Photo: Jay Baker
After dismounting my bike, I quickly removed my cycling shoes as I ran my way into the terrace to grab my T2 (Run) gear bag. My legs were a little tired from 112 miles of biking but I didn't let it worry me. My athlete Diane was out on the course and on lap 2, she told me I was still leading but the girls behind me were closing in. At this point, I assumed I was still leading my age group but I didn't know by how much. Anything can happen in an Ironman marathon and I had a game plan that I trusted and I was looking forward to seeing if I could put together a solid run after what appeared to be a solid day of swimming and biking.
When I entered the women's changing room, I was all smiles as I was the only one in the room and I had all the volunteers to myself. I had a few Trimarni followers in the room (volunteers) giving me cheers which made me so happy. I put on my Nike Zoom Pegasus Turbo, emptied my pockets from the bike and put on my visor. I grabbed my hydration belt and race belt (which had my bib number on it) and headed out of the room. Rather than immediately running, I fast walked as I put on my belts. From experience, I know how good it feels to completely empty myself before a run so I made a quick stop in the port-o-john and I felt so much better afterward.
When I entered the women's changing room, I was all smiles as I was the only one in the room and I had all the volunteers to myself. I had a few Trimarni followers in the room (volunteers) giving me cheers which made me so happy. I put on my Nike Zoom Pegasus Turbo, emptied my pockets from the bike and put on my visor. I grabbed my hydration belt and race belt (which had my bib number on it) and headed out of the room. Rather than immediately running, I fast walked as I put on my belts. From experience, I know how good it feels to completely empty myself before a run so I made a quick stop in the port-o-john and I felt so much better afterward.
I've learned a lot from Ironman racing and one major tip always comes to mind when I start the marathon - be patient. 26.2 miles is a long way to go. I see athletes all the time chasing paces, rushing out of T2 and treating the marathon as if it is a sprint triathlon as if every second matters. Sure, you don't want to waste your time doing silly things but you want to make good decisions as it's a long day of racing and what happens in the first few miles of the marathon can potentially make or break your race. I had no time goals or paces for this run. I trusted my training and my nutrition and felt confident with my run fitness going into this race. And even though I knew my competition was likely close behind me, I needed to be smart with my execution which meant taking care of myself in the early miles and really listening to my body.
Plus, I had a very specific game plan for this marathon. Walk within every mile.
Photo: Brian Comiskey
Yep, that's right. My strategy was to intentionally take a walk (or reset) break within every mile. Not always at each aid station but instead, to walk to reset my form. This is something that I have practiced in all of my long runs and something that we encourage our athletes to do as well. Committing to walking in an Ironman can be tough for many athletes view it as failing. There's a big difference between unintentional vs intentional walking. The later makes you feel in control whereas the earlier makes you feel like defeated. I'm not saying that unintentional walking is bad but there's something very powerful about having a plan to walk and sticking to it. I figured that it wasn't if I got caught on the run by my competition in my age group, but when. However, I didn't let this thought of being caught scare me as I needed to focus on my strategy to get to the finish line.
In addition to my walk breaks (which were rarely at aid stations until the last 6 or so miles), I was also confident in my fueling plan. I had two flasks, each with 1 scoop Carborocket hydration (108 calories, 10 ounce water, 331 mg sodium and 27g carbs). Each flask was a different flavor - one with kiwi lime and the other with raspberry lemonade. For the second loop, I had two flasks in special needs filled with 3 scoops per flask of Osmo women mango (105 calories, 10 ounce water, 552 mg sodium and 27g carbs). I also carried an Enveritine cheerpack with me to start the run (and one in special needs) in case I needed a little pick-me up (I didn't end up using either). I have practiced with all products listed above as I use sport nutrition in every training session - even easier workouts. I am comfortable running with my Nathan Trail Mix hydration belt (I actually love it so much I don't like to run without it), drinking when I run and I enjoy the taste of my products. I also know that I can eventually move to coke in the later miles of the run and still sip on Osmo. The reason why I run with my hydration is that I can drink when I want to drink. Because muscle glycogen stores are declining, keeping the brain energized with sugar is key. Since the liver is responsible for this, the nutrition that I take in on the run is not only helping me muscles but also keeping my brain alert. In other words, I can always stay one step (literally) ahead of my blood sugar to prevent bonking. Also, I find that it's incredibly easy to overdrink at aid stations when you feel very thirsty or low in energy so by bringing along my own nutrition, I can use the aid stations just for water and then coke, when or if needed.
