Ironman Arizona!!!
Well Ironman Arizona has come and gone so it is time to get
my experience written into the books!
What an experience this race was, it did not disappoint!
Ron and I decided to turn my Ironman experience into a
vacation to sunny Arizona. We flew out 6
days before race day to spend time acclimating to the weather and enjoy some
down time before the big event. It also
offered the opportunity to catch up with family and friends who still live in
Arizona.
Completing other Ironman 70.3 events I was familiar with the
idea that you have to rack your bike a day before and also pick up your race
packet. For the Ironman event it really
is a full weekend of activities that begin on Wednesday and ended on Monday,
the day after the race. Ron and I both
became very familiar with the drive from his father’s home in Mesa to Tempe
Beach Park, the official race venue.
Wednesday: This
was a pretty uneventful day. I decided
to do a short 90 minute easy run and also take a dip in the Neff’s pool. The water temperature on race day is expected
to be in the low 60s, what better way to get ready than to jump in a pool that
is 58 degrees?!?!?! I think I spent more
time trying to squeeze into my wetsuit than the time spent in the pool! Oh well, it was good practice.
Thursday: Ron and
I went to the race site to check in and pick up my race packet and bib. I was also able to pick up my bike from Tri
Bike Transport. I decided to take my
bike back to the house so I could get a training ride in before the big
day. This day went very smooth, the
crowd was light and I was in and out of athlete check in quickly. Ron and I were able to check out some goodies
in the Ironman merchandise tent and wander through the Ironman Village. I made the last minute decision to also rent
a pair of race wheels, Zipp 808s, for the race.
I must admit that I was nervous about this last minute decision and was
almost convinced I would end up with some kind of bike issues during the
race. The swap went smoothly and I was
anxious to get a short ride in the following day.
Friday: I decided
to take the bike out for a quick spin.
Fortunately the bike course was close by where we were staying and I was
able to ride a portion of it. Not only
did the race wheels make the bike look that much better, but I’m convinced that
they make you go a lot faster!!! The
ride was pretty uneventful. Ron came out
with the camera and took some great pictures:
That afternoon we met up with an old friend in Scottsdale
for lunch, but I also had to return back to the race site at 7:30pm for a
mandatory athlete meeting. After a
delicious and indulgent afternoon, I went to the race meeting on my own. I had a few more drinks that originally
planned that afternoon (thanks Nick).
The race meeting was uneventful and just went over the rules of the race
and also what to do with the 5 transition bags we received. Note to self….probably don’t need to go to
the race meeting, but because I am who I am will most likely attend at future
races J
Saturday: I did
not sleep well Friday night, had several race day dreams/nightmares and woke up
frequently. I had to go to the race site
one more time to rack my bike and drop off two of my transition bags. After checking and rechecking the bags, off
we went to Tempe (again). I considered
doing the pre-race swim, but ended up getting there too late to get in the
water. I figured I will be spending
enough time in the water on Sunday J
After dropping off all the gear, Ron and I went out to grab some lunch and also
return to one of our favorite spots for an ice cream cone…Superstition Springs
ghost town. Of course I enjoyed a
personal pizza for lunch, race meal of champions!!! The rest of the day was pretty uneventful,
just making sure to stay hydrated and relaxed.
We opted to have dinner at home (my father-in-law’s home), which
included pasta and some chicken. After
dinner I got started on getting water bottles together and my special needs
bags ready. I planned on having a total
of 6 Accelerade water bottles, an extra one for race morning, and water for my
aqua cell. After all was organized I was
able to get to bed at a decent time and set the alarm for o’dark thirty!
Sunday: RACE DAY
is here!!!!!
The morning started out pretty well. I actually slept a lot better than the
previous night and felt rested for the race.
I woke up at 4am and started my morning with the usual cup of coffee,
bagel with peanut butter, and banana. I
must have been successful at eating well the day before because I could barely
get down the bagel, I already felt full.
Knowing that I would need the fuel, I tried to get down as much as
possible. The morning went by pretty
quick and before I knew it I was ready to go.
