to celebrate the weekend together. I was so proud of everyone.
My plan for the pre-swim was just to jump in and get a feel for the water and get out. Nope, it was a 400 meter loop. Longer than I wanted to swim. This was the first time I had swam in a week. It was hectic, with lots of people. There was a limited time to swim. Once I got into the water it wasn't that crowded. I was relieved as the water warm~67 degrees! It was choppy, but not bad. Thankfully I was able to breathe through my nose now as my cold was almost gone.
This is right after I picked up my bike from the bike mechanics. See my smile? I took my bike out for a quick little spin before checking it in, racking my bike and dropping off my bike and run bags. I felt relieved and ready. My goals for IMAZ were to finish under 17 hours and have Mike Rielly announce me, finish with a smile and not end up in the medical tent. I went into race day, not looking at it as a race but an epic experience. My goal was not to qualify for Kona or place in the top of my age group. My goal was to have a blast. If you would have told me five years ago, Mary you're going to an Iron Man race in 2017 I would have told you, you were crazy. It's true Anything is Possible.
Comments
Post a Comment