My First "Real" Race: IM St George 70.3

<Prologue>
As seen by the stunning photos in Malia's post, St. George, UT is an amazing town. The whole experience was AWESOME. The best run 70.3 I've done so far. I can't say enough how amazing the volunteers were and how awesome it was to have spectators out in the middle of nowhere cheering on the bike course!
</Prologue>

<RacingWithRealFood>
I'll begin by giving a brief history of my experiences to date with the 70.3 distance:

• decent swim
• decent bike
• MASSIVE DETONATION ON THE RUN

After each race, I felt like this:

It's been a puzzle for me to figure out this distance. Not long enough where you pace for an all day effort, but not short enough so hydration and nutrion still play a big role in overall performance. Yes, I come from a cycling background, so yes I've had to learn how to pay my tithe to the triathlon gods and not blitz every bike course. Apparently, I'm a bit of a slow learner (no comments needed, Malia :) ) on this one since it took me 7 half-iron races to get it in the ballpark.

This winter, CTS Coach Lindsay and I narrowed down my run issues to: going a little too hard on the bike and needing to dial in my nutrition strategy. So in addition to becoming as fit as possible, hunting down a nutrition/hydration strategy that worked for me became my top priority. In the past, I've trained and raced with the latest sports nutrition gels/bars/etc with limited success. Usually running events were met with some unpleasant GI issues and triathlons were met with a good bout of dehydration.

Last fall, Malia and I got Allen Lim and Chef Biju's "Feed Zone" cookbook, and instantly fell in love with their rice cake recipe--and their philosophy that human bodies work best when drinking hydration and eating nutrition. With a few adaptations and suggestions from friends, we (and by we, I mean Malia) started making our rice cakes in mini-muffin pans:

This is the perfect size for triathlon, since they pack nicely in a bento box and are bite sized.

It's a common misconception in the triathlon world that eating "real" food while racing will wreak havoc on your GI system. (Disclaimer - as with any other nutrition strategy, please train with it long before you race with it!) I've had good experience eating real food on the bike for long stage races, but never tried it running before. One evening while perusing foodie blogs, Malia discovered that dates would make an excellent run food. With similar nutritional content to a gel, we started packing them in hand-held packets to take on runs (packet shown is ~120 calories):

In addition to the real-food nutrition, I've become only slightly addicted to the Skratch Labs Drink Mix (pineapples to be exact). This stuff goes down like water. After reading the science behind Allen Lim's development of the mix, it makes an amazing amount of sense (for those interested, check out the forward in the "Feed Zone Portables" cookbook)!

With a few months of training with Skratch mix and real-food nutrition with great success, I was very excited to give it a run through at the St. George 70.3.
</RacingWithRealFood>

<StGeorge703RaceReport>
Ok! Hopefully you're still reading and aren't too bored yet...you're almost to the good stuff!! I'll keep the race reporting brief, since there is a point I'm trying to make :).

I had a good swim, solid, but had a few too many 'where the hell is the bouy' moments :). As always, I'd like to go faster in the swim, but still was 3rd out of the water. All the work in the pool that Coach Lindsay has been having us do paid off with a 70.3 PR swim split :).

My goal on the bike was to keep it very steady and very controlled. I was going to ride MY race and ignore everyone else on course--even if guys in my age group passed me. My mission was to pay very close attention to nutrition, hydration and pacing so I could come off the bike and run well. Mission accomplished. [Hindsight is always 20-20, and Lindsay identified a few areas on the course where I probably should have gone harder and not lost an additional 3-5 min on the top guys in my age group. All good things to know, since we'll be back next year!!]

By the time I got to the run, I was actually excited for it! Yes, it was a nasty brutal course, but I felt good coming off the bike--the first time that's happened at this distance. I planned to keep the pace well within myself on the climbs and let loose on the downhills. I chowed down on my dates and stayed hydrated with a bottle of Skratch mix in my handheld. By the time I got through 9 miles (and had just seen Malia come past the other way!), I was getting giddy. I've never ran all the way through 9 miles in a 70.3 run before. Usually, I explode 5k into the race and am walking aid stations and trying to not pass out. Not today! Since the last 5k was all downhill, I felt like the nutrition plan/hydration strategy worked as I could bump the pace up several notches and go flat out until the finish! The run result was a 70.3 half marathon PR by 7 or so minutes on one of the toughest 13 mile routes I've ever ran.

