Pre-race
I was looking forward to my 30-minute swim on Friday
morning at the Pinaccle Health Club. Karel joined me but swam about double my
distance as he is still in training mode for his upcoming races. Because two
days out from an Ironman is a relatively light day of training for me, I was
really looking forward to connecting with our 13 athletes who were racing IMWI
(and seeing their family members). In usual Trimarni fashion, we had our
pre-race pizza party + course talk as a way to connect everyone and provide
last minute advice and tips. Our athlete Lisa lives in Madison and offered up her rooftop deck/clubhouse for our party. The views were incredible. Plus, you can never go wrong with pizza two days
before a race. We ordered pizza from Pizza Brutta and it was amazing!
The rest of the day was very low-key for me and it was early to bed to try to
get a good night of sleep as you never know how sleep will go on the night
before the race.
Saturday was all about waking up the body and fueling for the long adventure that
awaited me on Sunday. Interesting, I never felt “too full or heavy” despite
eating far more than I normally eat before a race. I started the day with my typical
pre-training snack (2 waffles w/ PB, syrup and Greek yogurt) and a small cup of
coffee and water. Then it was off for a 55 minute spin on the race course (with
the terrain dictating my efforts to raise the intensity) followed by a 15
minute run off the bike. I’m not tied to any specific goal times, paces or
distances to achieve with my pre-race warm-up as I’m looking to warm-up until I
feel good and then save it all for race day. Karel started with me (and our
athlete Thomas) but then continued on with his ride as he had a big day of training
planned with a 6-hour ride followed by a 20-minute run. After a big glass of
milk while cleaning up, I prepared myself 2 big slices of French toast w/ scrambled
eggs and fruit.
I re-packed my gear bags (I had them all laid out and almost
packed as of Thurs evening) and then around 11:30am, headed downtown with Thomas,
Karel’s mom and Campy to check-in our bikes and gear bags. Because the wind was
gusty, I noticed that a few other athletes had used duct tape to secure their saddle
on the transition rack. This was a great idea since my bike is too small to
touch the ground so I did the same by taping down the saddle rails to the bike
rack. After dropping off our gear bags, we walked around the outside expo and
checked out the finish line and then headed home.
But first, we had to make a
quick stop at a local bakery to pick-up a few treats for Karel so he could
survive his day of spectating on Sunday. Sadly, they were out of croissants but
I substituted with two scones and a huge cinnamon roll (for me). If you didn't know, I LOVE cinnamon rolls.
When
we returned home, my lunch consisted of leftover pizza (from Pizza Brutta),
cottage cheese, a handful of arugula. I really cut back on my veggies in the 48
hours before the race. I also yummed over some of my cinnamon roll (it was
calling my name and I couldn’t wait to dig into it). Then it was time to fill
my bottles with my sport nutrition powders (topping off with water on race day
morning) and put my feet up and relax. Since I am not the best relaxer, I found
a movie to watch on Netflix which distracted me for a while. Karel eventually
came home from his workout around 3pm and he provided us with some great
feedback on the course (since he did the entire course and a little more during
his ride). I snacked on corn chips and fruit throughout the afternoon and ended
the day with a bag of microwave rice (high in carbs and lots of sodium). Our
professional athlete Ericka (doing her first IM!) came over with her husband in
the evening on Friday for a last minute pre-race chat with me and Karel.
Since carbonated water can sometimes irritate the gut, I avoided it and just drank plain water all day plus 1 bottle of precision hydration (1500). Even though the temps were not predicted to be warm for race day, I still found it important to load on sodium to optimize my hydration level before the event. Since Karel was tired from his training, we both headed off to bed around 7pm and lights were off around 8:30pm. I think Campy was the first to fall asleep – this Ironman stuff is tough for his almost 11-year old body!
Since carbonated water can sometimes irritate the gut, I avoided it and just drank plain water all day plus 1 bottle of precision hydration (1500). Even though the temps were not predicted to be warm for race day, I still found it important to load on sodium to optimize my hydration level before the event. Since Karel was tired from his training, we both headed off to bed around 7pm and lights were off around 8:30pm. I think Campy was the first to fall asleep – this Ironman stuff is tough for his almost 11-year old body!
