St George Ironman (Total Time: 13:24:30)
Swim: 1:14:18 (218 overall)
T1: 7:24
Bike: 7:18:26 (461 overall)
T2: 11:24
Run: 4:32:58 (398 overall)
Wow... where to start... Very windy day for a swim and bike. Last year I was a 1:06 swim, 6:04 bike, 4:47 run , but heat was the issue last year, mostly on the run.
The Swim... The forecast was sunny and mid 80's with light wind from the north. The Pro's started off at 6:45am and we started at 7am. All seemed well with perfect weather and smooth, warm water. I decided to start to the outside to avoid the hoard of maniac swimmers. One of my friends started in the pack and was kicked immediately in the face at the start and that bloodied his nose. He then got a few more feet and his 910 garmin was ripped off his wrist and sank to the bottom of the lake... again. That's three 910's he has lost in 1 year in the water! So, I choose good by staying outside and swimming a little further in calmer conditions. All was well until I turned the first bouy. Then hugh swells started hitting me from the side and I was thinking to myself that some idiot was racing his big boat around the swimmers. After the swells kept coming, I poked my head up out of the water and realized Natures wrath was upon us!! The wind picked up and all I could see was white caps, swells, and dust in the air. I did notice a few paddle boards and kayaks pass by on their own voyage to the other end of the lake, and possibly to their doom. Out of 60+ kayaks and paddle boards, six survived the entire swim portion of the race. Back to my race... After figuring this race has now turned into an ocean swim I needed to change my game plan. Since the majority of the swim was going to be against the wind, I immediately went into a 2 stoke rythme and punched my way through the swells. I figured the swells were 3-5 feet, and when I tried to see over them the water sprayed my face like a sand blaster! I could bearly make out the island at the other end of the lake and that became my line of site. The course bouys were all pulled out of place and swimmers were following them as if that was the direction of the course. I knew we were all in trouble and I feared for my many friends competing out here. I never worried for myself since I have had much experience in ocean swimming and I knew I would make it through okay. I was surprised by my persistence and determination and came out of the water much faster than anticipated. Even if the conditions would have been calm, I planned for a 1:15 time since I did absolutely no training for this race and only signed up a couple days ago... for fun.
Transition was smooth and I kept looking around for familiar faces. I heard that boats where pulling hundreds of swimmer out of the lake. I prayed no was injured or lost. Fortunately no was killed today. : ) I was in T1 for longer than planned but I needed the time to recover from that tough swim. What I didn't realize the worst was coming next!!
The bike started right into the wind and I was making a slow go of it. We got a small reprieve when we turned towards St George on the Hwy. That lasted for only 20 miles. I did stop at the first Aid Station in Washigton to literally drain the lake out of me. After Ivins (approx mile 30) we turned back into the wind. At this point the wind got worst. I could bear move in it and we had to bike uphill for the next 20 miles. I said things that I can not repeat on this blog for the next several hours of pure hell!!! I actually thought I would never make the cut off time since I was moving so slow. But everyone else was moving slow too so that gave me hope that I could do this. I had no idea where I was in placement. The swim I was in 218 place out of 1500. by the end of the bike I only dropped down to 461. I was surprised so many others were worst off than me. I will cut it short for the bike since this tale is nothing but a downer. On a good note, the wind died down on the second loop and I was able to speed up a little.
Transistion 2: I had a small hiccup when both calves balled up when I tried to change socks. Fortunately, I had a physical therapist helping me in transition. He jumped on my problem immediately and striped my calve muscles. Within a minute I was pain free and able to walk/run with no calf pain. Thanks again unknown hero!!!
The Run was 3 loops around downtown. I managed to run the 2 loops with minimal problems. I was a little exhausted from the bike but I was doing better than expected. I did my first half in 2:05. The 3 loop I needed more recovery and proceeded with a run/walk plan. I finished with little fanfare and swore I would never participate in another Ironman again!! I did discover chicken broth is perfect for an upset stomach and if you drink enough of it the cramps go away too! : )
In retrospect, I had a steller race for not training. My swim was amazing, the bike showed me what I can really do in a bad situation, and my run was pleasent minus the exhaustion and cramps. 1500 people started the day and approx.1040 finished. I came in 398 overall and am very pleased with my performance!! | 