My overall placing of 9th in the 25-29AG wasn't quite what I was hoping for, but that wasn't my main goal for the day. The goal was to RACE the run, and I felt I succeeded in that. My first REAL race...and my first race with REAL food!

I so pumped that Malia got 5th in her AG! After overcoming a frozen start to the day, I'm really proud of how she handled a few curve-balls throughout the day (including a flat tire in transition!) and was able to dial it back up and have a solid day.

A huge thanks to CTS and Coach Lindsay for getting my swim, bike and run ability to where they are now! I don't doubt the workouts and the work that I put in, since I know they have purpose and Coach Lindsay's objective perspective is spot on.

Thanks also goes out to the best bike/tri/bike-fitting shop in Denver, Tribellas and Denver Fit Loft. The bike was perfect on race day and the fit was spot on. Thanks James, Liz and Josh!

A huge thanks also goes to Malia, for dealing with my aftermath of rough training sessions, tough days at work, injuries, etc. Love you, babe!

I'm really looking forward to putting everything to work again at the Kansas 70.3 in a month!

Until next time,

-jon

</StGeorge703RaceReport>

Why We Do, What We Do: IM 70.3 St. George

St. George, Utah... heaven on earth, though it put us through hell at times.  Coming from a loooong, cold and snowy spring, the red rocks, warm dry air and sunshine of St. George was the recharge that we were looking for.  And we soaked up every minute of it.  We took tons of pictures and fell in love with the town, the resident and the welcoming vibe we got from our short trip there.  As Jon and I aren't big snow people, let's just say, don't be surprised if we end up there on a more permanent trip some day...

One of the many gorgeous views heading west.

I could write a entirely separate post on the town, but for now, let me refocus and talk about the reason we went out to St. George in the first place.  IM 70.3 St. George- the inaugural race after having a full-length IM for three years previously.  Without coming right out and saying it, participants had made it very clear that they felt like it was too challenging for a full-length IM distance and Ironman was afraid they'd lose interest, so they relaunched it as a 70.3 this year.  We were attracted to the race for its location (drivable from Denver) and having an earlier season race (May instead of June), but also the challenge.  Yes, we are certainly gluttons for pain.  And the St. George course lived up to its hype.  Jon and I both think that was the toughest course we have ever done.  Not that we have an extensive triathlon career, but even the pros agree: "IM 70.3 St. George will go down in my book as the toughest 70.3’s I have ever done." Leanda Cave, IM Kona World Champion 2013, http://www.leandacave.com/blog/.   IM 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas last year previously held this title for me, but I now know that in comparison, it was the extreme heat, not just the course, that made it feel so difficult.  St. George now wins the title and I can't imagine how even more difficult it would be if the race was held in September like Las Vegas is.

So what made this race so challenging?  Every triathlete has their strengths and weaknesses.  This course played to my strengths on the bike and run, but exemplified my weakness in the water.  By looking at my swim time (35mins), that is actually not too bad for me.  Coach Lindsay has had me work a lot this winter in the pool and I feel stronger and faster than I ever have before.  Being an earlier season race (at least for us in wintery CO), the race was my first open water swim of the season.  Add that to the cold water temperatures at Sand Hollow Res, and I was not anticipating a fast swim.  With race day temps of 60 degrees, I was armed and ready with my neoprene cap and expected to loose feeling in my hands and feet.  The water was cold though not as cold as we expected- Jon was loving it being cool; must be his crazy high school swimming back ground. The in-water start was helpful in that we didn't have to rush into the cold, but it certainly let the chill water set in and and I looked around to see a lot of chattering mouths and blue lips by the time our wave started.  I am happily surprised with my swim time because there were a few moments that I had to stop and regroup during the swim.  While the neoprene cap helped keep my head warmer, the strap under my chin made breathing the already cold air even more difficult.  I felt like I had lead weights attached to my arms so I told myself that I had to "just keep swimming, just keep swimming" as this was clearly the fastest way out of this situation.  Having buoys every 100yds was a HUGE motivator- I hope all IM races are able to do this.  Once I was on the final leg I could start counting down the yellow buoys till transition.