Race morning
My alarm went off at 3:45am and surprisingly, Karel was quick out of bed. He was starving and ready to eat after his big day of training on Saturday. This made it easy for me to get out of bed but I made sure to sit up slowly as to not throw off my blood pressure and faint (which happened to me at IM 70.3 World Championships in 2017). Campy (as you see below), was not quick to get out of bed.
My alarm went off at 3:45am and surprisingly, Karel was quick out of bed. He was starving and ready to eat after his big day of training on Saturday. This made it easy for me to get out of bed but I made sure to sit up slowly as to not throw off my blood pressure and faint (which happened to me at IM 70.3 World Championships in 2017). Campy (as you see below), was not quick to get out of bed.
While I felt a little
nervous, I didn’t let it get to me too much. I knew once I got to the race
venue, my nerves would disappear. I ate my typical pre-race meal (which is also
the same thing I eat before every training session – just in higher quantities
for race day and a few extra toppings) of 2 waffles, PB, yogurt, syrup, banana,
cinnamon, granola. I had a cup of coffee (instant is what I like), glass of
water, 3 MAP BCAA’s and 1 scoop Osmo pre-load. I filled all of my 6 bike
bottles and 4 flasks with water (since I put powder in them the day before) and
then packed up my race day bag.
Karel’s mom and Campy stayed at the house as Karel planned
to go back to the house before heading out on the bike course to cheer. Karel
drove Thomas and I to the race venue and we parked on the street just a block from
the capital. We walked first to special needs to drop off our bags (Bike and
run bag drop offs were both by the capital, before the finish line) and then headed
to our gear bags inside the terrace to drop off any last minute items (like
nutrition). I kept myself warm with pants, a jacket, a hat and gloves because
it was a bit cool out (in the low 50’s) and a little windy. For every race, I always bring a bag of "extra" clothing like gloves, ear covers, shoe covers, arm warmers, leg warmers, rain jacket/vest and anything else I may need if weather changes. I made a mental note
of where my bags were before heading to body marking and then to our bikes.
Karel
stood outside of the transition area and gave my tires a touch to see if they
were good to go for the race. Since we pumped them up the day before (gave the
bike a full charge for my electronic shifting on Friday night), they held their
pressure on race day morning. It was nice to see so many familiar faces throughout
the morning, including several of our athletes. Of course, I made sure to
untape my saddle – that would have been no fun if I would have forgot!
It was nearing 5:45pm when I was finished with my pre-race to do’s. I made a
potty stop inside the terrace (nice clean bathrooms with no line) and then did
a little light mobility work on the floor in the terrace for the next 10 minutes.
Around 6pm, I put on my wetsuit, gave Karel a kiss and hug good-bye, found a doggy to give a kiss (can't forget the furry ones) and then
made my way down to the swim start. It was a little crowded to get down there so I was happy to give myself extra time. I was hoping to get in the water but it
appeared they weren’t letting anyone in the water so I just kept myself loose
before getting into the corral. I had an Enervite pre-race Jelly around 20
minutes before the start. With the pros going off at 6:40am (in-the-water start
at the first buoy), it was getting rather tight in the corral by 6:20am. I
wanted to get around the 1-hour group but the only sign was 1-1:10 (predicted
swim time for the rolling start). This created a lot of chaos even before the
start for there was a wide range of swim abilities all crammed together (plus
those that probably shouldn’t be near the front anyways). While it may seem
like standing around for 30 minutes in a tight corral would be stressful, I didn’t
mind it for I knew that for the next 10+ hours, I would be moving and using my
body.
Swim 2.4 miles - 59:38 (2nd 35-39, 6th female, 24th overall)
Once the gun went off, the line moved quickly. I
first stepped over the timing mat and then walked to the water. It felt like
forever until I crossed over the mat and then entered the water but I’m
guessing it wasn’t more than a 30 seconds. I made a poor decision and started
on the left of the swim start which was a bit more crowded since we needed to keep
all buoys to our left. I found it very chaotic in the water for the first few buoys
due to the large amount of athletes who lined up in the 1-1:10 time frame plus
the sub 1-hour swimmers. There were many times that instead of focusing on
staying on course, I was sighting to find clean water. The best part of the
early part of the swim was swimming next to my athlete Stephanie who is a great
swimmer. I immediately noticed her as we both wear the same Xterra vengeance wetsuit
and I know her swim stroke. I eventually swam away from her but she wasn’t too
far behind me as she had an awesome swim. The stretch to the first buoy went by
rather quickly. While I found myself needing to swim by many swimmers, I finally
found my groove.
