IRONMAN 70.3 St. George - May 6, 2017 - Katie's Race Report

Before I jump into the race report, there are a few changes worthy of mentioning:

• I did a TON of weight lifting in the off-season. Unlike the previous year, I put my "big girl pants" on and lifted HEAVY....stopping when I could no longer complete another rep with good form.
• December blood tests showed I was severely anemic. I reconnected with my former nutritionist and started taking iron + other supplements per her recommendation. As of April my iron levels are just barely normal again.
• After 15 YEARS of being a vegetarian, I STARTED EATING MEAT AGAIN. I got tired of feeling constantly fatigued + being anemic on & off for 8 years. I only periodically eat chicken, turkey, and tuna, but am generally feeling better overall. I spent my first 3 seasons as a triathlete as a pure vegetarian (which included mostly 70.3s + a full IRONMAN), so it's completely doable. I'm just interested to see how much better my muscles recover and rebuild this season.
• As of April, I am a certified Level I USAT Coach. I attended the coaching seminar in Savannah, GA and passed my written exam. :-)
• I reverted back to self-coaching again - now that I have the knowledge and tools! - which has kind of been a "mixed bag."
• I've aged-up into F30-34 this year. :-O 

RACE REPORT

I love to kick off race season with an early opener in a faraway place. :-) There were many deciding factors when I selected IM 70.3 St. George....but I'm glad I did. The course was beautiful and everyone was exceptionally friendly!

Thursday

• Swim course preview....water was 61º.....BRRRR!
• Bike course preview (driving)
• Race briefing
• Pro panel
• Pro meet & greet
• Packet pick-up
• Evening shake-out run in Snow Canyon - so I could truly take in the scenery and beauty while I wasn't focused on racing

Friday

• Short bike ride to check the gears & ensure everything was working
• Bike check
• Stayed off my feet and made funny videos of Zach doing the escalator and elevator (see: Facebook)

Race Day! Saturday

Suiting up...and half awake.

SWIM

I waded into the water gunning to PR this baby. I was mentally ready. I knew I was physically ready. 

The water had warmed to a balmy 64º, though there was no noticeable difference from Thursday's preview swim.

We swam out to the start buoys, and treaded water until the gun. I was in my normal start position - second row, kind of in the middle.

Sending Zach an excited wave from the front of the red caps!

What happened next was nothing I'd ever imagined would or could happen.

As I started to swim and jockey for position, people never spread out. I was shoulder to shoulder and barely had room for hand entry. I was incredibly conscious of where my head was in proximity to peoples' feet, since I've read horrible race reports of people getting concussed during the swim start. I fought for my space, tried to breathe, tried not to get kicked, then started hyperventilating as my heart rate skyrocketed. 

I've never had a panic attack in my life, but I'd imagine it was something similar to this.

I opted to slow, let others pass, and the crowd thin which catching my breath. Still hyperventilating, my gut reaction was to keep moving forward in a way that allowed me to "reset."

I side stroked. I swear I never thought I'd have to SIDE STROKE during the first 200m of a major race! This allowed me to 1.) continue making forward progress, 2.) keep my head above water so I could slow and control my breathing, and 3.) continue sighting.

I chased away the "So much for a swim PR!" thoughts, mentally refocused, and started freestyling as soon as I knew I wasn't at risk for inhaling water.

I feared what my watch would say when I exited the water, but this was my second fastest 70.3 swim!

Tip: Even if you think you will never, ever need it, make sure you are proficient in a stroke other than freestyle! Breast, side, doggy paddle, butterfly (props to you!), back (sub-optimal, but if you have to...). 

T1

I slipped and fell on the boat ramp while exiting the water. Lucky for me I landed in the water without any damage.

Why can't every 70.3 have wetsuit strippers?! Many thanks to the three high school (?) boys who had my wetsuit off in a hot second! Much appreciated!

Zipped up my aero top (first race trying it out - worked great + protected from sun!), threw everything in the transition bag, and ran out with The Tomahawk.

Ready to hit the hills!

BIKE 

This course was beautiful! We wound our way from the Sand Hollow Reservoir in Hurricane, UT, into and out of St. George, and up through Snow Canyon in Ivins, followed by a 7 mile downhill all the way back to T2 (which was not as advantageous as it could have been, given we had strong head winds on the way back).

I didn't hold back. I maxed out of gears on every downhill, and found I passed 100s of people on the uphills. I felt really strong and confident in both my handling and speed.

Highlights:

• There was a male biker who had a film crew driving alongside him. The cameraman was hanging out of a car filming while the biker talked to the cameraman and hammed it up. Problem was: I needed to pass. To make a legal pass, I had to squeeze between the biker and the car. While doing so, I yelled "Sorrrrry!" while signing a "hang ten" at the camera. Camera guy said "You just got chicked!" ....yeah, and all on camera! I carried a large amount of gratification from that pass for the next 10+ miles. 
• On a steep downhill, I hit 44.3mph....while white-knuckling it! I think that's a new top speed record for The Tomahawk. 
• MALE PROS: While at mile 35 of the bike, I saw Alistair leading the men's race on the run. I kept waiting to see where the other guys were. It appeared Lionel was 2-3 minutes back, and Sebastian was maybe another 1-2. I knew in that moment that Alistair was going to win it. BEAST.

