Girlfriends & Dudes Triathlon - Race Recap

Hello folks - long time no hear?! As you can tell I took a little time away from the blogging world in order to hang with The Kid who is on his way to High School **shakes head in disbelief** this week. Knowing that I only have 4 more years before he's off to college is just terrifying. Who in the world believes that it really goes by THAT fast?! Sheesh.....

Anyway, as this race recap is over a month in the making, I tried to make it a good one......"tried" being the operative word here.

So, Girlfriends & Dudes Sprint Triathlon - Vancouver, WA. My first chance to race with The Kid! Super jazzed! Thankfully this was a local venue and with a later start time (9am) so no throwing the alarm across the room at 4am. This lead to a pretty easy going race morning with a quick breakfast, gear pack-up and a sleepy teenager to rouse.

I think I am finally starting to get a bit more, dare I say, "relaxed" on race day? P (my ever faithful sherpa), The Kid and I got to the venue about 45 minutes before the start, set up transition and then just hung out with a cup of jo before it was go time. Oh, and I can't forget to mention meeting a fellow Swim Bike Army member, Tammi, for the first time! (no photos though - next time Tammi!) Normally I am super paranoid, trying to ensure that we get to the site with oodles of time to spare. Maybe because this was "just" a Sprint and my first race coming off of Boise, but either way I was cool, calm and collected.  No one had to suffer the wrath of my usual race morning nerves - Winning!!



The Swim (.5 miles/804 meters)

Goal - 13 min or under

Doesn't look like it but I swear I'm running in this photo! :)

Ah, the swim - my fav. I debated the night before on whether or not I wanted to wear my wet suit for this race. I knew the water was a comfortable temp and given the short distance wasn't concerned with needing any additional support. Since I was also planning on trying to PR, I figured the amount of time spent in transition trying to strip my suit off wasn't really worth the extra few seconds it might save me in the water. Decision? Go without. Result? Mixed

The swim course was a point-to-point straight shot down the Columbia River.  A quick half mile walk up the beach to the race start and we were off. No wet suit? No problem.....well, kinda. It appears that my one piece tri suit had stretched out quite a bit since Boise (that or I lost some upper body weight since that time...ya right) leaving the top half to create a ton of drag in the water. Ugh - not what I wanted to happen but what can you do? 800 meters done, and given my PR, I'd say the drag was more of a mind game than anything else. Whoop!

Official Swim Time - 0:12:33  (PR from last year's Sprint of 14:46)

T1

Goal - 2 minutes

Awe yeah......pickin' up my transition pace, ya'll! I'm pretty sure it had everything to do with not bothering with a wet suit this time around but regardless I am stoked about my T1 time - 2 full minutes faster than last year?! Whaaaaat??!! Other than speed, nothing much to report. Didn't bother grabbing a drink or fuel, just threw the helmet/shoes on and Goooooo! I do need to learn how to do an awesome flying bike mount this off season -  I hate having to come to a complete stop at the mount line. Waste.of.time.

Official T1 Time - 01:49 (PR from last year's Sprint of 03:52)

Bike (12.5 miles)

Goal - Under 40 minutes

A nice flat, beautiful course - I was stoked. My goal on the bike was to average 20 mph, keep my legs pumping and do not slow down regardless of how much it burned. It is a sprint after all so EVERYTHING should be done as fast as possible. I think I'm finally starting to understand that. Both up and back down the course I only had 3 people pass me. And to my credit they were crazy 20 something year-old studs complete with speedy bikes. 12.5 miles out and back to the dismount line with a few sips of water/Nuun but no additional fuel. Although I didn't meet my 20mph sustained goal pace, I did managed to pull out quite a few miles at that speed and overall maintained 19.3mph. And let's not forget the ultimate desire of going under 40 mins - BOOM! Getting faster!

Official Bike Time - 0:38:55/av 19.3 mph (PR from last year's Sprint of :43:20/17.3mph)

T2
Goal - 2 minutes

What the what? Again with a fast transition?! I owe my T2 time to Lock Laces and Lock Laces alone. Those things are a life saver and I swear were the sole reason I took at least a full minute off my time! If you don't know what these beautiful creations are, check them out here. Shoes on, quick swig of hydration and out on the run course.

Official T2 Time -  1:36 (PR from last year's Sprint of 02:48)

Run (5k):

Goal - under 30 minutes

You know you're actually becoming a triathlete when you no longer deal with "transition" legs at the start of your run. I honestly felt great and ended up going out quite a bit faster than I thought I was, averaging around 8.5 min/mi at the first mile. 8.5?? Is this a dream?! I had no idea as to how I was able to keep that pace for a full mile but no part of me was going to complain. Halfway through the course I grabbed some hydration (without stopping - another win for me!), chugged it down and kept at it. My legs felt pretty darn good and my breathing was a bit labored but hey, it's a freakin 5k, I had better be going all out!

Through the finish and this gal was done!

