Ironman 70.3 World Championships (9/11/11)

Hands down, best race experience of my life.  What an opportunity!  To race against the best in the world... at an incredible venue... on one of the toughest courses out there.  I can proudly say that I left it all on the course that day.  I followed the plan to the T- raced aggressive, yet smart, and maintained confidence in my training and in my abilities. 

Since this was my first World Championship race and the first time it would be held at the new venue in Nevada, I came in with zero expectations... besides doing the best I could possibly do.  There was alot of talk about the difficulty of the course, thanks to the massive hills and the desert heat and winds.  The race director was proud of himself for creating a challenging and fair race that would separate the very good from the very best.  According to him, this was not the place to set a PR.




View of Ravella bridge/swim venue

When we checked into the Ravella hotel on Thursday, I have to admit I was a little intimidated by the intense energy and extreme focus radiating from all the chisled, spandex-clad athletes.  I wasn't sizing myself up to them by any means, but I just felt like I was behind the curve.  Everyone seemed ready to roll and I still had a list of things to get done... athlete check-in, pick up my bike and make sure it was good to go, get a glimpse of the course, etc, etc.  But, I think the thing weighing heaviest on my mind was my bike.  

My new baby

I got the surprise of my life a couple weeks ago when Michael bought me a sexy new Trek Speed Concept 9.5!!!  I was super excited about my new speed machine and the fact that I was lucky enough to have such a generous, thoughtful and loving boyfriend... but I was also a little nervous to ride an unfamiliar bike at the biggest race of my life.  But, the super fantastic salesmen and mechanics at Trek of Highland Park worked passed closing time in order to get the bike ready and dialed in to exactly match the position of my Felt.  I had 2 days to stretch the new cables, get comfortable and fine tune the fit before dropping it off for Tribike Transport.  It felt good on the 2nd ride and I was pretty confident that this bike would not cause me a problem on race day... and more likley, make me even faster!

Pixley, me, Michael, Kristy and Mike

Friday was kind of a disaster.  The plan was to hit Ironman Village when they opened at 9am, pick up our bikes and ride them 15 miles back to the hotel.  This would give us a chance to shake out our legs, make sure our bikes were working properly and also view the last 15 miles of the bike course (in reverse)... all before it got too intensely hot out.  Two very big problems prevented us from completing this plan:  1) I forgot my bike pedals and 2) Michael had a broken spoke on his back wheel.  After 2-3 hours of wandering around in the heat with limited water, we finally had complete and properly functioning bikes.  At this point, in our tired and dehydrated state, we had no desire to ride 15 miles at the hottest time of the desert day.  Michael decided to go for it anyway and I packed my bike in the car and met him back at the hotel.  I got 10 minutes in on my bike just to make sure it was all good, which it was ;)  After a couple hours of relaxation, we met up with Pixley, Kristy and Mike for the Welcome Dinner.  We were treated to some great food and a little pep rally!  When I heard the WTC CEO mention there were 54 Countries being represented, it started to sink in that this is the World Championships.


 

Saturday A.M. Practice swim

Saturday was a day to relax and mentally prepare... but mostly just relax.  My nerves were behind me now that I got the busy work done and I felt pretty chill about the whole thing.  Ready to just enjoy the experience and celebrate the end of a fantastic season.  I had a good chat with Coach Dan in the a.m.  There wasn't much to say about the race since he had already sent a lengthy email of the race plan.  I felt confident and relaxed and he could sense that.  We did a practice swim at about 7am and the water felt good.  Perfect non-wetsuit-legal temperature in the high 70's.  It was calm and overcast and even a little chilly getting in!  After the swim, we headed out for a 30 min ride.  I finally got a taste of the hills.  Holy Crap!!  This was no joke.  You start with a 4 mile climb out of transition, followed by a 3 mile steep, winding descent into Lake Mead National Park and then another 5 miles of tough climbing.  This is pretty much the theme over the 56 mile course.  There are no flats.  At all.  And I am going to love every minute of it!!!  The roads are smooth with limited traffic.  This is my dream bike course ;)  For the remainder of the day, we ate, watched TV (college football, of course) and ate a little more.  My plan was to be alseep by 8pm or so, but thanks to 'Jazz in the Park', I was kept awake by the vibrations of their booming bass.  Who's bright idea was it to schedule a live band on the night before a World Championship race... at the hotel located at the starting line!?!?  Oh well, I finally fell asleep about 10pm... and woke at midnight- apparently the excitement finally got to me ;)  2 hours... that'll have to do.  I didn't sweat it since I slept like a champ every night leading up to this.



Happy to see my sisters before the start!