               I don't technically do flying mounts OR dismounts (yet), but this looks awfully airborne to me!

T2

The usual + reapplied sunscreen (great life decision) + accidentally walked in on two different guys in port-a-potties. 

Tip/Reminder: Please always lock the port-a-potty door - even during a race!!

Happy to park the bike and start the run.

RUN

I was feeling pretty good, but fresh out of T2 reminded myself 'No faster than 8 minute miles!' Well, I never had to worry about that safeguard (unfortunately).

The first 5K of this course was uphill, with the steepest part coming at mile 2.5. 

So....swim 1.2, bike 56 with a TON of climbing, and now run 13.1 with the first 5K being uphill in zero shade? No wonder they made this course the IM 70.3 North American Pro Championships. This separates the men from the boys, and women from the girls.

FEMALE PROS: I had just started out on the run when the female pros were coming in on their last mile. Holly Lawrence was looking fast in 1st, and I gave her a shout out. Jeannie Seymour was in 2nd, but not close enough to catch Holly, and Ellie Salthouse was in 3rd. I was excited to see Rachel Joyce in 4th, as this was only her second race after having a baby, I believe.

Given the heat, wind, and hills, I suspected there would be a bit of AG placement shuffling on this run, even more so than the normal amount of shuffling from those who went too hard on the bike OR messed up their nutrition.

The sun and heat were relentless. I dumped ice down my kit every chance I got.

Going....

....going....

....gone. (Mile 4)

I was surprised to see Zach had made his way to the top of the mountain to catch me at mile 4, and then again when I looped back at mile 8. In case anyone is unaware, a lot can happen in four miles:

At mile 6.5 I tripped on a crack and fell down on the cement HARD on all four. I got up quickly, and was grateful my hands had not gashed open. I didn't even assess my knees. I knew they were bloody with open wounds, I didn't need the visual. I was pleasantly surprised to discover as I started running again that my knees didn't hurt (perhaps thanks to adrenaline?). My mental state was a bit shaken, so I allowed myself to take a few seconds and think through it, then did my best to refocus on the last half of the 13.1

I focused on tackling the remaining uphills one stride at a time, leading with the knees, and a slight forward lean. I kept eyes out for fellow AGers, passing a few (usually on uphills), and then I had two pass me in the final 1.5 miles (so, for some of the run I was definitely sitting in 9th place AG).

In the last 90 seconds before the finish line, my fuel belt fell off. I opted not to fuss with it, and ended up crossing the line with a new look I like to call the "hot mess":  two bloody knees, chocolate gel dripping down my leg, no visor, and a fuel belt in one hand (good thing this wasn't a fashion show).

The carnage.

Checked the watch. Finishing faster than I predicted when I left T2.

No idea I would pull out a 5:24 on a challenging course on a season-opener. Only 10 minutes off my 70.3 PR. Crazy!

Crossed the finish line and went straight to medical (do not pass go, do not collect $200) to get my knees flushed out, cleaned & bandaged.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

My hope was to get top 10 in my first 30-34 race. I was oh-so-close (in a deep field, I might add), but my greater personal takeaway is this: I must be doing something right with my training. Self-coaching definitely comes with its share of questioning and doubt. But, no one knows me better than, well, ME....which is the added bonus to coaching yourself.

My sub-goal was to qualify for IM 70.3 Worlds....to prove to myself that I deserved my automatic Women for Tri worlds slot that I received due to being ranked high in my AG in 2016. I attended the awards ceremony and was excited to yell "I already have a slot...ROLL IT!" My AG slots rolled to 16th, 18th, and then the third slot kept rolling and they had to open it up to 20th+.

Anyway, I feel really physically and mentally strong. I don't know how else to put it. I race more level-headed, with more confidence, and more common sense. I had minimal pressure on myself for this race - no time goals....just do what I'd been doing in training.

I'm still unhappy with my run, as I know I am 100% capable of putting together a faster 13.1 during a 70.3. I'm working on my baseline, every day hydration, as I truly believe I've been heading out onto the run severely dehydrated, which results is HUGE performance/pace drops. My race hydration is good, but as I've been discussing with my nutritionist, my hydration on a cellular level is not.

So....let's see if I can get my baseline hydration nailed down before IM 70.3 Syracuse!

Freshly bandaged wounds.

KUDOS

Major shout out to my husband and bike mechanic extraordinaire, Zach! Not only do you make sure The Tomahawk is rebuilt and in tip-top shape, but you also take care of my post-race medical needs, such as bandaids, Neosporin, and wound care! Oh, you also get pulled over by the cops and still make it to the finish line with time to spare...barely! ;-)

Doesn't look so bad cleaned-up, but this is before all the bruising set in.

Obligatory post-race ice cream! (yes, made a mess during all the enthusiastic consumption)

The day after the race we headed to the nearby Zion National Park for some hiking (ummm....active, yet strenuous recovery!), then popped over to the Grand Canyon a few days later for some hardcore hiking.