Ironman Canada 2016

Training and Lead-up
Overall I felt like my training was pretty good. I got a lot of good bike rides in and my running was consistent. I did not have a ton of super long runs but not sure how much that would have helped.
My left calf was sort of cranky on and off the last couple months which was not fun. Thinking it might be shoe related or just need to work on my foot placement…
My lead up triathlon race at Victoria, and CDA were good, and feel like they were good training races for me to get used to the mindset of racing and for both I was able to maintain solid half marathon times despite fatigue especially at CDA

Race Week
I kept things loose and kept my workouts short with just a little intensity.  I was loose and got a massage to keep my calf loose which worked great..  I focused on getting extra sleep that week so that I was rested.  The weather forecast was great.On Wednesday I started to get a sore throat. Not sure why but started on the vitamin c, tea and all that sort of stuff. Thursday and Friday I also had sinus congestion and took some Tylenol sinus which helped. By Saturday I felt ok, enough not to take any Tylenol, felt a bit tired, but kind of ok-ish.




Race Morning
I never sleep much the night before a race, but I slept wellI set my alarm for 3:15a and had a cliff oatmeal thing next to my bed so I could just eat and go back to sleep for a bit longer. At 3:45a I got up and got dressed, sipped on some fluids.
Headed down to the shuttle with all my stuff. Dropped a small hand bottle of coke in my run bag and got on the shuttle.
At t1 I got my bike set up with fluids ect. Used the porta poty before the lines got long. I went for a short run to just shake thing out a bit and warm up.
Got in my wetsuit, used some foggle on my goggles and ate a gu before heading to the water.



Swim (1:14:27; 143/100yd)
My estimate for the swim was something just under 1:20 based on what I swam in training and not expecting to much since I have felt kind of slow lately...
Lined up at the front of the 80 min group.  Noticed there were not very many pink caps…Got kicked  in the chin really hard at the start, my teeth hurt for the rest of the swim, and could taste blood but not sure where it was coming from, maybe my cheek or something got bit..The cold water felt so good on my sinuses, and my nose drained lol.Completely blinded by the sun at the far turn buoys, but followed the large crowd in front of me.Checked time at end of 1 st lap and was at :35 so just focused on maintaining on the 2nd Lap. Got kicked a few times on the 2nd lap , but stayed close in and swam fairly straight for me.Tried to pick it up the last couple buoys and after the turn. Was super excited that cabo was not a fluke and I felt good.



Transition 1 (3:03)
Out of the water ran to an open wet suit striper. Went smoothly. Grabbed my bag and ran into the tent which was crazy full. Always nice to have the volunteer help put things back in the bag ect. Everything else went as normal. Shoes, stuff in my pockets, then helmet and glasses.
Ran out to my bike, grabbed it and went.
Bike was in a low gear and had no issues.



Bike (6:16:59; 17.5 mi/h)
T1 to Whistler Hwy –So happy the weather was so nice this year. It was weird I actually don’t even remember this section from last year I was so stressed out about the rain. I quickly settled in, at a gu and headed out to the highway.

Whistler Hwy to Callahan –
Felt pretty good, just focused on eating and drinking. Saw a couple other women but not a lot. Focused on avoiding the silly center bumps in the road and was passing people. Went by quickly. Took first salt pill.

Callahan out and back –
As was planned I worked to maintain a moderate / hard effort up the climb. I went back and forth with a few people which is always entertaining. One women would work really hard to make sure she stayed in front of me. It mostly made me laugh. (but she finished 3rd in AG so guess it was a compliment)The decent was so much more fun this year! I only wish I had trained it a bit more and new the corners more so I could have gone faster. I sat up a couple times but mostly stayed aero.I also took the advise and took advantage of the down to get some more calories in.



Whistler Hwy to Whistler Village –
I felt pretty good. I started to see the 70.3 athletes coming the other direction.  The climbs back felt pretty easy. I just focused on eating and drinking, took another salt pill.
Saw Rosanne and got some extra energy from cheering for her and vise versaSaw Kyle and Allen on the way back though Whistler. Before I knew it was heading out of town.Ate some m ore gu, grabbed some more water at aid stations to dilute my scratch as I had planned. Was drinking well so going though the bottles as planned. Also started pouring some water on my back at times to cool off.



