Jeff and I had never been to Boulder, and we were lucky enough to have so many friends that had recently relocated to the Boulder or Denver area, which made the trip even more special. Our friend Stacey from Chicago and her boyfriend were gracious enough to open up their home for us to crash in, and they were the most gracious hosts we could ask for.
We decided to drive to boulder to eliminate the plane ticket/bike transport/car rental costs (note- its is very unlikely to get through Ironman Boulder without renting a car if you are coming from out of town. the reservoir and the high school, the two primary locations where race activity is happening, arnt that close to each other). The drive really wasn't that bad, and allowed us to have much more control over comfort and food choices.
We rolled into Boulder Thursday afternoon, got myself checked in then head over to the reservoir for the local "Splash and Stride" (I did the 750 meter swim and 5 k run) mainly to get some practive in my wetsuit, which i also don't get to use very often in texas, and see how I wouild adjust to the altitude. Honestly, i felt great. I was a little tired, and it was a little harder to breathe ( and, i took it really easy), but i figured we had just rolled into town, and I would be fine by Sunday.
So the next few days involved seeing friends, prepping for race day etc. Boulder is beautiful - the town is nestled among the mountains so even the most mundane errands involved incredible views. hard not to love it. We had a minor pre race snafoo that may or may not have played a little bit into race day i wont get into details right now, but what was supposed to be an easy shake out ride a couple days before race day turned into a climb up one of the longest hills in boulder, and a panic attack about how to get down. I spent a few days dealing with unexpected soreness-not ideal. but really, this wasn't a major factor in how the day went.
So race day (finally- i know, these posts are long): We dropped of special needs by the high school, and then hopped on the shuttle to the reservoir where the swim would start. I had just enough time to get into transition, put my nutrition on the bike, pump up my tires, and wiggle into my wetsuit.
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| cute right?? |
IM Boulder starts at 6:20 for a rolling start, with the goal of getting everyone in the water by 6:50. There was no pro field this year, which is why we were able to start earlier. the swim is a counter clockwise swim in the reservoir. I lined up in the 1:00-1:15 swim - my Ironman swims are usually in the 1:06-1:10 range depending on the body of water, weather or not the race is wetsuit legal and how focused im able to stay during the swim ( I mean, really, this is the real issue, its so hard to stay focused. I have swim related attention deficit. IS THIS OVER YET WHY IS THIS SO LONG) but either way I was fairly confident that was the right group for me to be in.
I was told that swimming at altitude would be a little tricky. The air is thin, your body is already trying to compensate for the reduced oxygen, and its super easy to hyperventilate/panic during the swim. I was told to take it easy the first few hundred meters, and to breathe a lot to work through this. I felt pretty good the entire swim, honestly. no panic, no gasping for air. I am not sure i felt like i was having the best swim of my life, but i felt pretty steady. the water was open until the first buoy, which is really the nice thing about the rolling start. But inevitably, at the first left hand turn you run into a bit of a bottle neck with weaker swimmers seeding themselves in a faster group to go off earlier. So the second section of the swim had a bit more contact. I wasnt really swimming straight, but was able to catch it in time to correct it. No biggie.
I came out of the water in 1:11, which for a wetsuit swim is kinda MEH for me. Even though i felt fine swimming, the minute i exited the water, i felt like i had been hit by a dump truck. EVERYTHING was tired, and i was breathing super heavy. like gasping. Which was awesome, because transitions at this race are long and involve inclines awesome.
I wasnt totally happy with how i executed T1, but it was still smooth and fast, so whatever. As i got on the bike though, i realized that I didnt feel great. legs were sluggish and sore, and i felt like i couldnt fill my lungs with air. But, something ive learned through ironman training and racing is just because you dont feel good right now, doesnt mean you cant turn it around. you cant panic, you have to work through it. So, i Just kept riding- I mean what do you do? I kept an eye on my power, and i was doing ok staying within the range that coach had given.
A few notes about the bike course and ride
1) the worst hill is right out of T1 ( well within the first 10 miles or so). You only do it once. No biggy.
2) Descents are long and fun, but there arnt nearly enough of them.