Staying at the start line was KEY to an easy race morning.  Ate my usual prerace breakfast, went down to transition to put the final touches on my bike- nutrition, tire inflation... then walked the 1.5 minutes back to my hotel room and relaxed (and used the bathroom a couple times) before GO TIME.  No port-a-potties for this girl ;)  We went back down to the start at about 6:30, saw the pros go off and got in line for my 7am start.  Jen and Lindsay (sisters) found me a few minutes before I got in the water- YAY!!!  This made me SOOOO happy :)  I was afraid I wasn't going to see them until mid-race!  Emotions started to rise all of a sudden and I felt like I could almost cry.  I was so overwhelmed by the magnitude of this race and having my two sisters, who I love so much, there to support me.  OK, shake it off and focus.

Females 30-34

SWIM:  It was a deep water start and we treaded water for 5+ minutes before the thundering cannon.  I started wide and worked my way in towards the bouys.  My technique, energy and strength all felt good.  There was limited contact with other swimmers and I pretty much enjoyed the entire swim.  Don't get me wrong, I couldn't wait until it was over... but, as far as swims go, this one was going pretty well for me.  I had girls around me at all times to help with sighting, drafting... and confidence (I knew I wasn't being totally left in the dust)!  I exited the water with a 1.2 mile swim split of 37:58 (1:59/100m).  68th out of 93 girls in my Age Group.



T1:  Once exiting the water, we ran around the southern tip of the lake to the transition tent.  This was my first experience with transition bags and tents.  I have to say, I liked it very much.  It felt like VIP treatment!  As I approached the area, volunteers start yelling my number, 845.  They're passing it down to the people handing you your bike gear bag.  Somehow, my 845 turned into an 848 and they were trying to give me the wrong bag.  I almost had to stand there and convince them that they were wrong, but I was sharp enough to realize it wasn't worth my time.  I bent down and grabbed the 845 bag and ran into the tent as they were still trying to tell me I was grabbing the wrong bag.  Once in the tent, there were more volunteers helping me organize my bike shoes, helmet, sunglasses and race number.  This was great!  I was out of there, grabbed my bike and headed for the hills!  T1 time 3:41.


Sister spectators killing time while I ride ;)

Bike:  Starting the climb out of transition, I focused on staying in my power zone and allowed others to pass.  The plan called for riding mostly 160-180 watts.  I stuck to this on the climbs, sometimes going slightly above... but, never above 200.  On the descents I would get into the toughest gear and my most aerodynamic position and spin until there was no pressure left on the pedals.  This seemed to work pretty well, as I would get passed on the climbs, but quickly pass them back on the descents.  Most of the descents were done at 35+ mph, topping out at 42.  Nutrition was going great- I refilled my aero bottle with Ironman Perform at all of the 4 aid stations and used my lower bottle of water to spray my body to cool off (thanks again, Michelle!).  The bike was pretty much going according to plan, with a couple surprises in the middle.  I got PEED on!!  I had been jockeying with this one girl for most of the ride- she would pass me on the climbs and I'd pass her back on the descents.  Well as I was coming up to pass her once again, she moved her butt to the side of the saddle and I got sprayed... EEEWWW!!!  I was mostly disgusted, but also slightly impressed.  I have never been able to pee on the bike and she made it look so easy.  About 1:45 into the ride, a group of guys pass by.  The girls that were around me got sucked into their draft.  It was hard to avoid, but I wanted no part of a drafting penalty.  Just as I was thinking that, I hit a large bump!  The velcro on my aero bottle came apart and out of the loop.  I was lucky the bottle didn't fly off!  I tried working the velcro back through it's loop while riding, but it just wasn't happening.  I was forced to pull off to the side and put in back together.  It probably cost me a little over a minute.  The only silver lining was that I was away from the drafting pack.  For the last hour, I was able to ride my own race without worrying about those girls and I finally caught back up to them and passed them for good as we approached T2.  My 56 mile bike split was 2:52:21 (19.5 mph) and I had moved up to 46th out of 93.



Exiting T2


T2:  T2 came up out of nowhere around a corner.  I had just enough time to undo my shoes, but didn't get my feet out before the dismount line.   I just unclipped and took my shoes off once off the bike- I knew I'd run alot faster barefoot.  One volunteer took my bike and another took my shoes- what service!  I ran into the tent with my Run Gear Bag and a volunteer poured it on the floor.  I kind of had it set up nice and organized in the bag... she meant well ;)  T2 time 1:11.