Whistler Village to Pemberton –
The descents went well, was surprised how rough some of the new pavement was. Kind of seemed like a rush job.. But everyone spread out and was able to cruise though it.Similar to Callahan I wish I knew the corners a bit better but people were even more spread out so it was fine.At the special needs grabbed a bottle of scratch, a kind bar and a flask of blueberry redbul. Wish I had more redbull it was delicious. Ate half the kind bar and it was nice to have “real” food fill my stomach a bit and break up the gu taste.Noticed I was under 3 hours at the half way mark which made me happy.



Pemberton Meadows (out and back) –
On the way out I noticed there was a little headwind on the way out. Seemed to be between 18/19mp on the way outPeople had thinned out a bit, I went back and forth with a number of people which was entertaining/annoying sometimes but I used it to stay after it a bit more than I did last year..  I ate some more salt before the turn around.Was able to pick up the pace a bit on the way back which was nice, between 20/21 mph.My low back got a bit tight from time to time so I just stood up a bit and shook thing out and kept after it..
Grabbed another bottle of cold water before leaving the aid station.



Pemberton to T2 –
Started heading up the climbs. Ate some more gu and took another salt. Kept drinking water, and dumping it on my back when I got warm.I just road how I felt and went with it. I started passing people. And it seemed way more crowded again.. I felt pretty strong on all the climbs up.Noticed at 100 miles I was at 5:30 which made me super happy. My stomach still felt good and so did my legs..Then of course the wind kicked up and the last 12 miles or so where all headwind up the final climb and into town which sucked and slowed me down more that I liked.
Ate one last gu on the highway before heading into T2.



Transition 2 (2:12)
I dropped my bike off, grabbed my bag and jogged into the tent.. Went though the motions.. Bike shoes off, socks on, run shoes on, helmet, glasses, arm warmers off, random stuff in pockets out. Hat on, race belt on. Gu in sports bra. Hand off bag off. Run-ish out



Run (5:10:50; 11:21min/mi)

T2 to Lost Lake –
I headed out of T2 to run though the crowed, I felt ok, no stomach bloat, legs seemed ok.. I was able to run out of T2. I had to walk part of that first hill where it kicks up kind of steep. I noticed right away if I ran to fast it was hard to breath, like my chest was tight and I would cough. But I was running.



Lost Lake Loop #1 –I just tried to find a comfortable pace and just run. At the first aid station I dumped water on my head, grabbed a banana and some cola and a cup of ice on my way out.. I also stopped to pee.I kept pretty good to the plan of only walking the aid stations and then would start running again. But when it kicked up at all I felt this overwhelming tiredness and was hard to breath, and would walk but they were short still. Was dumping a lot of water on myself to stay cooler…My legs felt fine…



Lost Lake to Green Lake Turnaround –
Tried to find a run rhythm but already was walking more than I should have. The heat plus feeling so tired and not feeling like I could breath very well just slowed me down. I just focused on getting some calories at every aid station, ice and kept moving forward.



Green Lake Turnaround to hot corner –
I walked a bit more on the way back but kept it pretty controlled As I came back into the hot corned I just did not feel strong but I ran what I could.

Hot Corner to Hot Corner –
Walked up the hills and ran the flats… Ate a gu, took a salt, drank cola, grabbed a cup of ice to run with.Saw Kyle, Rosanne and Allen when was almost done with Lost lake loop. I was frustrated but was walking and running when I could, especially the down hills. Kyle gave me a pep talk for a bit. And just started focusing on at least it was last loop and counting down the miles. So I tried to run more but just never really had it in me.



Hot Corner to Green Lake Turnaround –
The rest of the run pretty much went run where I could, eat at the aid stations and walk quickly.. keep moving forward.. I was aware of goal slipping away but when I tried running more I just didn’t have it.. and would have to recover.

