Ironman Steelhead 70.3

 Let me start this by thanking everyone that helped me train or trained with me. Without your support this would not have been possible. 

Pre-race:

The weather in Michigan two days before was stormy and windy. The forecast for Sunday didn’t look much better. When we arrived Friday the venue had been moved indoors because it was raining so hard. We still held out hope that the race would go on. On Saturday Bill and I went to packet pickup and to check-in. We were greeted by a monsoon. Again, still holding out hope that tomorrow would be better. We had planned to get in the lake and get a practice swim in, but the visibility looked bleak. We drove down to the starting line anyway and much to our surprise the lake was calm and the temperature was perfect for swimming in a wetsuit (it was about 68 degrees). Anyway, we got a 500 yard swim in (that’s not long for those who don’t swim, but enough to just get a feel for it) and our outlook was looking brighter. 

Saturday night (night before race):

We get an alert from Ironman that bad storms are moving in and that water crafts are not allowed in the water until Sunday afternoon. They follow this up with what could happen on race day with the possibility of no swim, a shortened swim and possible shortened bike. Not the news we wanted to hear. The storms and wind were wicked that night. We had the power go out several times where we were staying. So off to bed we went still hoping things would clear up. 

Sunday: (Race day) 

We got up at 3:30am (yes these things start crazy early) and to our surprise you could see the moon. The winds were still howling at 15-20 mph with gusts 25-30 mph. At 4:30 we get an alert from Ironman that the swim is a no go, but the bike and run will be full routes. Thank goodness, I thought. I shine on the bike. We do a rolling start on the bike with one cyclist every 3-5 seconds (to prevent a traffic jam). So with 2000 cyclists you do the math…that’s going to take some time. Luckily it was by ability so we got near the front and went after the pros took off.

Bike: Like I stated before the winds were howling at 15-20 mph with gusts at 25-30 mph…not good when you're on a bike unless the wind hits your backside. We had a tailwind going out which was amazing, but quickly went away when we turned and had crosswinds for about 7-8 miles and then we turned again and back to tailwind which was great until we hit the turn around and then…wham! It was like running into a brick wall. The guy near me said, I knew it was going to be bad but not this bad. I said, oh I knew it was coming. Miles 35-45 were some of the hardest conditions I have ever ridden in. Headwinds and crosswinds and light rain, but that wind blowing the rain at you…wow! I surprisingly finished the bike in 2:52 minutes with an average of 19.5 mph. I cruised into transition to eat and pee and change shoes…then off I went. 

Run: 

As we started the run the clouds parted (we were supposed to be cloudy all day) and we had full sun with 89% humidity..fun. Not! I started at a good pace but the first hill with the heat and the wind quickly zapped that out of me. So I went with a slower pace so I could finish the race. We had aid stations every two miles and I quickly developed a system for that. I would grab a water and a Red Bull and a cup of ice. I shoved the ice in my sports bra and Trisuit to keep me cool along with all the other nutrition and electrolytes I had with me. Did I mention no shade..not one tree for 13.1 miles. By mile 12 my quads started to cramp (not common for me, I think the wind on the bike was a factor of this). I had to walk down the last hill and jog/shuffle the rest of the way to the finish. I finished my run in a time of 2:26 for an average of 11:08 per mile, I can do better but that’s all I had to give that day. The tracker app was off because it listed the run as 12.1 not 13.1. 🤣

I ended up 28th out of 78 females in my age group. This would have been better if I had the swim to fall back on, but oh well. Still great for my first 70.3 (69.1)! I was also in the top 40% overall. I will take it. I am not a runner so this is the area I really need to continue to work on. And I will. 

Thank you to everyone that followed along this journey and watched me during the race. I felt you all. Until next time. 😉

A huge special thank you to my best supporter, Steve! He follows me anywhere. Thank you, babe!