Ironman Racine 70.3

This race report is going to be hard to keep concise, lots of thoughts but I'll do my best. I signed up for Racine on a whim last fall as part of a "double-deal" to ensure I was able to register for IMWI. I hadn't done much research, but figured the experience would be similar to Milwaukee and with the IRONMAN brand behind the race that it would be well run and in an attractive location. Since JR and Ronda were likely in, it was going to be a fun weekend.

That whole preface makes this seem like it was a bad weekend. Allow me to clarify, it was a good weekend full of positives. However, there were a few key elements that made it clear this was not going to be an annual race. Let's start with a few of the good...

It's always good to spend time with friends while pursuing the things we love to do. Without the company of friends, this weekend would've been entirely different. Next, as with most IRONMAN branded races, there were a ton of volunteers and everyone was very supportive. The race itself was well run as we expected and the swim and transition locations were great! Given the weather conditions (choppy cold swim, windy and hot bike/run), I had a great race (I'll get to that, I promise). Lastly, a successful triathlon weekend is highly unlikely without Kristin's iron-mate support, this weekend was no exception, she was over the top supportive even when I was stressed and grumpy before the race and when I was suffering out on the run course.

What made the weekend a downer, aside from rolling up to the hotel in the middle of a tornado warming, was the general lack of a host city environment. I think it is good that IRONMAN produces races in areas like Racine, but it definitely seemed like the overall infrastructure for hosting a 70.3 was missing. Not a lot of hotels near the race (we were practically back in Illinois) and very few restaurants. Maybe I am spoiled from Madison and AG Nationals in Milwaukee. The other notable and rather significant drag on the race itself was the horrible road conditions. There were so many seams and cracks in the road, it made finding one's rhythm practically impossible. I promise I won't complain about it anymore, but the mind and body took a beating out there.

On to the race itself, athlete check-in was smooth as expected, but our bikes got to sit through a tornado warned storm due to mandatory bike check-in on Saturday. Thankfully Kristin reminded me to bring extra plastic bags and I was able to cover my power meter and dérailleurs. We went back to the hotel (30 minute drive later), checked in durning the previously meantioned tornado warning, and waited out the storm. Once the weather cleared I knocked out a quick shake-out run and we went to have the pre-race favorite: burger with an egg and a spotted cow beer. Tasty.

Race morning came early! Up at 4:30am and packed up the car, grabbed a quick breakfast, and drove the 30 minutes back to the race. Cue another nomination for Ironmate of the year. As we were walking down to transition, I realized I forgot my bike pump. In a panic, JR texted Kristin and she ran down with it. Turns out that I didn't need it, so it was a huge hassle for nothing. Sorry and thanks, Kristin! It took me forever to get set up in transition, not sure why. We walked the mile to the swim start while eating a PB&J PowerBar (amazing!), found some shade, and waited an hour for my wave to be marshaled into the starting pen.

The water was cold but refreshing. We took off straight into the choppy water but quickly started getting pushed off course. I managed to get away with 2 others, and by the time we turned at 400yds we were already catching stragglers from the heat before us. About 200yds further our group split due to the chaos of passing the slower swimmers of the earlier waves. When I passed the halfway buoy, I checked my watch, 1:13/100yds. I was having a great swim. It was hard to tell with the chop, so I was pleasantly surprised. I focused on keeping my stroke rate up to cut the choppy water while keeping things smooth. I was on the beach before I knew it. When I had a chance to look at my watch, it showed 27:30, one of my fastest! [Strava Swim]

T1 was a blur. I miscounted the rows of bikes and ended up in the wrong aisle, thankfully I was at the end and it didn't hurt me too much. I was happy to see that my HR was lower than it typically is after the swim, which likely meant a faster bike. Out of T1 and up to the mount line, which sits on a nice 3-5% grade.