Green Lake Turnaround to Finish –
Walked with a guy for awile and kept the pace up and then I was able to keep running more than him.. so I kept going. I focused on trying to smile and be ok with it all and just get done.. Keep moving so you can be done…



Was so happy to be turning right… That silly loop lop thing they did was just mean though, half uphill which hurt but I ran/jogged as best I could. My breathing was ridiculous, these short and fast little breaths and I would start coughing.. I ran past a few people but it was not very crowded. I just wanted to be done. And lay down.I ran in the finished and forced the jump I had wanted to do because the day was so great even though I was seriously annoyed with my lack of run… but I smiled and jumped lol

Post-Race (12:47:31, 15th ag)



I have gone over the day so many times in my head.. I don’t know what I could have done differently to have changed my disappointing run/walk. .
I am super happy with my swim, and the bike was ok, nutrition went great which was huge. And start the run was ok .Then the rest of the run just felt so out of my control. It was not that I felt horrible or cramping or anything I just had nothing, no energy to do anything with. Looking at the data it kind fo looks like my heart rate was suppressed, lower than normal would be. Even on the bike. The sinus cold is the only thing I can think of that explains it..
Now I mostly just feel like I have unfinished business with this race. I so wanted to be able to run this race. And I felt ready to do that.
I still feel tired both from the sinus cold and the race.  So far I don’t feel the need to do another full this year.. maybe because I have raced so much already but we will see. I am thinking I will probably do whistler again next year. I know I can run that stupid run faster…. I mean I did last year..

Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2011

Since last year when I decided to do another Ironman a lot of things have changed in my life. Mr. Crampy's Multisport has officially become a second job and huge part of my life and that combined with my "day job" my life is very very full. Needless to say the time I had available to train was less than the years before. I did my best but I can confidently say I was on the side of being under trained.

Since my training was different I really had to change how I mentally went into the race, I had to let go of time goals or anything like that and decided to set some ground rules for my race - mostly I would not give up and not give in to anything negative. I really wanted to smile the whole day and not stress about it to much.


Pre-race
I got to spend a couple days before the race hanging out with my friends, Joe and Eric in CDA and go to bed early, get some extra rest and generally get ready for the race.

Kyle came into town late late Friday night after the Rock n roll expo was packed up. Saturday was full of the usual pre race stuff - a little workout, bike check, a nap, and then a chill dinner with friends. Kyle also managed to help a bunch of people with last minute bike issues as well.
Morning of I felt pretty calm considering. I knew my plan, the water was pretty calm and I just went through all the prep, met up with all my team mates and friends that were also racing and got into my wetsuit. I did manage to cry a bit when I gave Kyle a final hug before heading into the swim start. But that is pretty normal for me


Swim
By far the most scary part of the day for me. Last year I was beat up pretty bad. So I decided to do what I did for my first ironman and swim crazy wide and avoid all the crowds. I lined up with a friend, Sean Sullivan at the very far right side of the beach away from the bouy line and once the gun went off I actually forced myself to let the wave of people to go with out me. I swam so wide I actually just sighted off the boats on the outside edge of the swim area. I had open water and did not have to fight for room to breath. It was exactly what I needed I did not waste any energy stressing and freaking out.
It was really cold very cold. My fingers went numb with in a couple minutes and my feet ached the entire time from being so cold. It literately felt like I swam the entire 2.4 mile swim doing fist swim drills only really being able to use my forearm to pull with. The 1st loop was actually bearable but by the 2nd loop it was even colder. I was sooo happy to see that swim finish and get out of that water.


T1
They had volunteers in the water unzipping the top of peoples wetsuits because everyone could not feel their hands. I pretty much went into automatic mode - ran up and had the wetsuit strippers help me get my suit off, grabbed my bag and went into the changing tent. I can't believe how many people were changing all their cloths and trying to put on sports bras when they were wet.. don't they know that is almost impossible. Since I was so cold I put on a pair of cheap stretchy gloves and a light vest on top of my tri kit. I had also put toe warmers in my shoes, so my shoes were nice and warm even after I took them out.

Bike
I was beyond happy to get on my bike. The gloves helped a ton and so did the vest I was able to warm up quickly and by the 1st out and back I was warmed up and look off my vest and gloves. I tossed them to the Pauole crew on government and headed out to the fun part of the course. Joe caught me at the main hill on english point and I was shocked that he was behind me since he is a faster swimmer but he said he was put in the warming hut for :20 min or so. I road steady up all the hill and maintained that over the top and down the backside. I actually felt pretty good and enjoyed the entire 1st loop. Starting the 2nd loop I felt good and just tried to stay focused and maintain my effort and keep eating. Which was difficult around mile 90 I had to loosen my race belt because my stomach had started to bloat and hurt. So I cut back on eating and just drank some and took some more salt. Luckily by the time I came in on the bike I thought it was mostly ok.