Crystal clear water, abet chilly, at Sand Hollow Res

Out of the water and I was happy to be greeted by wetsuit strippers (amazing volunteer support through the entire race and race weekend!).  These were extra helpful as I soon remembered that I couldn't feel my hands or feet.  I stumbled through transition the best I could and out onto the bike course.  Zoom, zoom- two girls in my age group zipped past me within the first 3 miles.  Shit- I was not pleased, but I was really only going through the motions at that point.  For the first hour, I only remember having two clear thoughts in my head: "I am so cold" and "I should be eating/drinking."  The sun was slowly coming up behind the clouds and I was creating my own wind on the bike.  Pair that with the fact that I already was cold and wet, and it took a good solid hour for me to even start to warm up.  The battle of two evils- too hot versus too cold.  Too hot and you can never cool down and your energy is zapped.  On race day, it started out too cold, but warmed up to a great racing temp.  Once the sun came out from the clouds, and we hit some of the hills, I was able to get feeling back in my hands and feet and start back on my nutrition plan that I had fallen off of.  Getting a full bottle or water, a serving of our rice muffins and I was back on track.  Just in time for the real climbs and challenges of the bike course.  Snow Canyon.  Enough said.

Snow Canyon- enough said.

Driving the bike course a few days before, the climbs looked steep but nothing that we weren't already familiar with living here in Colorado.  The trick was that the steepest and longest climbs (because overall this is a fairly hilly course so there were more than usual) came within the last third of the course; nothing like saving the best for last!  On the steepest section, I kept thinking how I could have used a few more gears, my quads were burning and I certainly wasn't cold any more.  Reflecting on this section of the race is where I think that I felt the hurt of not having as much volume as I would have liked on the bike leading up to race day.  Colorado was blessed with a mild winter, but ferocious spring with weekly, yes weekly, snow storms throughout April that kept our longer rides shorter and less frequent than I was feeling at that point.  C'est la vie, but we will certainly look into a spring training camp next year- heck maybe back to St. G!
 
Losing some of my confidence on the final leg of the bike (something for me to work on; building my own positive self-talk; I am a great cheerleader for everyone else!), I told myself it was time to see what was left in the tank and tried to be optimistic about the upcoming run.  Ahhhh, the run course.  Without a doubt, the run course was hard- flat out HARD. You've never seen so many hills as a part of a triathlon run course- long climbs, short super steeps pitches, and then killer downhills that would fry your quads and what I call "life suckers".  Any momentum you had going into that section, was quickly consumed in vacumm-like fashion.  I knew to throw my pace out the window and just keep grinding away, and I did.  With each person I passed I regained an ounce of confidence.  I felt tired but consistent and just kept on trucking!  Seeing our friend Katy (her first year as a pro) and Jon out on the course gave an extra boost as they were both looking great and flying.  I like out and back courses and once I hit the turn around, I knew what was left for me.  And I pushed and passed, and pushed and passed.  I dug deep and knew that while I had regained some ground within my age group, it was going to be close.  I saw our friend Justin up ahead and made him my target.  He also made the thought of me catching him his own motivation and we later thanked each other for keeping the other one pushing to the end.

The finishers chute was great- a long downhill lined with people ending in the town square.  I can't say enough about how great all of the spectator and volunteer support was for this race.  We <3 St. George and this was just one of the many reasons why.  Jon and Justin were right there at the finish and I'm pretty sure the consensus was something close to "damn that was hard and so awesome!"
 
I am super proud of Jon!  Overall he had a solid race- great swim, kept it steady on the bike and then finally had the run we knew he could.  These were his goals for the race and he nailed everyone of them.  He probably won't admit it, but I think one of his big highlights is that he finally beat my run split in a tri.  Only by eight seconds but I will happily give that to him because I know how hard he's worked for it!  Again, he nailed his race and I am so proud of him, he just happens to have a crazy fast age group as he finished 9th.

All smiles post-race!

Starting tenth out of the water, ending in twelfth on the bike and making my move on the run, I finished fifth and made my way  to the podium- woot!  Considering everything, especially my bike accident about 7 weeks ago, I am happy to have even started this race. I am surprised by my swim since my hands felt like dead weights. The cold swim certainly didn't help the first part of my ride, and I know I really lost some time on the last climb.  My legs felt pretty fried by the time I got into T2 so I am happy, really happy that I was able to find my speed and hit the hills.  Even happier that I ended up with the fastest run split in my age group by over five minutes.  I will be the first to admit that I was pushing my luck and will work on finding a greater balance between my bike and run.  Fifth, I can take fifth.  First race of the season, starting a month earlier than we have ever before, fifth is a great start.