In addition to my walk breaks (which were rarely at aid stations until the last 6 or so miles), I was also confident in my fueling plan. I had two flasks, each with 1 scoop Carborocket hydration (108 calories, 10 ounce water, 331 mg sodium and 27g carbs). Each flask was a different flavor - one with kiwi lime and the other with raspberry lemonade. For the second loop, I had two flasks in special needs filled with 3 scoops per flask of Osmo women mango (105 calories, 10 ounce water, 552 mg sodium and 27g carbs). I also carried an Enveritine cheerpack with me to start the run (and one in special needs) in case I needed a little pick-me up (I didn't end up using either). I have practiced with all products listed above as I use sport nutrition in every training session - even easier workouts. I am comfortable running with my Nathan Trail Mix hydration belt (I actually love it so much I don't like to run without it), drinking when I run and I enjoy the taste of my products. I also know that I can eventually move to coke in the later miles of the run and still sip on Osmo. The reason why I run with my hydration is that I can drink when I want to drink. Because muscle glycogen stores are declining, keeping the brain energized with sugar is key. Since the liver is responsible for this, the nutrition that I take in on the run is not only helping me muscles but also keeping my brain alert. In other words, I can always stay one step (literally) ahead of my blood sugar to prevent bonking. Also, I find that it's incredibly easy to overdrink at aid stations when you feel very thirsty or low in energy so by bringing along my own nutrition, I can use the aid stations just for water and then coke, when or if needed.
Photo: Jay Baker
Within the first mile, I realized that I didn't completely empty myself when I exited T2 so I stopped in the port-o-john right before an aid station. I figured now was the time to go as I didn't want to wait too long and then struggle to find a potty and I knew once I went, I would feel so much better. And it worked! Plus, after a quick sit and rest, I felt a million times better. This also confirmed that adding in the reset breaks was going to help me delay fatigue and hopefully run fresher longer.
As usual, the first few miles were a little tough as I was trying to get my rhythm, settle into a good stride, find my form and just put my mind into a good place. The walk breaks were also a nice distraction from how far I still had left to run as I only focused on one mile at a time. This actually made the first few miles go by really quickly. My friend Jacqui (who was the overall amateur female) blazed by me (she ran 3 hours!) and we had a quick little convo. Based on this, I knew my effort was conversational and I was not over-doing it. Sure, it felt hard as I had been racing for over 6 hours but I wasn't forcing my effort or trying to chase a pace. I would glance down at my watch every now and then and see paces in the low 8 minutes and I felt like I could hold this effort for some time so I just ran with it - literally.
As usual, the first few miles were a little tough as I was trying to get my rhythm, settle into a good stride, find my form and just put my mind into a good place. The walk breaks were also a nice distraction from how far I still had left to run as I only focused on one mile at a time. This actually made the first few miles go by really quickly. My friend Jacqui (who was the overall amateur female) blazed by me (she ran 3 hours!) and we had a quick little convo. Based on this, I knew my effort was conversational and I was not over-doing it. Sure, it felt hard as I had been racing for over 6 hours but I wasn't forcing my effort or trying to chase a pace. I would glance down at my watch every now and then and see paces in the low 8 minutes and I felt like I could hold this effort for some time so I just ran with it - literally.
Photo: Jay Baker
Once I found my running legs, my smile grew bigger. I was actually enjoying running and I felt very strong and healthy. Because I don't do the typical "long" runs in training (my longest run was 2 hours/14 miles with a main set of 10 x 1 miles slightly faster than IM marathon effort w/ 30 sec walk between) but instead, many brick runs, double run days and a lot of frequency running, I not only felt fresh for this marathon but I was looking forward to the mechanical fatigue that I knew was coming. Because I only like to put myself in that deep uncomfortable place on race day, it was something that I was welcoming but I wanted to delay it for as long as possible. My goal was to run a very steady and sustainable effort for the first loop (13 miles) as if I was holding myself from going harder. This actually made the effort feel rather "easy" but within the context of Ironman racing (it's never easy). And that tired feeling that I felt on the bike was gone. I was alert, happy, energized and fresh. This rarely happens so I couldn't stop myself from smiling. The course was packed with spectators and I felt like every corner welcomed me with new cheers and faces. I love all the turns and terrain changes on this course as it helped me break it down mentally into small segments. Once I approached Observatory hill, I saw Karel and I was super excited to see him and hear an update of how I was doing. Karel and I have developed an ability to know what the other person needs to hear in the moment when we are racing and Karel said the right thing to me. He told me that I he was so happy with how I was running but the 2nd and 3rd place girls were 2 and 3 minutes behind me. I told Karel that I was feeling really good but I was sticking to my walk-break plan. He told me to not change what I was doing as it is working. All of this conversation occurred in about 30 seconds as I was running my way up the hill. Since I was being very strategic with my walk breaks, I made sure to walk anytime I felt like I wanted to feel good for an upcoming segment. Once I made my way on State Street, I could feel the crowds giving me so much energy. I was just happy that I felt so good and could smile my way through that section.