T2
Quick change of shoes, helmet to visor and got some more sunblock and I was off. Oh yeah and at the last minute I grabbed some water and some pretzels on my way out.

Run
Started my ironman shuffle and just told myself to smile and run to the aid stations and that is exactly what I did. Each aid station I walked and got some pretzels or water to pour on myself because it was hot. but then by the end of the aid station I started my shuffle again. I also walked up the big long hill at the turn around to, but ran all the flats and even the downhills. Other than my stomach I felt ok and just did my little ironman shuffle and cheered on all my friends that were racing.
2nd loop I felt good at the start but as I got further along my left ankle and top of my foot just hurt like I had a bruise or something. It was actually kind of a sharp pain and I could not get ride of it by moving my sock or adjusting my shoe but I kept shuffling to each aid station. Since it was no worse when I ran or walked I just kept at it till I got to the turn around point Jess caught me, after I passed her while she was in the porta potty. She did not feel good at all so we walked up the big hill and just chatted the whole way. She tied to do some jogging but couldn't and even slowed her walking pace a bit at times. Though she seemed better as long as we kept talking and walking. So since I had no real time goals and just wanted to enjoy the day I decided the last 6 miles or so of my race were best spent walking and talking with Jess all the way to the finish.


We finished shuffling down the street together and crossed the line smiling as if we had won because we did, we finished another Ironman.




After thoughts
It is funny because no one knows what to say to me about my race. I was smiling all day but I did not really have a fast time and my run especially became much longer than expected. Also I went into it with a different goal than usual - to just enjoy the day vs most people s goal for a faster time and that sort of thing. I just wanted to have fun and enjoy the sport of triathlon again. I did not really gut anything out, I smiled, push myself and had fun all day. It was the perfect day to spend swimming, biking and running and I had a great day with 2000+ other people who also like triathlon.

Beaver Lake Sprint Triathlon 2009

This is the 3rd time I have done the Beaver Lake sprint tri. Mostly it is the bike course that keeps me coming back. It is is essentially downhill on the way out and uphill on the way back with my favorite 2-mile staircase like hill the meat of the course. Other than that I just like the small local atmosphere, the community really seems to come out in support of the race.
Anyway on Friday I was bit worried because my legs still felt tired esp when I walked up stairs. So i did not really know what to expect. I talked with Kainoa and she told me just to go all out and not hold anything back since it is a short race. The main goal was to just go faster than last years 1:30:39.
As usual I like to get to races early just in case and so I have plenty of time for a warm up and to use the porta potties before a huge line forms. So we left the house around 5:30a with a cup of Via + chocolate milk in hand (Kyle had a double).
We got to the park and I got my packet and since we were so early I got my choice of spots on the rock - of course I went on the end. It did not take long to set up my transition since really don't need very much for a sprint.. I was a little worried because it was kind of cold and considered having a vest ready but in the end decided it was just a sprint it would not be long enough to really matter if I was cold or not.. and to be honest if I was going all out I would not be cold even going downhill.

When I got back from my :20 min warm up run my Mom and Jerry has arrived with the HUGE sign and the camera.

I was the 7th wave to start and even though it was 29 and under I think there was only about 25-30 girls. Since it was so small I went ahead and started front and center. As we started I tried my best to stay with the few obvious swimmers but wound up in open water between the swimmers and the rest of the wave. So no draft for me but at least I did not have to fight my way or anything. Just as planned I went full out the entire swim which felt great.
As I came out of the water Kyle yelled at me that I was 5th out of the water - which must be why I'm smiling. I think it is the first time I don't look horrible coming out of the swim :)

I got in and out of T1 as quickly as I could and got on to the bike :) I was kind of shocked to see that my heart rate was well up at 181 bpm already but then remembered that is usually where it is when I race. Anyway I quickly got into drops and was off. Honestly i just focused and stayed after it. When I headed down Duthie Hill Road I was shocked I actually passe a bunch of people. I don't think I have EVER passed anyone on a downhill but I knew there was a flat runout and eveb a sligt uphill before the sharp right turn. It was really nice to know the course so well.
I looked for girls in my age group but never really saw any - it did not help they used skinny sharpies to do the body marking so it was not very easy to see.
I kept after it on the flats on 202 and after the right turn started the climb. I did exactly what I planned. I road strong up the 1st two climbs, kept after it on the flat sections and waited to really go for it till the last climb. I passed a ton of people and had so much fun. As always I LOVE this climb.
There is a couple of miles to get back to T2 after the top of the climb and I felt great and just focused on keeping the cadence and intensity high. I ate one plain gu on the way back and dark a bit more of my gatorade.