Ron and I went to the race site where I dropped off special needs bags
and checked on my bike, which included topping off the tires with air. At this point it was a waiting game to get
started. I had managed to keep calm most
of the morning.
Swim: Wetsuit on
and ready to go. We had to start
entering the water at 6:40am, which means you must tread water for almost 20
minutes before race start. The water was
a chilly 62 degrees and I remember some hesitancy as I went to jump in. There was no turning back for me now, I am
committed to this and jumped in. I made
my way toward the starting line and tried to stay afloat without exerting too
much energy. I thought I had a pretty
good starting position, not too far up front, but not too far back. While in the water I heard the male pros head
out and then the female pros. Now our
turn! Before I knew it the cannon went
off and all 2800 people started what is a mass start! Ron took a video to capture the feel for the
start……crazy! It took a long time to get
into a groove. At first I thought the
neoprene cap was restricting my breathing, so I stopped to adjust that. I slowed up several times just trying to stay
calm and not get overwhelmed by the mass number of people swimming over, under,
and around me. About a 1/3 into the swim I felt like I was starting to get into
a smooth swim. There was not any point
during the swim where I did not see another athlete. I remember after making the turn to head back
toward the Mill Ave. Bridge it felt like it was never getting any closer. As I approached the swim exit I anticipated a
longer than planned swim. The swim exit
is a steep stairwell and fortunately volunteers are there to pull you up. As I started out of the water I remember slipping
on the stairs and hitting my shin.
Fortunately it did not impact me at the time, but I did notice a nice
bruise the next day. There were also plenty of “pullers,” volunteers to pull
off your wetsuit and this saves a lot of time and energy. I remember being
thankful to finish the swim and get ready to head out on the bike!
Swim: 1:22:43
T1: 7:54
Bike: After
grabbing my bike transition bag I proceeded to the changing tent. A volunteer was assigned to each athlete and
they were AWESOME! I have no idea what
my volunteer’s name was but she was an angel!
She helped get all my equiptment out of my bag, pulled the socks from my
shoes, sunglasses from my shoed, and put my wetsuit back in the bag. They were incredibly helpful. As I got ready to get my bike, volunteers
were also there to slather you up with sunscreen. I took advantage of this convenience, grabbed
my bike and started out for the 112 miles of riding.
The bike consisted of 3 loops, mostly flat with a slight
incline out the beeline highway to Fountain Hills. I tried to focus on not pushing too hard on
the first loop. There was a slight
headwind going out on the first loop, which worked to my advantage coming back
in to Tempe from that loop, there was a point where I averaged 26 mph!!! Wish I could hold that consistently. Ron, Nancy, and a few friends from AZ were
also out on the first loop to cheer me on!
It was so great to see Ron and then Nancy, Amy, and Jason coming back in
from the first loop. A good
motivator!
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Heading back into the turn around from the first loop I was
feeling pretty strong. I tried to push a
little harder on the second loop heading out to Fountain Hills. The headwind had diminished some on the way
out, but we also had a headwind coming back into Tempe. I was really hoping to have another fast return,
but didn’t quite go as fast as the first loop.
Coming in from the second loop, I stopped for the special needs bag and
swapped out water bottles and used the bathroom. For some reason I did not have the need to go
on the bike today. I was trying to stick
with my nutrition plan, falling a little behind but not too bad. I got down 2 power bars and half the
crackers. I planned to try and finish
the last 2 power bars and accelerade before finishing the bike to be ready and
full for the run. I experienced a near
miss accident coming in from the second loop.
As I was passing a group of athletes I saw another rider start to come
out to pass in my lane. Fortunately the
guy behind me yelled and I also yelled and he went back into the pack. Fortunately I did not get hit, but as I
turned around to look I saw that he went down.
Not sure of the outcome, but relieved he did not hit me. The athlete behind me later told me that he
was “inches from your back tire” which meant it got a little closer than I had
thought to a crash. The second loop was finished and I was back out for the
third and final loop. I was starting to
feel it, but managed to keep up a decent pace for the third loop.