Official Run Time - 28:46 (av 9:16 min/mi - PR!)


Holy crap. Is this time right? Couldn't be.....no way....did I just PR my 5k and my Sprint distance?

Check.it.

Official Finish Time - 1:23:42

2/25 Age Group

19/127 Female

55/211 Overall

Still unbelievable. I PR'd every event and took 8 minutes off my fastest Sprint! All with a 2nd place to show for it. 

Still on a crazy high from my podium spot (I literally got to have my picture taken on a podium with fellow 1st and 3rd placers - righteous), it was time to get The Kid ready for his race.

The RD (Race Director) put together such a fun event for the kids. The distance for each leg was based on age group. The Kid was scheduled for a .25 mile swim, 3 mile bike and .75 mile run. Pretty easy for a 14 year-old but the object of the event was for him to gain experience in a fun race environment. Mission accomplished.

The Kid's Tri wasn't timed and I was a ding-dong and didn't think to do it myself, so we don't have any specifics. Overall he really enjoyed himself and didn't need much coaching from me at all! He says he's ready to tackle a full Sprint next year. Hopefully I've created a monster. :)

Disappointed in his age group swim distance of 200 meters. He wanted a full mile!

On the right at the very end - away from the weaker swimmers so he can speed by. Smart play kid...smart play.

T1 - "Why is this taking so long?!!", he says. You'll get there dude. 

3 mile bike - Needless to say he wants a roadie now.

Out of T2 and on to the run! Looking strong!

                                   

Into the finish!!

Done! And exhausted. ;)

Love this Kid! 

Awesome race, with awesome support, and an awesome outcome. How could I ask for anything more?

So let's see..........

Recap done - check!

Back on the blogging wagon - check!

Kid successfully off to High School - check!

Training back in motion - check!

The break was definitely needed but I've got to get moving or I am going to drive myself and those around me completely nuts! Next on the race agenda? The 60 mile Gorgeous Relay on Sep. 21st and am  trying to nail down one more Tri before the season is over. The Beaver Fever is the sister race to The Beaver Freezer I did back in April. You know, the one I had that epic bike fail in? The OSU Triathlon club opens and ends the Oregon Tri season with these two sponsored races so I think it's only natural that I do the same. 

~ Cheers, Rebecca

IRONMAN Boise 70.3 - Race Recap 2 of 2

2 of 2........

THE BIKE

The bike - whew, glad to have made it off that 56 mile course unscathed. Since the reservoir is set up in the hills, the first few miles of the bike is entirely downhill, giving you a chance to catch your breath, get your heart rate down and completely freak out while applying your breaks the whole time. No.really. That's what I did. (wah waaah). I think it may have been a result from my bike crash earlier in the year but I had a very hard time trusting in my abilities during the downhill sections of this course and probably suffered time wise because of it. The thought of losing control kept running through my mind, so anything past 30mph and I was braking. Ugh - lame. **TIP -Trust in your machine and your own abilities. Practice both up and downhills. Get comfortable to a point where you can continue to peddle through even the fastest of downhills.**

My lack in downhill confidence wasn't the only issue - Boise can get WINDY! One of the locals had mentioned that this is why they have such a late start time. Apparently the wind is worse in the early morning hours but tends to die down later on. Um, no. At one point, about 20 miles in, the cross wind was so bad that it nearly blew the guy in front of me clean off his bike! Thankfully I was paying attention and braced for my turn. Crap.....the idea of dealing with 36 more miles of this nonsense was a frustrator. Thankfully it let up a little bit for the remainder of the course and we only had minor head winds to deal with.

At about the halfway turn around point I saw my brother and we both let out a quick shout of support. So nice knowing that he was out of the water and on his bike safely - I hated being out there without knowing how he did. I even saw a fellow Swim Bike Mom army member and wished her well as I passed  by. Other than the confidence/wind issue I really felt great on the bike! My nutrition was working flawlessly, I felt really strong the whole time and Ben performed like a champ. I wasn't passed by too many and the ones who did fly by looked pretty serious.

A little hilly but the out and back course made it easy to stay focused on what was next.

The last 10 miles of the course brought us out of the lonely hills and back into town and through some residential neighborhoods. So many folks camped out on their front lawns cheering us on - I swear there is not one unhappy person in all of Boise! A few more corners to turn and I had made it! 56 miles, safe and still full of energy. With P and the gang there to great me and the calf feeling a-okay, I was pumped to get out of that saddle. And given the annoying winds we had to deal with, felt great about my overall time. Oh, and did I mention the signs yet? Our group had spent the previous day making some of the best race support signs - some were silly and some just plain motivational. Regardless of what they said, it was the feeling of having your family there to support you that goes unmatched.