I rode hard all the way into T2 and had a good transition though I did take an extra second of two taking my glasses out of my back pocket... Oh well.

As soon as I started the run I was a bit worried my legs felt very heavy but i dug deep especially when Kyle said there were not any girls in front of me. I ran as fast as I could and even though my legs hurt I pushed it as much as I could.
It was kind of funny around mile 1.5 or so a friend of ours passed me for the second time and asked out I gained so much time in transition lol. I tried my best to stay with him but he ran a bit away from me - I did keep him in sight most of the run. I always forget how many hills are on the run. They are all pretty short but they hurt. I managed to keep my pace well under an 8 m/mi pace and as I got closure to half way i started to ratchet it down even more. At this point all I was looking at was my overall time and knew I really wanted to go sub 1:30:00.The last mile I ran fast as I could and totally ignored my screaming legs. I managed to get my heart rate up to 193 bpm lol and even better my pace under a 7 m/mi.

I had so much fun pushing myself so hard but I was so glad to be done.

Kyle my super sherpa and I


Kyle, my Mom and I

Final Results
1/4 mi Swim 0:07:32
T1 1:34
13.8 mi Bike 0:44:37
T2 0:54
4.3 mi Run 0:33:01
Overall 1:27:38


We hung out and chatted with everyone, grabbed some water, food and once they had results up I went and looked at the results. I was so excited because I thought I had finished 3rd in my age group. So we decided to hang out for the awards. My Mom used the time to take more pictures.

It took a while but eventually they did awards. They did the overall awards first - the overall female was in my age group so when they got to my age group I was shocked that they called my name for 1st pace. I could not believe it I have never really won anything so I was so excited for 3rd but 1st.. Really!!!!


To say the least I am very happy with my race. I executed my race plan, pulled off a 3 min PR and they gave me 1st in my Age group as well. I would defiantly say it was a good day. Not to mention a perfect confidence builder going into the next couple of months of marathon training. I will defiantly be pulling on this memory in training to get me out the door and make teh most of my training and listen to Kainoa. The rest of the day I could not stop smiling and even had a hard time taking my post race nap because I was just so excited lol

I have to say thank you to Kyle for waking up so early to support me and cheer me on through out the race. It was very motivating here him cheering and telling me where I was in my age group and having him there made it even better to do so well.

Also Thank you to my Mom and Jerry for being at the race cheering and taking so many photos. It really means so much know you were there supporting me.
I feel very lucky :D

Seafair Sprint Triathlon 2009

On July 19 a huge group of the Pauole Sport team came out and did the Seafair Sprint Triathlon. So of course Kyle and I did it as well. The weird thing was is as it got closure I really was not that excited about dealing with the logistics and racing such a short race.. But once we got there on race morning with so many people we knew I had such a great time.
The racked the bikes by bib number which must have been based on when you registered because Kyle and I were right next to each other. At least I knew who to blame if all my stuff was tossed everywhere lol

I only brought 1 pair of run shoes and since they close T1 I had to get my :15 warm up run in before they shut it down even though I started almost a full :30 after the start. The warm up went well as always and then I got in my wetsuit and headed to the lake to watch the elite wave start, then Kyle and finally get in the lake myself. It was chilly and I could not help shaking uncontrollably while waiting to get going.

Finally my wave got started. For some reason most of the pack seemed to swim way left and round but I just went straight so I did not really get much of a draft :/ but at least I did not swim extra. I did however forget to kick lol and about half way I had to remind myself this was a short race and I should pick up the intensity a bit and actually kick a little more.

I came out of the water and headed into T1 and got the wetsuit of fairly fast and got the helmet on with no issues and was out on the bike. Not to bad for only my second transition this year... and first with a wetsuit..