However, once I made my way around the two turn buoys and started to swim back toward the start, the water became incredibly choppy – more like an ocean. Since I have a pretty straight-arm stroke, I really focused on catching the water and trying to time my stroke with the chop. While it worked for a little bit at a time, the chop would change and then I would need to reset my rhythm. Since it was a good mile of straight swimming against the chop, I had no time to think about anything in the future (bike and run) but to stay in the moment. Since it takes me some time to feel warmed-up (this is for any sport), I like to pick up my effort as the swim progresses. I found myself around a few other girls (pink caps) which gave me a little boost to keep my effort going and to swim really strong to the finish. Since I always wear new goggles for an Ironman swim, I could see perfectly throughout the entire swim which also helped me stay on course. Although the long stretch felt long, the final stretch to the shore came rather quickly. I felt strong throughout the entire swim and felt I paced it well. Since I don’t wear a watch, I didn’t know my swim time but quickly glanced at the race clock and saw 1:10 – which I figured was for the pros. I quickly did the math and figured I was right around an hour which I was happy about. It was a nice tone to set the day. Karel stayed inside the terrace and then made his way near the mount line to cheer me on (and our other athletes) for the start of the bike.
However, once I made my way around the two turn buoys and started to swim back toward the start, the water became incredibly choppy – more like an ocean. Since I have a pretty straight-arm stroke, I really focused on catching the water and trying to time my stroke with the chop. While it worked for a little bit at a time, the chop would change and then I would need to reset my rhythm. Since it was a good mile of straight swimming against the chop, I had no time to think about anything in the future (bike and run) but to stay in the moment. Since it takes me some time to feel warmed-up (this is for any sport), I like to pick up my effort as the swim progresses. I found myself around a few other girls (pink caps) which gave me a little boost to keep my effort going and to swim really strong to the finish. Since I always wear new goggles for an Ironman swim, I could see perfectly throughout the entire swim which also helped me stay on course. Although the long stretch felt long, the final stretch to the shore came rather quickly. I felt strong throughout the entire swim and felt I paced it well. Since I don’t wear a watch, I didn’t know my swim time but quickly glanced at the race clock and saw 1:10 – which I figured was for the pros. I quickly did the math and figured I was right around an hour which I was happy about. It was a nice tone to set the day. Karel stayed inside the terrace and then made his way near the mount line to cheer me on (and our other athletes) for the start of the bike.
T1 - 6:10
The transition from swim to bike at IMWI is a loooooong one. I first got my
wetsuit removed by the “strippers” and choose to go to the very end before
laying down as to not get stuck around other athletes. I kept my cap and
goggles on as two less things to carry up the helix. Oh that helix. The crowds
were incredible as they were 3-4 rows deep cheering as I ran up and up and up
to the entrance to the terrace. This race is also special because the
transition area is inside! The volunteers were great as always and directed me
into the room with our blue bike gear bags and then into the female “changing tent”
(a room). My volunteer helped me put on my gear and held my timing chip as I
put on my compression socks (typically I put it in my mouth so I don’t forget
it). I wasn’t planning to wear my arm warmers as the swim really warmed me up
(water temp was in the 70’s) but the volunteer told me it was rather chilly out
and in looking back, I was glad I had them on. They were actually arm coolers
so they were really light but provided my arms with just enough warmth for the
early miles of the bike (well – actually until mile 60!). While the Ironman is
a very long day requiring patience and not taking risks, transitions are
nothing more than “free speed.”
Since this transition is naturally long, I made
good use of my time by removing my cap and goggles right when I entered the
terrace, put my helmet on as I ran to the changing tent and then carried my
bike shoes with me until I got to my bike. While running the entire length of
the parking lot to my bike (on the very far side near the mount line), I also
put on my arm warmers while running. Once I got to my bike rack, a volunteer
held my bike, I turned on my bike computer and then put on my shoes. I grabbed
my bike and then I was off. I felt like it was one of my best executed
transitions, even though it’s a long one. As my first race on my new Ventum, I
was really excited to put it to the test and see how it dealt with the bumpy
roads, gusty winds and technical terrain that was ahead of me for 112 miles of
riding.