Pure Runner's High



Run:  I saw my sisters as I started the run and got really excited!!  I felt good from the get go and had to hold myself back in order to not go out too fast.  Emotions started to build in me again.  I was so happy that this race was going so well and so happy to have so much love and support from all my family and friends!!  The next time I saw Jen and Lindsay, I just blurted out "I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE HERE!!"  The run was 3 loops.  The first mile was downhill, followed by a 2 mile climb and then another 2 down... repeat 2 more times finishing on a 1 mile downhill.  I was running ~6:20's downhill and just over 7:00 pace uphill.  I was hoarding fuel at every stop- Perform in the mouth, water over the head and ice down the shirt.  I felt good!... right up until about mile 10.  The last 2 mile hill was slow at ~8:30pace.  I was thinking how this is what the Ironman shuffle must feel like.  As I rounded the last turnaround, there was a mile to go and it was all downhill.  I saw a girl up ahead that had a 33 on her calf.  I picked up the pace and slowly started gaining on her.  She knew it because she kept looking back at me.  My legs weighed what felt like a ton, but I moved them as fast as I could.  I focused on pumping my arms and hoped my legs would follow.  The finish line was creeping up and she looked back at me about 5 more times until she knew she had it.  She beat me by 4 seconds.  13.1 mile run split of 1:33:40 (7:09/mi).

Bringing it home

My overall finish was 5:08:51.  20th out of 93 in my Age Group.






Time to celebrate a great season!

I couldn't be happier with how the race unfolded.  This was the perfect way to finish an amazing triathlon season.  I have to thank all of my family and friends who have supported me throughout my training and racing.  Knowing you are all pulling for me, helps get me through those days when I just don't know if I have it in me.  To all my new training buddies who I've met this year- it's been motivating to follow along with all your training and racing adventures.  Keep it up!  A huge thank you to Robbie Ventura and Dave Noda- VisionQuest Coaching is top notch.  I'm so grateful to be a part of something so special that has helped me grow into an even better athlete.  To my coach, Dan Litwora, you've brought me to the best shape of my life and (knock on wood) NO INJURIES!  This is huge.   Bigger and better things to come ;)  And the biggest thank you of all goes to Michael.  You have endured many a 'Cranky Adrienne' days and you're still here!  Thanks for putting up with me and enjoy the off-season because Ironman training could be even worse! ;)                 



Chicago International Triathlon (8/28/11)



What doesn't break me, will make me stronger... that is how I am looking at the result of this race.  I was mentally split going into the race.  I LOVE this distance and it's a hometown race, so I was hoping to do well and MAYbe even go for the top 3 overall amateur!  However, I also knew that I wasn't fresh- 2 weeks off a 1/2 Iron with my big 'A' race of the season just 2 weeks down the road and the main focus right now.  It ended up being an off day for me... actually, the worst race performance of my season due to lack of freshness, lack of mental strength, poor nutrition and rookie mistakes.  I was able to walk away not feeling completely defeated, as I got a heck of workout and was reminded of what NOT to do 2 weeks from now ;)

Watching the Sprint distance athletes

The day started with a 3:30am wakeup and the usual breakfast of rice cakes with peanut butter and honey, a banana and applesauce.  (My first mistake...Probably shorted myself about 200 calories and didn't consider the extra hour of waiting for the Sprint race.)  Michael dropped me at transition about 4:45 and I set up and scouted the area while he parked the car.  With about 10,000 athletes competing in this race (the biggest triathlon in the world), transition was huge!  In the dark of the morning, I wandered for a while trying to find my rack, the Swim IN, Bike OUT, Bike IN and Run OUT.  I did my best to figure out the best routes, but it was CRAZINESS (not that I wasn't warned ;)!!  Transition closed at 5:45 and the first wave of the Sprint race went off at 6am.  Michael and I walked down to the water and hung out until my wave start at 7:20.  It was about a 15 minute walk to the start and as soon as we arrived, I remembered I forgot to put my bike in an easy gear!!  Because I was cleaning the chain last night, it was in the hardest gear.  It's too late now :(  On top of that, my shoes were clipped into the pedals and we start up an onramp.  Getting started was going to be slow and energy-wasting.  At 6:45, I went out for a short jog, then ate my caffeinated gel, donned my wetsuit and got in line with the Elite Amateur Wave, comprised of 32 Men and 17 Women.