3) the entire course feels like its a false flat. this is SUPER FRUSTRATING. sections that look flat are slow. and I mean SLOOW. even if you look at your power and realize what is going on, its hard to deal with at that mentally
4) while the day wasnt overly windy, there WAS wind, and it was impossible to tell where it was coming from
5) My one negative about the race, and specifically the bike course, is the fact that locals felt the need to ride the course the day of the race. like on mountain bikes. slowly. You live in boulder COLORADO. this cannot possibly be the only bike route available to you. I found it to be dangerous and rude. many sections are the ride are coned off, but very narrow, making passing athletes precarious at best.
*Note: we were all saddened to hear of the passing the young lady that was struck by a car on the bike course and later passed away from her injuries. Cycling can be scary and dangerous and this is everyones worst nightmare. My thoughts and prayers to her family and loved ones.
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| I didnt feel great, but at least i looked good. |
I kind of quickly realized that i wasnt bonking, but was instead experiencing some altitude related symptoms. going up and down the climbs was making me dizzy and i was trying really hard to focus on the road in front of me. looking around wasnt helping my light headedness. Breathing was becoming an issue too My allergies were acting up and I spent most of the ride taking in kind of shallow breaths. oh boy. this is gonna be run.
I made it through the ride. 5:46 or something. Meh. fine. whatever. about what I would expect. Ive made huge strides on the bike recently, but still not quite where i would like to be.
T2: if you plan on doing this race, let me warn you about t2: You run about a quarter of a mile with your bike to the high school track where the volunteers are waiting to take it from you. then you grab your bag, run down the track, UP SOME STAIRS, then off to the changing tents. Um yea ok, climbing stairs was not ideal in my current situation lol. but as usual, the volunteers were amazing. they helped me get dressed and on my way.
Run: I was worried about how this was going to go coming of the bike. I managed to hold together a decent pace for the first few miles (the first bit of the run is down hill, so its easy to let the pace get away from you. I kept it easy ). but breathing was becoming more and more difficult. my legs felt fine. Honestly I dont think that there was anything about the run specifically that was making my breathing difficult, but I think i got a little panicky coming off the bike because of my breathing issues, and it really carried into my run. somewhere around mile 7 i saw Jeff and our friends and stopped on the side of the road and basically hyperventilated. the volunteer told me to put my arms above my head and they put ice on my back to try and cool me off and get my breathing under control. I was NOT about to stop this race. I told jeff if I had to walk the whole thing, i would, so he should get himself ready for a long day.
After a few minutes on the side of the path, i started walking. i decided to try and jog from aid station to aid station, then walk the aid stations. That MOSTLY worked. eventually, after a few aid stations of cola, ice, and oranges, i started to come around. I can run. I can do this.
The last half of the marathon was a completely different race for me than the first half. Im not sure what changed, but I managed to run people down. As a side note, im not sure ive seen so many people walk during an IM before. or start walking that early. i take some comfort in the fact that i was not the only person struggling. A few notes about the run
1) dont go out too hard, its down hill for a couple miles. you arnt actually that fast. sorry.
2) the run is mostly shaded, but the sun is also killer at altitude. cover up
3) I wish the run course was a LITTLE more spectator friendly. some desolate areas.
4) the run is on a path next to river that people go tubing on. so theres a lot of traffic on the path that isnt race related. its a little frustrating. I know people have to live their lives, but its not a wide path to begin with. trying to navigate around teenagers carrying inflatable tubes isnt exactly what you want to be dealing with.
I crossed the finish line in 11:37. i was so happy. and SO proud of myself for sticking it out, and even turning the race into a decent one. I came in 8th AG. Not the top 5 i wanted to finish in, or the sub 11 that i wanted but sh*t happens. My ironman texas race is still probably my best executed race, but no one with even know because that race was such a mess. if that race had been full distance, i believe my time would have been around 10:50 or so. but, I cant actually say that, because it WASNT that distance and you just never know. so we keep trying to have that "perfect" race. thats the beauty of this sport. theres aways room to make yourself better.
But im taking some much deserved down time for now.
Special thanks to my Wattie Ink Teammates and our sponsors for their constant support!