Photo: Joanne Marshall
Photo: Joanne Marshall
Going into the race, my goal was to get a Kona slot. I figured we would have two slots but I wanted to win my age group just be sure. While this goal was important to me, I made sure not to take risks and to stick to my plan. At the end of the day, the only person I can control is myself. If the other girls were to run faster than me, so be it. I wanted to put together a race that I was proud of and at the end of the day, the athlete in my age group who put together the best race (in other words, who is the best at not slowing down) was going to win the age group and get one of the two Kona slots.
When I saw Karel for the second time, he told me that the girls were running just a bit faster than me but to not change what I was doing. This news worried me a little bit as I saw the two girls running in the opposite direction on State Street and I felt like the gap was closing. It was still hoovering around 2-3 minutes which is not that much time in the marathon. I also heard Karel's mom cheering which just made me smile so big as she was having a blast out there with her cowbell.
Once I made my way on the gravel trail section, my legs were happy. I really enjoy running on gravel and I tried to stay on the gravel section for as long as possible (even if that meant running on the side of the run path with just a small patch of gravel). On the next out and back, I saw the girls and they were getting closer to me. Still, I was feeling good and stayed with my run/walk plan.
The first loop went by really fast which is exactly what I had hoped for. I was also really happy that my form wasn't breaking down. While I thought it would be hard to make the u-turn to lap two within a few hundred meters from the finish line, I was actually looking forward to lap two. Bring it out, I thought to myself.
I made a quick stop at special needs and then made my way back out of town. For this second loop, I needed to take a few small risks but also remain calm. Since I was very patient in the first loop with my effort, I had a lot of trust in my body for the next 13 miles. I knew the mechanical fatigue was building and it was going to get really hard, really soon but I just kept taking care of myself and focused on running well. After the run through the stadium, I started to mentally take note of the segments of the course that I wouldn't have to do again. Stadium - check. As I got to Observatory hill, there was Karel again and he told me that it was still close. Perhaps the coaches/friends of the other girls behind me were giving information like "she's walking" which made the other girls speed up but it was getting close and Karel was on edge (he later told me that my race was a very exciting race for him to track!). Rather than walking up observatory hill(s), I ran because I knew that if I was going to take a risk it was going to be on the hill. So I made my way up the hill, took a reset break, charged down the hill and after state street, Karel told me that I had opened up the gap and it was now around 4-5 minutes. I couldn't believe it. Am I really running away from my competition? This never ever happens?!?! While I knew I was slowing down, I was still able to keep good form and I never felt like I wanted the run to be overwith. I felt like I was there doing what I had trained to do and my body and mind were ON!
As I past mile 20, I told myself to just think of my favorite 6 mile running route. Then when I got to mile 23, it's only 3 miles - that's like a typical brick run (even though I always go by time and not miles/distance). Then when I got to 24, I told myself when I got to mile 25, I could give it everything I had. While it wasn't much more than I was giving for the last few miles, I couldn't believe the day that my body put together. I sprinted my way to the finish (well, it felt like a sprint) and made sure to celebrate the last mile. I loved seeing my athletes on the course and I could not wait to get back out there to help bring everyone to that finish line.
Funny stories....At one point, Karel told me to keep myself cool. I was like, um, I am not hot at all. While a few sections of the course were a little warm, the weather was perfect. I grabbed ice a few times but I didn't hold it long because it was too cold. Also, when I was nearing mile 16, I thought in my head it was mile 17. Total disappointment to see mile 16 instead. However, I must have missed mile marker 24 so after mile 23, I just kept running on the course thinking "where is mile 24?? And then when I saw mile 25 I was like "SCORE!" That was the best feeling ever and it couldn't have come at a better time as my legs were not moving so fast in the last few miles.
When I crossed the finish line, I felt amazing. Sore, tired, exhausted and short of breath but amazing. I couldn't believe it. When I saw Karel and his mom (and a new friend Lindsey) behind the barricades, I just lifted up my arms as I couldn't believe it. I just won my age group and qualified for Kona for the 6th time.
My coach, best friend and life-long teammate.
While anything can happen in an Ironman, I feel I put together a perfect race. The exciting part for me was that I was racing for all 140.6 miles. My competition was strong behind me and for most of the race, three of us were within 3 minutes of one another. For me, it wasn't so much about the time or place as far as why I am so proud of my performance but my execution. Everything I did on race day was practiced in training, I listened to my body, I arrived fit, healthy and physically and mentally fresh and excited to race. I didn't chase a result or metrics or an outcome but instead, stayed true to myself and focused on what I needed to do all day to deliver me to my 14th IM finish line with a smile that didn't go off my face for all 26.2 miles.
