Ironman Arizona Race Report: Part 3

Bike, Transition 2 

The bike portion of the race had me the most nervous and worried. Nutrition and mechanical were the  two things that concerned me the most. I knew if I didn't take in enough calories on the bike that my run would be awful or I could potentially DNF. I had experience that in September, doing Best of the West half Ironman distance race in Sweet Home, Oregon. I had the most awful and longest half marathon of my life. I did not take in enough calories nor did I have enough electrolytes on the bike. I did not want to repeat that experience. Going into the final ten weeks of training I was mindful of my calorie intake during my long training rides. My nutrition on the bike was a combination of liquid nutrition, Spiz and snacks in my bento box. I had used Spiz on both of my overnight relays in August: Elkhorn and Hood to Coast and had good results. The chocolate was too sweet for me so I switched to the vanilla which I preferred. On my long training rides I craved salt so I added a combination of what I like to call "truck stop snacks." All the crap food that I love to eat on long overnight running relays. I eat super healthy normally but for some reason I like to fuel my overnight relays on truck stop snack foods. I knew if I didn't want to eat my salty snacks that my liquid nutrition would give me enough calories. I added an aero bottle  for additional hydration. I am so glad that I did gave me a variety between the Spiz and Orange Gatorade. My goal was to get around 400 calories per hour.  I am beyond thankful to have the ability to eat pretty much anything and not have any digestive issues. 

Cycling is my least favorite in triathlon. I am not the most mechanically inclined person. Going into the race I had a pre-race service and put on new tires before I left only have to replace a tire when I arrived in Arizona because a puncture. I needed the piece of mind of a new tube and tire. Arizona is known for debris, like nasty goat heads on the course. I really didn't want to have to deal with changing a flat on my first Ironman so I opted to replace my tires with flat resistant ones. They are also are a bit heavier meaning, slower.  Again, piece of mind. Remember my goal was to finish.

My bike is not the fanciest. It's just an entry level, Trek Alexa road bike with aero bars. Just a step up from a beach cruiser with a basket. Yes, it would have been nice to have had a nicer bike but that wasn't in the cards. My wise friend Alycia says: "It's not the bike it's the engine." I don't have a power meter. I don't track my heart rate. I just measure my speed and time on my Garmin 920. The goal of this portion of the race was getting calories into my body and no flats.  My solo Friday morning rides out on The Bay Road were flat, boring and windy. My longest ride before race day was 105 miles. It was five monotonous loops. My training prepared me well for the IMAZ bike course.  I remember one ride where the winds were 23 mph. I had to lean the opposite direction to stay on my bike.

RACE DAY: 82 degrees was the forecast for the day with next to no winds of 0-5mph. A freak of nature as I was reading online, as usually the bike course, the Beeline can get windy. Later I read that it ended up being closer to 86 degrees and winds were between 10-20 mph depending on the time and the location on the bike course.

My plan was go out easy on the first loop. I had done extensive research on line watching videos and reading race reports. I had a plan and a pretty good idea of what to expect. Coming out the transition I accidentally hit my Garmin twice and messed up the screen. I had a brief freak out moment then gathered my wits.  I knew that my times were all being tracked anyways. No big deal that I messed up my Garmin. I just needed to be able to see my speed and time. Not knowing those two things were going to mess with my mind and prevent me from executing my race plan. I pull over and and reset my Garmin so I could see the familiar screen that I was used to seeing on all my training rides. I remember telling myself this is just like a long ride and off I went. I passed a few people but I was mostly was getting passed. It didn't bother me as that was part of the plan. The course is mostly flat. There is a long slight incline (11 miles of gradual incline) before the turn around. Riding the incline (1,500 ft. total, about 500 ft. climbing each loop), and riding into the wind made it brutal at times. The course was three loops, not like five boring, windy loops I was used to all alone.  All those long and boring mentally taxing rides helped me immensely. When the wind picked up and my speed dropped to 9 mph I just focused on spinning.  I knew that I would be hitting the turn around at Shae Blvd and the wind would be behind me. It made me laugh because it reminded me of my friend Shae, who always makes me laugh. After the turn around heading back to town I loved flying down the incline hitting close to 30 mph!  I remember smiling and soaking up the sights of the cacti along the course. Holy shit I remember thinking and saying aloud, I am really doing this. I am actually doing an Ironman!

My second loop I tried to pick up the pace a bit as I knew what to expect. I wasn't hungry and kept drinking from my aero bottle and my Spiz. I saw people on the side of the road changing flat tires. I saw one athlete being taken off the course by paramedics.  I prayed aloud as I passed each of them. I knew how hard they trained and that very well could have been me on the side of the road. After the turn around at Shae Blvd.  I needed to re-lube my lady parts and use the restroom. A wonderful volunteer with a big smile was ready to help me as soon as I yelled from my bike that I was stopping. She held my bike while I used the restroom and applied Vaseline. She offered me a wipe for me to clean my hands and applied sunscreen to my legs before sending me off. The next aid-station I was stopping for my special needs bag.  I have halfway done. A young high school aged kid grabbed my bag for me. I directed him to grab me water as I made a new bottle of Spiz. It was messy. The white powder was going everywhere.  It looked like a drug deal gone bad as it tried to wipe off the powder off my hands and bike. He gave me a funny look as I cracked open a warm can of V8 juice and chugged it. I quickly poured a warm bottle of lemon lime Gatorade in my aero container.  Orange Gatorade was the only flavor on the bike course, my least favorite. It was beginning to make my throat feel funky. I was so thankful to have a brief break from it.  I completely over packed my special needs bag.

On the third loop, I knew that I need to stay down in aero as much as possible and keep powering through.  I was now passing a few people. Each person I passed I acknowledged them with a kind word. The closer I got to back to town the happier I was becoming.  Running is my favorite part of triathlon.  I knew that it was going to be getting darker and cooler soon and I was in the final stretch.

Bike: 7:41:52
Average speed: 14.56

Transition: I remember seeing Miranda and Amy before I headed into transition. As I was about to dismount I saw our friends Jeff and Megan, and the rest of my cheering squad. I was so happy to be done and to see familiar faces that were just as happy to see me. I felt VIP, as I rolled into transition and dismounted.  I didn't even have to rack my bike. An attentive volunteer was right there to take my bike for me.  I made my way to transition where I grabbed my bag and entered the changing tent. It felt so good to sit down. A volunteer asked what I needed. In that moment I wanted water. I was so thirsty. She kept bringing little cups of ice cold water which I kept downing as took off my helmet, took off my bike jersey and arm sleeves. I lubed up my feet super good and changed into my running shoes which felt amazing. I slathered on Arnica gel all over my legs and lower back for pain relief.  I Surprisingly I was still feeling good . I changed into a tank top and my De Soto Coolwings and my American Badass trucker hat. I wasn't hungry but I downed another warm can of V8 juice because I knew the sodium would do my body well. My plan was to race like I train. I like to run with a waist pack. My volunteer helped me fill my bottles and held my pack while I used the restroom before I heading out. I remember another volunteer told me that I had four hours to finish my first loop (13 miles). I felt elated, as I knew that I could run a half marathon in two hours. Running off the bike I am strong and fast. I had this! I loved seeing everyone as I headed out of transition. I remember feeling so happy, I was almost done...I just had to run 26.2 miles the longest I've ever ran, my first marathon then I'd be hearing Mike Rielly call me an Ironman.

Transition 2: 11:37