Ka-thunk. That's the bike leg in one sound. Once I made it up the climb out of transition and out on to

the first main road, that was basically it. I did my best to just put the bit between my teeth and ride, adjusting my aerobars every few miles from them "sinking" forward. I followed my power goal and repeated "on your left" for the next 2 hours. It was nice to have a consistent stream of people to pass, but when you need to pass someone who is passing someone who is passing someone, it gets a little tricky. I grabbed a bottle of water at each aid station, hosed myself down, took a big swig, and kept riding. Eventually the heat, wind, and the inconsistent powering by people started to drain on me. The bag that I put my salt tabs in leaked, rendering them useless. I tried to use them still but failed to even get what was left of the capsules out of the bag. Oops. Thankfully, the PowerGels that I mixed in my water bottles helped offset the electrolyte hole. Finally we made one of the last turns and rode the last 5 miles of super bumpy roads. I was losing my patience with the roads at this stage and just wanted to be off the bike. The course would end up being a mile long, but I still nearly PR'd my HIM bike split. [Strava Bike]

T2 was quick. Basically rack my bike, throw on socks and shoes, grab everything else and run. I saw Kristin on the other side and that made me happy. Usually I am so in the zone (or suffering) that I miss her in the crowds. 

Finally onto the run. Still had a shot at breaking 4:30 despite the long bike course. The first 5 miles went great, but I was HOT, and couldn't quench my thirst. My body stayed cool with the ice and water dumps, but from my neck up it was seemingly unbearable. Then my feet started to blister due to my shoes being soaked (not to mention my shoes felt like they weighed 10lbs!). I wanted to quit. Mentally, I was just checked out. I was thinking about the long drive home, how hard the full is going to be if I can't even survive a half, and other negative thoughts. It was bad. But then Kristin came through for me. "My husband isn't a pansy," she yelled. Just what I needed to hear to get my head back in the race. I knew she sacrificed her entire weekend to this race and she didn't even get the benefit of the race itself! I rephrased my thoughts and focused on trying to find JR and Ronda. Maybe if I push I can catch them? I made a point of it, reset my goal pace, and trudged on. More water, more ice, finish my PowerGel flask, more steps, more miles. Finally I saw them on an out-and-back stretch about 1 mile ahead of me. With 4 miles to go, I knew I'd have to push to catch them. No walking, just do it. The final miles ticked off and finally I was under 1 mile to go. Then I saw those Michigan Awesome kits again. I kicked it in, passing them with a yell, "go Michigan Awesome!" Down the hill towards the finish chute, power past a couple more people, and cross the line, just under 4:33. A PR by about 1 minute! My run would end up being "slow" by about 2 minutes vs. my goal pace, not bad for the conditions. [Strava Run]

Post race was blessed by a dip in the cold lake, so refreshing! We packed up and made it back just in time to see JR and Ronda finish. We grabbed more finisher food, a picture together, and hit the road. We finally got home around 9pm. What a weekend...

Thanks to my good friends and teammates for racing with me, to Kristin for her unwavering support, to Michigan Awesome and PowerBar for being great sponsors, and to each of you for reading.

Keep dreaming!

GRTri - Olympic Distance

Woke up to pouring rain. Lovely. Sound familiar? Same race last year, same story. A soaking rain was coming down as I sat at my computer, sending out emails that our new system for work was back on-line. Nothing like a work fire the night before/morning of a race. Not sure if that helped or hurt my race, but the distraction from the rain was welcomed. Lots of text messages flying around about the weather, where we were all meeting pre-race, and whether the race would go on. Thankfully, we were house/dog-sitting for Kristin's parents who live about 5 minutes from the transition area. Nice to be able to wait out *most* of the rain there while having breakfast and drinking coffee. I finally loaded up and headed down to the race.

Timmy and the VanderWalls each pulled in and parked right behind me, perfect timing. By the time we had our stuff out of our cars, we were already soaked. Adjusted attitude: we're going to get wet anyway, don't stress about it. We stopped at the covered bridge, dried off our arms and legs, and did some impromptu body marking for the race. Pretty cool that while we were stopped, several Michigan Awesome teammates and other friends also stopped and asked to be marked, too. Nice way to boost camaraderie before the race. We got to transition and set up our stuff. I've learned to be pretty lean with what I have in my transition space, and luckily had some good bike rack-mates who alternated directions like you're supposed to. Knowing I'd likely be one of the first ones out of the water, I stressed a little less about how little room I actually had to put my stuff down. We tried to find a dry spot for our gear bags, but with the rain it was a lost cause. Our stuff would be soaked through by the end of the morning. We socialized with the other MA athletes and headed down to the water.

