SOMA half IM

I'm gonna try to do this race report a little different than my usual over-detailed, over analyzed report. There was so much great, so much blah and so much oh my goodness I'm going to die BAD. But, in the end I dug deep kicked the bad guy off my shoulder and got er done with a smile! I was back to my self which is what I'm most proud about; Doing what I love to do and not being bitchy about it. I really did not like how I felt and acted last month, and am happy to say it was a fluke. While finally being competitive after so many years in this sport, it doesn't mean I need to lose the ME in it.

The good:

The I felt like a rock star every time I was near transition and heard the cheers of SO MANY amazing supporters. My team - wow what an amazing group of spirited and talented athletes. My very first coaches who helped me with my first marathon and thru my first half ironman. So many friends that were out there watching and cheering, as well as on the course!

My sister and niece who were there on the bike (3rd lap) when I was not feeling so great. I'm still not used to my new bike, position and different cranks and was really struggling. They gave me that push I needed at about mile 45 to get er done. I managed to hit my bike goal of 2:40 even though I certainly didn't feel like I was biking to my potential.

I PR'd (5:16) my half Ironman time taking off 9 mins from my oceanside (5:25) time. I also PR'd this course (05' 6:05) by :49 minutes :-)

I gave a friendly pat on the back to as many people as I could each time I passed someone (YAY I was actually passing people on the run!). I thanked the volunteers.

I didn't complain that I didn't reach my not so secret goal of beating Shane's time of 5:10, I chose to be happy with my accomplishment.

There were sprinklers on the course watering grass. I got to run thru them!

The Bad:

I had to walk thru every single aid station basically taking everything I could get my hands on to cool myself down. While I was running around 8:35 pace, those :15-:20 walks really killed my time! The aid stations were plenty, but where I was at in the race - they were completely overwhelmed so I found myself basically self serving and taking a lot of time. I know it was the right thing to do though, or I may have just ended up back in that nasty lake instead of finishing the run.

My run time was about 6 mins slower than my oceanside run at 1:57. My bike while reaching my goal still did not feel 100%. I know I'll get there, but it's going to take more time! Looking at people I'm usually biking right there with, I was a few minutes slower than I should have been. I tried to catch them, but just didn't have it in me.

The swim, well it seems to be about 2mins long across the board - but in my coach's words - "swim times in triathlons don't mean SHIT", and I came out pretty much exactly where I usually do. Now, if I could just bridge that 1-2 min gap and keep up with the fasties draft, I'd be a lot better off then swimming on my own (I saw NO caps from my wave after the first few hundred meters).

I was 17th/244 women, yet only 8th in the AG.

The Ugly:

That was BY FAR the hottest I have ever raced in. If this were a few years ago, I think I would have walked the entire run, so I'm happy with that, but it absolutely did slow me down on the run. My stomach was not happy and I couldn't get enough fluids in to save my life. I put ice in my top (front and back) and held on to ice until it melted at every aid station. I even found myself grabbing said nasty ice out of my top a couple of times and putting it in my mouth. i can't believe I just admitted to that….

I got passed by 4 girls in my age group on the second loop of the run. 2 of them were in the last mile and I couldn't do anything about it.

And, I saved the BEST for last:

While I was 8th in my AG, next year I age UP and today, that would have landed me 2nd in my to be new age group :-)

Mini-me niece was there to run a bit with me in the last quarter mile. She took of sprinting and I just laughed, I think she thought I was running that fast :-)

can't you just SEE how damn hot it was?

I finished, still smiling (maybe not my expression - but inside) and still running!

I crossed the finish line and went straight to a bucket filled with ice water. I felt like there was a magnet sucking me in. I downed 3 full bottles and couldn't walk away… I couldn't eat, but just kept sucking down water for the next hour while we chatted with the team. I started to feel a little sick and all I wanted was salt (after 8 e21s, a ton of gatorade a couple of gels and gu chomps I was still depleted). I made Shane go to McDonalds and get me a coke and fry which I downed in about 30 seconds.

I drank water all night long and ended up awake at 2am after dreaming about that bucket of ice water at the finish line. I'm not sure if I have ever been this thirsty/dehydrated after a race in my life!

Overall I'm extremely happy with my accomplishment. This Washington girl doesn't do well in the heat, and to have the race in the hottest day of the month and survive it, well I couldn't have asked for anything more!

Congrats to all, especially Shane who is more than excited to be BACK racing, instead of watching. He had a kick ass relay leg half marathon :-) He got to give Bubba his first medal in over a year!

Thanks to my coach for bringing out a real athlete in me. I can't WAIT for next yeart :-)