Well, I did it! Got my second half Iron under my belt. Overall, I'm pretty damn happy with how it went. I made a few mistakes, but at the same time, did a lot of things better. So I'll take the good with the bad, and learn and take them to Wisconsin! I was a little worried how this race would go. It was the first year this race was being run under Ironman, Last year they had some troubles with new races so that left me a bit concerned. I'm really happy to report that this race was fantastically run. So organized, and the volunteers were the best I've every had at a race. Really great. Kudos to the whole team in Muncie! I want to thank my Amazing family and Amy for there great support throughout the day. It was so amazing to have you there cheering me on. It really pushed me and made a tough day of exercise one I could do with a smile on my face! Love you guys!
Alight here's the breakdown.....
Swim: 41:37 2:10 pace
Well crap, made a few mistakes here. But it wasn't a total screw up. First, my biggest mistake. I decided to wear my tri top. This was for 2 reasons. One, I didn't want to get horribly burned like I did at Vineman last year. It took months to go away. 2nd, I always mess up putting on my shirt in transition. Both logical in my head, But what I forgot was that this shirt was a bit big on me, thus creating a bunch of drag in the water. Unfortunately I didn't realize this until I did my warm up swim. Sigh, too late to go back. So I just tucked it into my shorts as tight as I could and went for it. I could feel it, but I just pulled a little harder with my arms to make up for it. But I have no doubt it cost me a couple minutes in the water. I thought to myself, that's OK, I'll just push a little harder on the bike to make up for it.
The water was also way too warm. 83 degrees. It felt like I was swimming in a hot tub. Didn't really like that. Lastly, and most annoyingly...I've never been kicked so many times in a race. Usually its just crazy at the start then everyone kind of finds their groove. Unfortunately this never really happened the whole time. Always someone running into me, or me running into them. I actually had one guy shove me with his hand...he was the one going the wrong way. But I can understand his frustration, I wanted to punch a few people too. Then to top it off, the last quarter mile my foot cramped up and I did something I've never had to do in a race. I stopped. Just for a bit to stretch out my foot. After that, finished up the swim and then ran up the hill to transition. Nothing like having to run up hill after a 1.2 mile swim! One thing I was really happy about my swim was that I didn't feel exhausted afterward. Though my time wasn't what I wanted (was hoping for a 37ish time) I am happy to say I felt like I could have done another loop, which is good for sign for Wisconsin. I was happy to be done with the rather crappy swim and ready to jump on my bike which has always been my favorite sport of the three.
Bike 2:39:44 21.0 pace
Now this went way better! Probably my best ride in a race...minus losing one water bottle and one C02. I felt really good right out of transition. I let my legs warm up a bit, then it was down in aero and stayed there most of the ride. This wasn't a hilly course, though it has a few areas that required a bit more umph. What I wasn't expecting on this ride were the tough headwinds. It certainly made the ride a bit more challenging. It always adds the wonderful joy of a tail wind on the return. Of course, this was only for a little part of the course, for the majority of the course it was more of a crosswind, but it was always nice to get a little push once on awhile, of course it was always canceled out by another headwind. Oh, and the worst thing I've ever dealt with in a race...winds plus cow manure...wooo! Stinky!!! That's what you get when you race in Indiana! Home sweet home!! Aside from the winds, I felt really good on my bike. Though my poor little bike could use a tune up. I couldn't get my gears to stop clicking. As soon as it gets back to LA, its going to the shop! My legs felt really good through out the ride. I had plenty of moments where I got down and pushed really hard. As I was getting towards the end, I wanted to see if I could break 2:30....obviously I didn't quite make it. But it was a fun way to push myself. I really enjoyed the bike on this course. It was definitely a personal record for me, over 20 minutes faster than Vineman, of course, Vineman was a bit more hilly. But if all things were equal, I know I would have been faster this year. So good! I'm also happy I made up those lost minutes in the swim!
Run 2:12:53 10:09 pace
I'm most happy with this! For most runners they would probably shoot themselves if they ran a 10 min mile. I on the other hand could not be happier. This was my biggest problem at Vineman last year. I had to run/walk last year. I was dead after the bike. This is something I've really been working hard at. I'm not worried about being the fastest runner, I just want to be able to run a long distance without stopping. That's exactly what I achieved in this race. I ran the whole damn thing. I just kept my nice even pace. Passed many people walking. It was a great feeling. This course was harder than Vineman, way more hills. So the fact that I was able to knock over 20 mins off of my run from last year on a harder course made me very happy. The aid stations were fantastic. This is the first race I've done were they've had sponges, Ice cold sponges. At this point in the race, it was the hottest part of the day. Getting close to 90. But I would always take 3 sponges, 2 tucked in my shirt along my shoulders, and one tucked into the front of my visor. I'm sure it looked really silly, but boy did it work. I can run so much better if I can stay cool. They were great. Don't think I would have had a successful run without them. Everyone on the course was so great, the volunteers, spectators, and athletes. They made a really tough run enjoyable. I still have a lot of training to do on my run before Wisconsin. It was the only one where I didn't feel I could go do a second loop. It is still my weakest of the three, but I'm so thrilled with my run at this race. Still lots to work on, but I'll take it!
Finish 5:41:17 591 out of 1531
Then it was time to finish, I saw my family and Amy waving and cheering for me, it was fantastic!! I crossed the finished line and felt the huge feeling of relief that the day was over. I was so ready to sit down. I really left it all out on the course. I was pretty dead. But seeing everyone at the finish line really lifted me up and I was excited to tell everyone about my day.
So all in all, a pretty successful race. I made a few mistakes that I plan to correct in Wisconsin. But I'm really happy with the outcome. I'm scared to death about doubling the distances, but I still have 9 weeks to build. So lets do this! Its the homestretch! 3 races down, 1 to go!
BRING ON WISCONSIN!!!
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