After receiving news from my mom that Karel was out of surgery and slowing waking up from his knock-me-out-cocktail, I felt a lot more at ease. The check-in process was very smooth and it felt much more normal and familiar (like pre-pandemic).
Around 3pm we made our way 1.8 miles to our rental home (Airbnb). Once we unloaded the car, I couldn't wait to Facetime with Karel. He was still super sleepy and out of it but it was nice to see him.
We chatted again about 90-minutes later as he was back at our home and a bit more alert (still on the drunk-side after being sedated for two hours). He received a nerve block which made his entire left arm numb and although it felt super weird, he said it was a relief to be pain-free for the first time since the fall on his right hand.
Around 5:30pm, we had our athletes over for our typical pre-race pizza party/course talk and it was so nice to see everyone. I ordered pizza from Home Slice and it was delish. They also have great vegan and gluten free options for those who have dietary restrictions. By 7pm, the house was empty and I was getting pretty sleepy. After very little restful sleep all week, I was in need of a good night of sleep. I chatted with Karel a few more times and found myself falling asleep around 8:30pm.
It was nearing 7am when I got out of bed. I had two waffles w/ peanut butter and jam (the usual pre workout snack) and a cup of coffee and water. A little after 8:30am, Al and I went out on our bikes and headed through downtown until we reached the transition area. We scoped out the area and then headed out on the race course to get familiar with the course again (and all the bumps, railroad crossings, cracks and potholes in the first few miles). After we made our way into Georgia, we did 4 x 3 minute build efforts (1 min higher than normal cadence, then to normal cadence) followed by 4 min easy spin. It was a quick 1:12 and 21 mile warm-up ride.
This was the first time I had been outside on my tri bike in a week and although I was a bit nervous to be without my bike mechanic (Karel), it felt good to test out the bike to ensure it was race ready. After the ride, we did a scenic 2.17 mile (17 minute) run on the downtown streets. We chatted the entire time and threw in 6 x parking lot strides (~10 seconds) to active the posterior chain. I felt like I could have ran longer - which was a nice feeling to have before the race.
We watched a bit of cycling and triathlon on TV before checking in our bikes around 2pm. Again, this was a smooth process. The only long part was making our way through the loooong transition area. Al and I were right next to each other (bib numbers) so that made it easy to set up our bikes. It was pretty hot out (90's) so we let out a little air in our tires (down to 80 psi and then pumped up to 85 on race morning).
We watched a bit of cycling and triathlon on TV before checking in our bikes around 2pm. Again, this was a smooth process. The only long part was making our way through the loooong transition area. Al and I were right next to each other (bib numbers) so that made it easy to set up our bikes. It was pretty hot out (90's) so we let out a little air in our tires (down to 80 psi and then pumped up to 85 on race morning).
As for the rest of the day (and before check-in), I ate the following:
-120 calories NBS Carbo-hydration in water bottle during the bike. Leftover NBS for the run).
-INFINIT custom recovery protein powder + milk
-Blueberries
-Pizza
-Hardboiled egg
-Blueberries
-Cinnamon Raisin Bagel w/ peanut butter and jam
-Banana
-Granola
-Fig Newtons
-Amy's no chicken chicken noodle soup + microwave bag of basmati rice
Everything I ate sat well and I felt very light in my stomach - no nerves or worries.
I chatted with Karel a few times throughout the day and then went into bed around 7pm and fell asleep around 8pm. No surprise, I slept well until 12:15pm and then was pretty restless until the alarm went off at 4pm.
For race morning I had a cinnamon raisin bagel, banana, peanut butter and jam. Everything went down easily. I was starting to feel a little nervous but had no expectations or outcome goals for the race. I texted Karel that all was good (he was worried about me fainting on race morning like I did in Chatty in 2017 and just recently at IM 70.3 Florida in April). I went for a short jog around our house to help warm-up the body and after a few bathroom stops, we loaded up the car with our stuff and drove to the race venue at 5:05am. We had a plan as to where we wanted to park (scoped it out on Saturday) so that was quick and easy. We walked to the transition area and it was nice to see some familiar faces. Several people asked about Karel which made my heart happy.
After getting my bike ready with sport nutrition/fluids, computer, pumping up tires (there were plenty of available pumps in the transition area) and setting up my transition area, I made one last potty stop before we got into line with the 30-34 swim time group around 5:50am. Even though they had us line up with our projected swim times, it didn't really matter once we got to the start as everyone was all over (not in any specific order).