Proud to share the podium with some speedy ladies.

While we didn't get Vegas qualifying spots (only 2 for my AG and 4 for Jon's), this makes us even more excited to get back into another solid block of training and pumped for 70.3 Kansas in one month!  So why do we do this to ourselves and are already thinking about how to approach St. George next year? Because of the challenge.  I know this is probably one of those overused and abused quotes, but I do really feel that it rings true for me and how I approach life: "No one said it was going to be easy, but it will be worth it."  The whole experience of IM 70.3 St. George captured this feeling for me.  We knew it wasn't going to be easy, put in the training and prep and there is no doubt in my mind that it was worth it. 

What's your next challenge?
-M

The post you hope you never have to write

Do you know you were doing five weeks ago? I typically would not. I could probably make a pretty educated guess- a Fridays, I'd be at work, meeting with a few students and trying not to count the hours till the weekend. But five Fridays ago was not a typical Friday.

It was one of the first real warm spring days so I used some vacation time to take part of the day off to ride. I had one of my longer rides on the year scheduled since we had been experiencing a cold late winter in CO recently. Fast forward 3 hours and I was coming back through Golden. It was a beautiful 65 and sunny afternoon. I was thinking about what I was going to make for a late lunch and my plans for a productive rest of the day. Entering a roundabout that we ride through all the time, while clear for me to enter, I saw that a black Jeep Cherokee was coming in on my right and did not see me. Doing my best to slow, swerve, and yell to make myself seen, I was helpless and BAM- direct hit. Long story short, after being struck on my right, rolling to my back, I came to stop on my right side. The driver stopped and three witnesses came rushing over.

I am lucky. I've lost count how many times I've said that in the last five weeks.

I am lucky.  I not only walked away from the experience without a broken bone, the driver took full responsibility, was cited for not yielding, and her insurance is covering everything.  I did end up with a good fat and bloody lip as I had bite right through, a chipped tooth and various bruises and road rash- but the fact that I didn't suffer a concussion and remember the entire experience is amazing. Adding to my own amazement and determination, I was back outside riding my bike three weeks later.

I am lucky. It wasn't pretty. My upper lip was so fat from the stitches, swelling and impact- I could look down and see it sticking out!

We joked about Angelina Jolie, all natural Botox  and me finally being able to fit in for "Mustache March"... and then I waited. I waited for the moment when I would break down and cry. I've been known to process life through a good cry; letting the flood of emotions that I've kept locked up inside come pouring out helps me move on and make sense of life when it otherwise might not. I'm still waiting for the cry...  It didn't happen immediate after the accident sitting on the curb being examined by the EMT. It didn't happen in King Soopers pharmacy waiting for my muscle relaxers and pain pills and people would just stop and stare. It didn't happen the first ride back on the roads. And it still hasn't happened as I am sitting her posting this. A friend who knows me (sometimes too) well said that it is ok if I don't cry. It doesn't mean this wasn't a huge life experience. It might mean that I've learned to process in other ways. It might mean that I've developed other cards in my deck. And it might mean that because I know I am so lucky, I will save the tears for another time- maybe a time of joy and accomplishment instead of sadness and frustration.

I've played the accident over and over in my head. Sometimes I jump when the impact happens and sometimes I ask myself what would I have done differently. The answer is always the same, nothing. I did everything I know how to do to have prevented the accident (besides riding with an air horn a friend has noted) and it still happened.  I think that confidence has helped me get back on the bike outside so quickly.  I love riding my bike.  I couldn't have done anything differently so why sit and struggle with the "what if's" and just get back out there.  While I'll avoid that roundabout for a long time, it feels great to get back out on the roads, doing what I love and feels good.

What will always stick with me is that the driver kept on repeating right after the accident, "I just didn't see you. I heard you yelling before I saw you." While I continue to be hyper aware on the roads- both cycling and running, I feel that from this experience, I am now a more aware driver. Driving is a privilege and one that needs to be taken seriously. This is the message I want people to remember from my experience. Yes, I am lucky, but we all could be in either position in this situation- either as me the cyclist, or the woman who was the driver.

I am lucky.  But with the start of tri season just a few weeks away, I am also ready to be more.
-M