The course is pretty much flat compared to all the rides I have done this year and since flats are not my strength I was not really expecting much. But I managed to pass a ton of people and more importantly only got passed by a few of the relay cyclists who were all decked out in cycling kit. I made sure to try and drink at least half my bottle of gatorade and had a gel half way so that I would not have to eat or drink anything on the run.

In no time I was heading back to transition and out onto the run. It was kind of weird I felt really dizzy on the 1st mile of the run which has never happened to me before. It also felt kind of hard and I did not get why until my garmin told me it was mile 1 and I had run it in 7:40.. hmm yeah no wonder it felt hard. I managed to find a good rhythm and not really slow to much till the hill.. Stupid hill more like it. I'm glad I ran the course a couple days before and found out about it because it was steep. I tried not to completely redline it but of course I kept at it.. But once I reached the top I picked it up as much as I could on the way down and did my best to maintain that momentum and effort all the way to the finish. The last half mile I ran in 3:20 which is a 6:40 m/mi pace :) and my heart rate appropriately reached 190 bpm.


Final times
1/2-mile Swim 0:16:03
t1 1:49
12-mile Bike 0:38:05
t2 1:27
3.1-mile (5k) Run 0:24:46

Overall 1:22:10
Age group 16/124

In all I am pretty happy with how the race went and how I finished in my age group and such. Not to bad for not doing much speed work lol.

After the race the team all got together for a team photo... check out all the orange. It was so much fun racing and seeing so many people from the team out there.

baby blue birthday

Well it happened I turned 29 and I got a lot of tri goodies in my favorite color no less :)

It started almost a full week early when Kyle brought home baby blue shoes laces.


Kyle put a brand new chain on my bike (I think it still had the original one for 2+ years ago on).

I got new smaller aero pads for my bike - now I have room for my hands on the bars when climbing.

And the biggest surprise was that Kyle got me a pair of newton running shoes and his Dad got me a baby blue sugoi running skirt to match.


Last but not least my super Mom gave me the registration fee so I could sign up for Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2010.


The best part was that Kyle and I went over to Coeur d'Alene to cheer for all our team mates and friends that were doing the race this year. We stayed in Spokane with some family friends who spoiled us rotten with good food and lots of cake. And on Sunday we spent the day cheering on all our friends in the race. As is the case with Ironman races it was an inspiring and motivating day of racing and the most perfect way to spend my birthday weekend. So with that let the countdown begin to my big 30 and my second Ironman race! Bring on the training :D

Ironman 70.3 Hawaii 2009 Race Report

On race morning just like I prefer to do I got up super early so we could be to to T1 with tons of extra time to spare and no need to rush. Kyle pumped my tires, I filled my bike bottles and salt sticks, I made sure my bike shoes had lots of glide in them so no blisters and random other small details. I also realized the best part about getting to T1 early is no lines for the porta potties and they don't stink yet.
After getting body marked and another quick review of the bike we headed down to the beach to hang out and get ready for the swim. We got a quick pic of all the people from the team Pauole Sport that did the race. (Eric, Laurie, Aaron, Mike, me)
Of course had to get a few more pre swim pics - at least this time I did not cry when my Mom hugged me like in Clearwater. and with that I was off to go get in the water.

I decided to start out in the water rather than on the beach so I swam out into the masses and found a sport in the middle of it all. The current kept pushing everyone past the start line so they moved us back a couple of time till finally the cannon went off to my surprise lol. I remember thinking "oh ok was that the start already".I felt pretty good. There was a little chop on the water but nothing worse then the pool at masters swim. I love how clear the water is - you can see all the people around you and avoid getting kicked most of the time. I do have to say that the people(seemed to be mostly guys) that stop and breast stoke suck. They all of sudden start kicking sideways and I got a few kicks in the ribs and sucks. The only other annoyances/issues was that my swim cap kept sliding back off my forehead so I had to pull it back on a couple times.. Anyways I felt good and just swam my best. I stayed mostly on course and felt like I was more in the middle of things than in previous years. The waves mostly brought me into shore and I still felt happy about my swim overall. Then I focused on trying not to fall on my way up the beach.. Then I ran up the hill to the rest of T1, pulled the speed suit off, shoes on, helmet, glasses, race belt and I was off.. I am so glad no one I knew saw what happened next - after peddling for a minute I thought it felt like my rear tire was flat or low and tried to look at it. Now coming out of the water I don't always have the best balance so I acted like a total clutz and rode my bike off the pavement and into the gravel almost tipped over.. and stopped and checked my tire all the while feeling like a total dork when it was fine.