We had a 1.5 mile walk to the swim start and I have to admit, this was a really great way to start the morning. It felt so good to move and be around other athletes. Al, our friend Joe Wilson and I chatted most of the time and there were a lot of laughs and jokes. Even though it was a 30-minute walk, it was the perfect warm-up before the swim. By the time we got to the swim start, we only had about 20-minutes before the start. I did another jog warm-up and then put on my ROKA wetsuit, cap and goggles before dropping off my morning clothes bag. It was great to see some of our athletes as the energy was positive and exciting. I had a throw away bottle of 100 calories of NBS Carbo hydration that I sipped on in the morning, and also took 5 Gu BCAA's and had 2 Clif Ginger chews in the 20 minutes before the start.
1.4 mile swim - 29:44 (1:17/100 pace)
Because of the "downstream" swim in Chatty, the course was changed from the typical 1.2 miles to 1.4 miles. This made it more like a true 1.2 mile swim because we got a little help from the current. However, it didn't feel like we had much of a current on race day.
I lined up near the front of the line but it still took several minutes to get to the dock before jumping in the water. The water temp was perfect (70 degrees) and it was a little cloudy. Once I jumped into the water, I started swimming pretty strong and was able to maintain that effort for the entire swim. I passed a lot of athletes while I was swimming and felt like I had good rhythm and stayed on course well. It did get a bit choppy near the end of the swim. Later I heard that some random person jumped off a bridge into the water and the water police came (thus the choppy water). I wouldn't say this was an easy swim. Although my time was similar to what I would swim in 1.2 miles, I still felt like I had to work for every minute. As I got close to the exit, I had a volunteer help me out of the water and on to the stairs before making my way onto the sidewalk and then up a slippery steep ramp. The run to transition was a bit long (~0.34 miles) so as I was running I removed my wetsuit to my hips, removed my cap and goggles and fixed my trip top underneath my wetsuit. When I got to my bike, I quickly removed my wetsuit, put on my socks, shoes and helmet, started by bike computer, checked my tires (something I always do before I leave transition area just to make sure no last-minute surprise flat tire) and then headed out with my bike. I felt like I had a speedy transition and was looking forward to being on my bike.
I used the first 6 miles to find my land legs after the swim and to settle into a good rhythm on the bike. I was also careful on the bumps/railroad crossings as well as being mindful of the athletes around me. I passed a few females in the first few miles and then found myself with 2-3 guys that I ended up staying around for most of the ride. I didn't feel like there were any packs of riders around me and we also had several officials on motorcycles by use throughout the entire bike course.
Although I was feeling competitive and wanted to race at my best, I also wanted Meg to race at her best because I knew it would bring out the best in me. Meg was riding super strong so I just focused on keeping her in my eyesight. At one point she thought she had a flat tire as the sticker covering the valve on the disc wheel was flapping. She slowed down and I could tell she was concerned so I accelerated and rode up next to her to assure her that she didn't have a flat tire and all was ok. So that I wouldn't get a penalty, I had to make my convo quick as I was right next to her and then I continued on in front of her to make my pass. There were a few more times when Meg and I would unintentionally trade positions as she was stronger than me in certain sections but it was fun to feel like I could hang with her and respond to her moves. The miles were going by really quickly and although it was a bit cool to start, it started to get warmer as we made our way into Chikamaugua. I did a great job with my fueling/hydration and finished my hydration top-tube bottle (1.2 liters = 40 ounces) which had 4 scoops of my custom INFINIT formula (strawberry lemonade flavor). I then poured my between the aerobars 26 ounce bottle of 200 calories NBS Carbo-hydration (5 scoops) into the hydration system for the last part of the ride. I was sipping every ~15 minutes and as needed. I never felt too hot so I didn't grab any water at the aid stations - although I was extra careful at each aid station not to hit a bottle (or another rider).
After the fun fast descend, it was time for the final stretch of the bike. At this point we had passed several female athletes and it felt as if we were near the front of the race. Never did I think about placing or times but I found myself completely in the moment. I was having so much fun riding and my legs felt so good on the bike. I also saw Al on the bike and we finished the bike pretty close to one another (he started ahead of me on the swim). I had 2 Clif Ginger Chews with around 20 minutes left of the bike. Meg rode pretty strong for the last few miles and knowing that she has incredibly fast running legs, I was not concerned about her running away from me as I expected it to happen. So I didn't try to stay with her on the bike and just eased up a bit to loosen out my legs before the run.
I couldn't believe how quick the bike portion went and I was shocked to see that I finally broke 2:30 in a half IM bike. I never thought about the run as I was biking and really found myself with a present moment mindset for every mile of the bike.