After the race, it took me some time to hobble my way to my gear bags and change in the terrace bathroom before heading back out to cheer for our athletes. I was so cold after the race that it took me some time to warm-up in the food tent! It got rather cold at night so I was happy that I had my warm clothes from the morning. I made sure to eat as much as I could after the race to help with the recovery process. The worst part of the day was hearing from Karel that our athlete Ericka crashed with just a few miles to go on the bike after she moved herself up to 6th place in the pro field in her first ever Ironman. She hit some gravel on a turn (accident as she is a great rider and bike handler) and went down - luckily nothing was broken but she was taken to the hospital. While we are incredibly sad about how her day ended, we know she will be back stronger and hungrier than before. We love you Ericka!
After the race, it took me some time to hobble my way to my gear bags and change in the terrace bathroom before heading back out to cheer for our athletes. I was so cold after the race that it took me some time to warm-up in the food tent! It got rather cold at night so I was happy that I had my warm clothes from the morning. I made sure to eat as much as I could after the race to help with the recovery process. The worst part of the day was hearing from Karel that our athlete Ericka crashed with just a few miles to go on the bike after she moved herself up to 6th place in the pro field in her first ever Ironman. She hit some gravel on a turn (accident as she is a great rider and bike handler) and went down - luckily nothing was broken but she was taken to the hospital. While we are incredibly sad about how her day ended, we know she will be back stronger and hungrier than before. We love you Ericka!
Here are my splits from the run, which include my walk breaks. I didn't have a set time that I was walking as I just walked to reset my form, stretch out and take care of whatever I needed to do to run well until my next walk break.
Mile 1: 8:17 min/mile (didn't see the official start to the run so I started my watch late)
Mile 2: 8:43 (bathroom stop)Mile 3: 8:11
Mile 4: 8:11
Mile 5: 8:05
Mile 6: 8:40
Mile 7: 8:34
Mile 8: 8:15
Mile 9: 8:28
Mile 10: 8:22
Mile 11: 8:23
Mile 12: 8:18
Mile 13: 8:40 (special needs stop)
Mile 14: 8:25
Mile 15: 8:36
Mile 16: 8:42
Mile 17: 8:57
Mile 18: 8:37
Mile 19: 9:16
Mile 20: 8:49
Mile 21: 8:40
Mile 22: 9:08
Mile 23: 9:09
Mile 24: 8:56
Mile 25: 9:05
Mile 26: 9:06
Mile 0.2: 8:26
I think I counted 21 intentional walk breaks over 26 miles (see below)
Per my Garmin: 25.9 miles, 3:44.09 (8:39 min/mile), 843 feet elevation gain
Ironman tracker results for the run: 3:45.44 (8:36 min/mile), 3rd fastest AG group, 24th female run, 113rd overall
RESULTS
Swim: 59.38
T1: 6:20
Bike: 5:37.44
T2: 3:03
Run: 3:45.44
Overall: 10:32.29, 1st AG, 5th amateur female, 2019 Kona Qualified
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2018 Trimarni Supporters and Affiliates
We would like to send a BIG thank you to our Trimarni sponsors and affiliates for supporting the Trimarni team:
- Run In - for helping us with our running gear/shoe needs
- Mg12 - for helping our muscles stay relaxed
- Clif Bar - for quality, organic ingredients in quality sport nutrition
- Carborocket - for providing a quality bike and run nutrition in tasty flavors
- Base nutrition - for making delicious bars and a variety of products to meet the needs of endurance athletes. And for being all around awesome.
- Veronica's Health Crunch - for the most delicious hand made crunch - ever!
- Infinit - for customizable sport nutrition with safe and effective ingredients
- Levelen - for helping athletes optimize our hydration needs through sweat testing
- Hot Shot - for boosting neuromuscular performance and preventing muscle cramps
- Solestar - for maximum stability, better power transmission
- KLEAN for making quality products, tested to be clean and safe for athlete consumption.
- Boco Gear - for helping us race in style
- Canari - for the most comfortable, functional and stylish gear and for helping our athletes race in good-looking kits
- Amrita bars - for making the most delicious tasting, high-quality plant-based protein and energy bars.
- Xterra - for the fastest, most comfortable wetsuit ever.
- Alto cycling - for engineering the fastest race wheels
- Swamp Rabbit Inn and Lodge - for keeping our campers happy with perfect lodging options
- Ventum - for designing a cool-looking bike that has been backed by research and top-notch engineering. I love my Ventum!