My goal for the swim was simple: stay with the lead group. With the collegiate conference division, there were some fast swimmers present. It presented a great opportunity to practice swimming in a group at a fast pace. The gun went off and we flew. The first 200 meters were a scrambled, grabby, bumpy mess. By the time we settled in and sorted out, we were almost to the first turn. From there, the pace quickened and the group stretched out to single file. The course measured a little long based on GPS data, but we all had to swim the same distance. I made it in just under 22 minutes for the 1500 meters (more like 1600m). [Strava Swim]

The wetsuit peelers (great perk of this race!) were really close to the water, so there was no time to pull the suit down far enough. Thankfully they were able to adapt and efficiently pull off the wetsuits for people anyway. I took advantage and my T1 times show for it, no struggling to get the suit off around my ankles while dizzily trying to stay upright. Ran the long carpet stretch to my bike rack, quickly got my shoes and helmet on, and off I went.

The ride started reasonably well. It was still sprinkling, so the visor on my helmet had to stay up. Typically I like to have some sort of eye protection, but I'd survive. A few miles in Todd Kennedy (a super fast guy) rolled past me. He was racing the aquabike due to an injury. Before I could clear the draft zone, I heard the one noise that's just dreadful on the bike: "ppppfffffffsssssssssssssssttttttt". I quickly looked down, hoping it wasn't me. Guess I was lucky, it was Todd. Sorry for the bad luck! You can't do much to help your competitors, but I wanted to make sure he had what he needed. From then on, it was pretty quiet, just focusing on keeping my head down and dodging potholes. Finally, the Jimi Minnema rocket rolled by. I managed to hold him off for the first 11 miles, not bad! From the turnaround on, it was just hammer down and try not to get caught by anyone else. I would make it, with a 23.5mph split. Not bad given the conditions!

T2 was quick. Off the bike, run to the rack, socks on, shoes on, and grab everything else. That can get put on/consumed while running. I shot out of T2 with a Berry Blast PowerGel in my had and targeted a 6:20/mi average.

That target average started to fade around 2 miles. I was not feeling it, too much standing around pre-race, maybe the work stress, definitely swimming way too fast. A couple guys blew by me like I was walking. Turns out one was a relay and the other was a collegiate racer. At that point, I figured I was still top in the 30-34 AG and fought to keep it that way. The next few miles went slowly, and I adjusted my goal to nothing slower than 6:50/mi. Shortly after the run, I saw PowerBar rep Ryan Guiliano just ripping it on the half-iron run. He was seconds from taking over the lead and wouldn't turn back. Crazy fast! With 2 miles to go, I put my head down and just suffered to the end. Finally the last stretch to the finish chute was upon me, and I strained to smile as I crossed the line.

My HR would end up being over 165 average for over 2 hours, quite the high rate for me. Something to learn from as Ironman Wisconsin approaches: I have to keep my HR down on the swim. There's two ways to do that: swim harder in training and/or swim easier on race day. Taking that insight, I'll be applying that to the remaining training days!

"PowerBar Ryan" would end up winning the half and looking no worse for wear. 4:02 total time and he "jogged in" a 1:14 half marathon at the end. Congrats, Ryan, you're an inspiration! Hope you come back next year and repeat the clinic of a race you put on! Mama Hoogs also had a good race despite ear issues.




Overall, I'd end up 10th (9th if you exclude the relay that beat me), 1st in the 30-34 age group! Very happy to represent Michigan Awesome and PowerBar so well. Thanks as well to Kristin, who despite me not noticing she wasn't there until the finish, still comes out and cheers me on in the crappy weather. Turns out she was searching for Sully, who decided he wanted to try to find me at the race. She'd spent 2 hours running around in the rain looking for him. Thankfully, a nice family had taken him in from the storm and flagged her down. We returned after the race to personally thank them again and give them a gift card to a fro-yo place. So nice of them and we're glad Sully was safe!