After performing a flying dismount (leaving my bike shoes clipped in and feet out of the shoes), I ran my bike around the transition area and finally arrived at my bike rack. As I was racking my bike, I saw in the distance that Meg was leaving the transition area. At this point I had no idea what place I was in or my time and to be honest, it really didn't matter to me. I was in the zone and completely unaware as to what was happening around me. I quickly removed my tri top as I had decided prior to this race that I would race in my sports bra as I am much more comfortable running with only a sports bra. I put on my New Balance Fuel Cell shoes (which I prefer over my Nikes as they work better with my running gait, which is a fairly high running cadence of around 93-95 rpm) and slipped on my Naked Running band and put in my two defrosted (frozen overnight) Nathan 10-ounce flasks (each with 1 scoop Orange Skratch). I grabbed my visor, Roka sunglasses and cooling towel and ran to the transition exit. As I was running I put on my visor, sunglasses and cooling towel and then grabbed my watch from inside of my hydration belt and put it on (I started it as I left the transition area).
As I approached the first hill, my legs felt pretty good. I saw a few familiar faces (Ruthanne and Eedee) and gave them a big cheer and wave. As I got to the top of the hill, I heard someone say "is that the first female?" and then someone behind me said "no that's the second female." I was a bit taken back by this "what? I am the 2nd female on the course???" I said to myself. I then did a little look behind me and I had a bicycle behind me with a tag saying "2nd overall female." I had completely forgotten than in age group only races (no pros) the top three age groupers have a biker escort following behind. I guess this was the boost I needed because at this point, my legs were feeling amazing. I ran through every aid station and grabbed water to cool myself and to sip and then grabbed cups of ice to stuff down my sports bra (to hold the ice) and then to hold the ice until it melted. Sometimes I would suck on the ice. It was getting hotter out (80's) but I never felt overly hot.
The hills didn't feel too steep and I couldn't believe how the miles were ticking by. I had ran nearly 4 miles and it felt like I had only ran 10 minutes! I loved having the bicycle behind me as I was getting so many cheers from the other athletes on the course (primarily male athletes) and they were really cheering me on. Thankfully, my body was feeling amazing and I was in shock that I still felt so fresh. I didn't really care for the first few miles on the exposed highway but I loved the inside part of the course on the running trail and on the wooden bridges. The aid stations were stocked with fluids but I never felt the need to grab any coke throughout the run. I just stuck with ice and water. I sipped my flask about every 6-8 minutes and as needed, anytime I felt like I was about to experience a slight dip in energy. Even after the bigger hill before approaching the bridge, I still felt really good. I ran over the bridge and tried to stay near the side (shaded) and then continued onto the other side of the course before approaching the pedestrian wooden bridge. Although I enjoy running on uneven terrain, it was a little hard to keep my rhythm on the bridge. But hearing the cheers from the spectators as I approached the end of the 1st loop gave me an instant pick-me up. I kept hearing more and more cheers as the 2nd female and this was such a cool feeling. I couldn't believe that I was actually in the front of the race (well, far behind Meg) and having such an incredible race.
I was expecting a low moment around the start of the second loop but I still felt really good. I did take two reset breaks (quick stretch in my hips) to reset my form - one in the first loop and another in the second loop. Nearing mile 9, I had a girl fly by me on the run. I wasn't sure if she was on her first loop or second but after my bike escort left me and followed her, I knew that I was now in 3rd place. At this point I wanted to keep my 3rd place status for the next 4 miles so I didn't try to chase her.
Later I learned that I missed 2nd by 14 seconds but I needed to stay within my own rhythm as I didn't want to lose that good-feeling that was giving me such an exceptional run. I did experience a little low moment around mile 11 but it didn't last long. I knew that this was one of those magical races that don't happen very often. At this point, I made sure to run as strong as I could while still holding good form as I was feeling a bit greedy and wanted to keep my 3rd place overall female placing.
Because I didn't know what was happening with the athletes behind me (due to the time trial start), I never let up in the last few miles. I gave all I could down the hill to the finish line and after celebrating all the way down the finishing chute, I couldn't believe that I had such a fast run for me (it was a complete surprise to see my finishing run time as I rarely looked at my watch during the race).
Once I got the confirmation that I was 3rd overall female, I was just over the moon happy. It was one of those days that probably won't come again for a very long time. As much as I wish every race felt that good, I still enjoy the suffering and fight that comes with racing long distance triathlons.
I chatted with several athletes after the race (thank you to all those who came up and said hello) and felt somewhat ok after the race. I didn't feel too exhausted or dehydrated and I couldn't wait to chat with Karel. Al finished close behind me and our other athlete Yannick also finished 3rd overall male.
Sadly, I didn't stay to pick up my award as I was anxious to get home. Once we could get our bikes, we packed up the Airbnb and hit the road around 3pm and arrived back to Greenville around 8pm.
Congrats to all those who raced and thank you Ironman staff, the amazing volunteers and the city of Chattanooga!
Also to our amazing partners:
Run IN
Breakthrough Nutrition
INFINIT Nutrition
Athlete Blood Test
AMP Human
MG 12
Boyd Cycling
Ventum