I started the bike with a little bit of fear that my leg/hip would hurt and have issues so I focused on smooth circles, just getting into a rhythm and start getting in the nutrition. Before checking my bike on Friday Kyle had move my seat back just a little bit and by the turn around at Mauna Lani I could tell my hip was not getting as tight as it had been. so I picked up the effort some but at the same time my legs felt alright but not super perky.
I felt good through the rollers and continued to be surprised and happy my leg did not hurt but i did find that I felt the climbs more in the glutes than normal.. and stayed with it. I took a salt every :30, sport legs every :30, a gel every hour and drank frequently.. I had started with 1 bottle of acceleraid and at the second aid station I tossed it and grabbed another bottle of gatorade. I am done with it - it was upsetting my stomach. So the rest of the race I just drank gatorade endurance (I could hear Kyle cheering - he hates the stuff and how it leaves gunk in bottles afterwards).
Laurie passed me at some point and we cheered for each other - I think she even said see you on the run..
The climb up Hawi was not to bad till got to the final climb and the headwind that joined in on the fun. The best part is I finally felt warmed up and found my rhythm so I passed a lot of people on the climbs which always feels good :) Thank you hill repeats.
I faced one of my biggest fears on the way back down and I continued to stay in my aero bars and no touching the brakes :) (teeth chattering smile). Mostly I was just soooo happy that I made it up to Hawi with no leg pain. I was a bit bummed to see that I was a bit off my desired time but at that point i did not care to much just knowing my leg did not hurt. So I stayed focused and kept up on my nutrition all the way back to T2.
On the turn off from the Queen K I found it funny that most people seemed to act like the bike part was over even though there was 3 more miles - so even though I was not supposed to not pass I did.. a bunch. and just like that I was in T2.
I came in dropped the bike, grabbed my run bag, switch shoes, switch helmet for hat and grab gel bottle. I looked for volunteers putting sunblock on but did not see any, considered the porta potties but did not want to waist time so off I went on the run.


And it started on the grass of course... (got to love the gel packet hanging out of my shorts)
I started off easy just get my leg under me and see how things would play out. I actually felt pretty good, a little bit of a sloshy stomach but nothing the heat would not burn off (or so I hoped).
They changed the run course so having done the race the last 2 years did not help out a ton.. I knew the parts of the course that were on the road but the other 6 miles were a mystery on grass. By mile 2 or so my stomach started to settle and I focused on keeping my temp down. I walked the aid stations and made sure to drink gatorade, toss cold water on my head, grab ice, sponges, and if they had them orange slices (mmmm).
I kept going back and forth with one gal, we would pass each other then be walking the aid station - so started talking.. We wound up running and chatting and just kept running together. It was great - made the run fly by even though the course was so difficult. I was not even paying attention to time, we just ran between each aid station, got what we needed and kept running. Only once or twice we walked up a hill or something. It was funny it was not till after running together for a couple miles we asked our names. lol And in no time we were heading down into the long out and back into the lava (mile 9ish). As always this sucked and seemed longer than in years past but we ran down and were able to run all the way back out. I passed Laurie from Pauole Sport at some point on the way back up (she seemed to expect it was going to happen) and we cheered each other one. Once at the top we started picking up the pace as much as we could knowing that we would be done sooner that way.
It was great to see T2 and the turn to the finish line. I still felt pretty good but mostly was just ready to be done.. As we turned toward the finish Joy (#1242 in the pic) wanted to kick it in strong and in that she out kicked me and beat me by a couple seconds lol.



And just like that it was over - I was done..


Overall finisher 637/1057
Age group finish 24/44
Overall time 06:27:55
Swim 41:10
T1 3:32
Bike 3:24:45
T2 2:39
Run 2:15:50


A few post race photos as well



Love the sponge still in the back of my top.

Yeah I am sooo strong

James and I

Mom and I

Best of all the ice bath (Kyle finally pulled the sponge out of my jersey)