Elite Wave

Swim:  Starting with the Elites was good and bad.  The good was that we went off as the first wave of the International distance and, therefore, avoided the extra hours of waiting around pre-race as well as the crowds on the course.  The bad was being left in the dust!  I knew this wave would be full of fast swimmers and I had secret hopes that all my swim training this season would finally pay off... Not so much.  Within seconds of the horn, I was basically by myself.  I went out hard and tried to hang, but I was anaerobic and it was hopeless.  The water was extremely rough and I was fighting to survive.  All I thought about for the first 5-10 minutes was whether or not I should just climb up one of the ladders and call it a day.  I never considered dropping out of a race before, but I just didn't know if it was worth putting myself through this misery when it was barely a 'B' race... more so a 'C' race.  Then I thought about how I'd probably be so mad at myself later if I quit, so I kept trudging along and looking forward to the swim exit and the rest of the race.  We swam with the current for a short bit and then around the bouy and against the current for the majority of the swim.  I was getting slapped in the face non-stop by the chop and sucking in gasoline-flavored water (from the boats).  This was not fun.  I could see Michael and Shannon walking alongside as I swam- I wished I could trade places with one of them.  A little over 1/2way in, another purple cap came up from behind!  I then realized I wasn't the slowest one out there!!  This gave me a little motivation.  As she passed, I got on her feet and tried to take advantage of a draft for the remainder of the swim... though I think she got a little annoyed that I tickled her feet a couple times ;)  I finally reached the swim exit after about 33 minutes (~6 minutes longer than usual for this distance).  The volunteers were AMAZING as 2 of them grabbed me by the arms and hoisted me up the stairs!  I was so happy to be out of the water, but knew I was WAAAAY behind and needed to get a move on if I still had a chance of catching people.  

Midway through the .93 mile swim that felt more like 9.3 miles!

Totally exhausted!

Transition 1:  I saw Michael and Shannon immediately as I exited.  All I could say was, 'THAT SUCKED!'.  Then I couldn't find my shoes that I had planted to protect my feet during the long asphalt run to transition.  Someone decided to cover them with their swim cap... no wonder!  I lost a few seconds there, but didn't focus on it.  What I was focused on now was that my legs weren't working.  I never felt so heavy!  I was trying to book it to transition, but felt like I was moving in slow motion- just like those recurring dreams I have!  Once I got to my bike, I was pretty smooth with getting out of there.

Bike: The ride is 2 out-and-backs on Lakeshore Drive.  It was a windy day and we rode into the wind first.  Still, my legs were heavy.  My power output was low at ~155watts, as was my speed at about 18mph.  I was hungry and thirsty and was sucking down my Clif Replacement Drink, but knew I needed to ration since I just had the 1 bottle (which is all I normally need for this distance).  About 15 minutes in, I saw Christine Anderson heading in the other direction.  I didn't know how far I was from the turnaround, but seeing her gave me the motivation that I needed to focus and start hammering.  I got my head out of the clouds- my mental strength rose, and with it, my power and speed.  For the remainder of the ride, I was looking at mostly 165-180 watts and 20-22mph into the wind, 25-27 with it.  I ran out of drink a little over 1/2way into the ride... which was not good, but it didn't slow me down.  My bike split was 1:09:06 (21.9mph).

Transition 2: This went pretty smooth.  Probably the only part of the race where I didn't make any major mistakes.  I was all business- grabbed my run stuff and put it on as I exited the area.  



Starting the 10k run with a mouthful of sugar!



Run:  As soon as I exited the transition area, there was an Aid Station... THANK GOD!  I was so thirsty and hungry- I poured as much gatorade as I could fit into my mouth while on the move.  I didn't know where I stood in the field at this point, but knew I still had alot of work to do.  Unfortunately, my legs were still heavy and slow to turnover.  I hoped they would soon wake up, but just did what I could with what I had.  My first 2 splits were 6:36 each.  The run was 1 long out-and-back, so I could count how many women were ahead of me as they passed in the opposite direction.  I saw Christine in 1st and she had a large lead on 2nd place.  I passed 2 girls right around the turnaround point and just tried to keep those legs moving in hopes of seeing more women up ahead.  I passed 1 more girl with about a mile to go and that put me in 7th place for the finish.  My run was 40:21 (6:30 pace)- a full 2 minutes slower than what I've been putting out for a 10k this year.  

My best fake smile

I'm not happy with how I performed, but I'm happy to have had the experience.  I know I made alot of mistakes and those are all mistakes that I don't plan on making at the 70.3 World Championships on 9/11/11.  I am mentally stronger because of this race.  Every swim workout I completed the following week was one of the best workouts of the season.  2 days after the race, I swam the 4 fastest 400's I'd ever swam!  And another fantastic set of 800's 2 days after that!!  And this past weekend, I tackled the same choppy open water... but, this time I felt strong and fast ;)  I've been saying for years, 'Confidence is the key to Success'.  I did not have confidence in the water at the Chicago Triathlon and I let it get the best of me.  It was a good reminder of how important mental strength is in endurance sports.  Onward.