This was it, the final loop on the bike. I tried to remind myself to take in the moment,
scenary, and experience. This was
awesome!!!! Fortunately the third loop
was uneventful, no near misses with other riders. I began to notice that I was experiencing
some stomach cramping, but as long as I stayed in aero position I was
good. It didn’t seem to enter my mind or
impact my race plan. As I finished the
third loop and came into the transition area, the crowd was amazing. Lots of support and people cheering you
home!!! As much as I love biking, I was
grateful to be off the bike and give my butt a break.
T2: 7:09
Run: Well I finished
the bike, handed it off to a volunteer, grabbed my run bag and headed right to the
port-o-potty. My stomach was not feeling
great L I
headed into the changing tent and had another fabulous volunteer help me. My legs definitely felt heavy, but outside of
the stomach cramping I was feeling pretty good.
The volunteer again helped arrange my gear to get me going and made the
transition so much smoother. Thank you!
As I started out of the changing tent, I kept it to a
walk. As soon as I hit the timing mat I
tried to pick it up to a slow trot. I
started thinking to myself “ok I can do this, just keep up the trot.” Well, the first mile went well but that damn
stomach cramping started to bother me again.
This was going to be a long run, and I was going to get to know the
port-o-potties really well……yuck! I
managed to keep up a slow jog for the first loop of the run (there are 3 loops
total), walking through the aid stations and having to stop at the bathroom
twice. As I was halfway through the first
lap I had the pleasure of being passed by the two top pro women finishing their
third lap, Linsey Corbin and Meredith Kessler.
This is one of the best aspects of Triathlon, actually racing with the
pros, seeing them in transition, and during the race. But then reality set back in and I realized
they are finishing and I have 2 more loops of this marathon. The great thing about this venue and run, you
get to pass through the transition/finish line area about 6 times before
finishing which means lots of people cheering and supporting!
So as I headed back out for the second loop I was still
trying to keep a slow jog pace, but having to walk more and more. This stomach issue was not resolving. Fortunately I couldn’t go any faster, I
couldn’t get any gels down to help keep my nutrition up. I continued to drink lots of water and tried
to drink coke at all the aid stations. I
also attempted to eat pretzels and potato chips at the aid station, but they
were not helping L I
visits to the bathroom were becoming more frequent during the second loop and I
actually began to question if I could finish this thing. One of the hardest points of the race was
coming through the transition area about to head out on the third loop and
having spectators congratulating me on “finishing strong.” They thought I was ready to head into the
finish, WRONG, one more loop to go!
The beginning of the third loop was the most challenging
mentally. I remember having tears come to
my eyes beginning to wonder how I would do this. Time was ticking away….I came across another
female athlete, I believe her name was Linda.
She was also walking and said she was dealing with stomach issues. We got to talking and walking and she really
helped to keep my spirits up. I realized
I would most likely be walking the entire third loop, but also realized that I
may still finish around 13 hours. At
this point I wiped out the poor me attitude, picked up the walking pace and
pushed on!!! This was my first Ironman,
I would overcome! The volunteers at this race do not disappoint. They continued to support, cheer, and provide
nutrition with the same energy throughout my entire 5 hours and 38 minutes on
the run course. As I hit mile 24, I
remember looking at my watch….12 hours 43 minutes. I thought to myself, just
pick it up, run to the finish and I could still make 13 hours. So that is what I did and what a finish it was. I remember coming into the final stretch, the
cheering from the crowd, the music coming from the finish chute. As I came around transition this was finally
the time I could go left to the finish instead of right for another loop J With about 500 yards
left I heard someone yelling “You did it hun, you did it!” I look up and see Ron…..With all my energy I
had left I picked it up to bring it home! I was so overwhelmed with the experience that
I didn’t even listen for my name, either way I AM AN IRONMAN!!!
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Run: 5:38:36
Final: 13:01:25
50th out of 127 in age group; 1242 overall out of
2940 finishers! Managed to finish in the
top 50 pecent…not too bad!
What an experience!!!
The most common question I get is would I do it again? Absolutely and planning to next summer!!!!
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