Half Iron Man
So it's been a hot minute since I've updated this bloggity. In May I reached my goal - I did the Run for Water in Abbotsford, BC. A half marathon (21km) and got my best time yet! 2:05:30
I also have been playing softball. We've done really well this year. Not undefeated but pretty darn good. I had a tournament the same weekend as the half marathon. I played 3 games saturday then ran the half and played 2 more games. To say the least, I was tired the next day! My legs were so tight and sore and I was only 7 days away from the Oliver Half iron man!
In a previous post I mentioned that I purchased a road bike. My trusty Norco (named Marco) and some outdoor training, recovery and focusing on sleeping I was ready!
Ok, so I was a little nervous the week of. I was SO sore from the run and nervous that I had made a poor decision in doing a half marathon the week before a half iron man. I booked a massage with the local RMT (she's located across the hall from my main office) and she's great
So, get through the work week and my legs feel... OK. Friday comes and I leave work and head for Oliver, BC. We (my husband and I) met everyone who had come up earlier in the day. Saturday was for attempted rest and checking into the event. The bikes spend the night before race day.
I had been getting up at 530am all week to prepare for sunday (race day) the race start time was 7am which means we're up pretty early to eat get settled and head down to the race.
To say I was nervous is a bit of an understatement. We had a friend race the day before (the standard and sprint distances race on saturday) and he WON the entire race! That was pretty badass. His transitions are so smooth and he's so quick at all three disciplines. He claims to not be good at swimming but he was awfully fast to me!
Derek, won a sprint triathlon the weekend prior in Vancouver. The weekend in Oliver he won the standard distance in approx 2 hrs. It took me 1:45 to finish the sprint distance! He's a machine. One of the most positive people I think I've ever met.
Ok, race day. Attempted to eat breakfast. Honestly I chocked down some overnight oats and was super nervous about the swim. I did my first triathlon last year at this exact event. WCOC - Dynamic Events. At that time it was the biggest endurance event of my life. It was as huge deal to me that required training and practice and I beat my goal of 2 hours when I finished in 1:45
After we finished the sprint, my gf challenged me to the 70.3 (half iron man) the following year. I said .. ok sure. Thinking no way, I'll never do that. Its more than double the distances we had just done. How could I get to that point in only a year?
Prior to the race I got pretty sick. I had a sinus infection that gave me quite the run for my money. I also discovered my fear of open water. Kind of a big deal when you're planning on competing in a race! So once I committed to actually doing the iron man (roughly Jan this year) I got into the pool at least once a week. Closer to the race I was in the pool twice a week and I even hired a trainer to help me with my form. It made a huge difference!
The half iron distances: 2km swim 90km bike & 21 km run
My goals were: 1h or less for swim. 4hrs or less bike and.. I didn't actually have a goal for the run. I just knew that it was going to be slow and hard after 90+km prior.
My times were: 53 mins swim. 3:50 bike and 2:37 run
Final finish was time was 7:41
I was right on course! My run did feel slow and borderline painful. My hips were starting to hurt and I def didn't drink enough prior because I was thirsty through most of the running portion. It was also my slowest half to date. My swim went super well! My best time for 2km in the pool was approx 46mins so being only 7mins slower in the open water is really good! the water felt good and I was in my wet suit which can restrict your arms somewhat and it went so well. The ride was also pretty good. I want to get my ride average faster. My goal would be 30km /hr but right now I average overall around 22km/hr. I've def got some growing to do.
During my ride I was getting close to the end, approx 88 km and I was hitting a mental wall. I knew I was close to the transition but there were some steeper hills that really take their toll. I got to a steep part that I had a really hard time catching my breath on. The breaths I was taking weren't satiating and started to come out more like sobs. I resolved that I would be crying today. I was ok with that
Once I transitioned again I changed into running short. I was wearing bike shorts. I reapplied my suntan lotion ( I still got a sun burn) and ate a snack. I managed to get through the run OK. It felt so slow.Two loops 10.5km each. Afterwards I checked my times and I did manage to jump 10 spots on that run. I felt so slow, but actually I moved up in the race. I ended up placing 200 out of 250 participants. Pretty decent for my first half.
Would I do it again? I would not be opposed to doing another half iron man.
I would have to spend some time (arguably years) to speed up in each discipline.
I would have to spend some time (arguably years) to speed up in each discipline.
Race date was Sunday June 3rd. Since I've been back I actually haven't gone into the pool OR done an outdoor swim. The weather hasnt been super great, so no outside swim. The pool at my gym is "under maintenance" which is kind of lame. IMO. I have biked to/from work and gone on the odd solo jaunt with Marco. I have also gone out for runs etc and obvs ball season is still happening
I have signed up for another triathlon. Apparently, my tri season has just started
I'm looking at a Sprint Triathlon in August hosted by MEC
I've signed up for a Standard Triathlon (olympic distance) in Sept hosted by Dynamic Race Events
We also own an actual computer again so, hopefully, I'll be updated more frequently
thanks!
Jess
Comments
Post a Comment