Total Bike Time - 03:17:16
Age Group - 30
Gender - 160
Overall - 700

Fuel: 3 bottles (water + 2 Nuun + 2 scoops CarboPro)

**The bike felt great - the wind. Now that I have some 70.3 experience under my belt I know that I can push myself a bit harder next time**


T2

Bike racked, shoes, race belt and visor on, I am happy to report that T2 was completely uneventful. And no, no potty mishaps this time around. Still decided to take my time though and focus on making sure that I had everything needed for the last 13.1 miles of my journey. A few extra minutes at the end wasn't going to matter.

T2 time - 00:04:19

**Obviously this could have been at least 2 minutes faster, but...**


THE RUN

Ok, let's start with the calf. I knew the run portion of this race was going to be the most difficult. Not only due to my injury but the simple fact that running a half marathon in itself is hard enough, let alone completing one after already racing for 4 hours. I had planned on doing a 3:1 run/walk scenario that my PT had signed off on and would see where that would take me. After about a mile the calf pain was definitely there and I was worried about doing anything that would aggravate it further. Heck, I still had a whole season and 3 more tris to get through! So easy does it.

The Boise 70.3 run is beautiful. It's a two loop, almost entirely flat course that follows directly along the river front - about 90% shaded it was a much appreciated break from the sun and wind. With an aid station at every mile it does a great job of keeping you motivated too. Water, Gatorade, GU, pretzels, chips, soda - you name it, they had it. My favorite? ICE CHIPS!! I swear those things kept me sane. I grabbed some every chance I could get. Down the front of my sports bra, down my back, rubbed all over my arms and face, it.was.heaven. The course also allows for spectators to see their racers at least three times - at miles 5, 11 and then of course at the finish. Getting to run by a crowd of supporters cheering you on so many times is a prefect way to re-fill those energy cells.

Here are some of the signs that our group made - aren't they awesome?!!!!

Loved the 'Go Random Stranger' - hope it helped to motivate someone else out there on the course!

Oh beer, how I've missed you as well!

By mile 6 the calf really started to flare up so I spent much of the last hour and a half doing more walking than running. This actually gave me a great opportunity to met all sorts of  motivating people doing just the same. Lots of Oregonians out on the course sporting their club gear too - made it very easy for me to yell out some words of encouragement. I never ending up seeing my bro on the run but I did see Kristen of Glitter and Dust fly by..holy cow, was she was in the zone! :) Would I have loved to have ran the whole thing? Of course! But to think that only a week prior I thought all my hopes of even finishing were tossed out the window. With that in mind I am thrilled with my overall performance at that point.

2 miles left and I was a ball of emotion. Every time I thought of P or The Kid I started to cry! It couldn't be helped. They have been so great in supporting me through all of my training, races, injuries and meltdowns - I just felt so blessed to have them in my life. With only a half mile to go I could hear the announcer's voice and knew the finish line was close. "Ok, Rebecca", I thought, "No more crying...you don't want people to think that you're in pain do you? Let's giddy up and sprint to the finish!".

Done. I was done!!! 6 hours and 45 minutes of non stop racing - I had conquered my first half Ironman! 70.3 miles of greatness complete. Now give me my freaking medal! :)

I swear I could not stop smiling. As I hugged everyone, chugged down ludicrous amounts of water and waited for my brother to finish, the joy of what I had just accomplished completely took over. The months of long hours and strenuous training had paid off. It was going to be awhile before I came down from my Ironman high.

Total Run Time - 02:39:40

Total Overall Race Time - 06:45:18
Age Group - 40
Gender - 239
Overall - 882

Fuel: Alternated water and electrolyte drink every mile. GU gel every 3 miles

**Not much could be helped with my run time. The energy was a bit more sluggish than I would have preferred but had zero stomach or cramping issues so my fueling must have been spot on. Excited to see how much better I can perform going into the run healthy next time**

A little over an hour later my brother had made it to the finish line too! So proud of him!! I kept thinking how much fun it must have been for my mom to see both her kids finish this race. Thankfully my pops tuned into the Ironman website and was also able to watch us both cross the finish line via their live feed. A huge THANK YOU to Ironman for allowing this to happen.

Half Ironman Boise finishers - BOOYAH!!

After our amazing finishes, my brother and I wandered over to food tent to replenish our calories by grubbing on some pizza and burgers. No beer though - that would have to wait until we got back to the house. Finished with our snacks, we all headed over to the Ironman store to pick up a few items to commemorate our accomplishments, then it was time to head back to the house.

It was a long (14 hours) day but worth every bit of the aches, pains, frustrations, lines etc. that we had to deal with.  My first HIM experience was a success and I can not wait to do it again! Many, many thanks to all my readers, fellow Tri-Fecta members, my online coaches Meredith and Brett, and friends and family for helping to make this dream a reality. The support and encouragement I've received along the way has been so overwhelmingly amazing. The sacrifices my family has made during this process is far more than I could have ever asked for.

What's next? I have quite a few more races on the calendar for this season so you'll definitely want to stay tuned. Also, Ironman Arizona 140.6 volunteer registration opens up next week..........you know what that means..........

Beer and I reunited once again........cheers!