Florida Ironman 70.3 Race Recap

Yesterday I completed the Florida Half Ironman! I completed the 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run in under 8 hours with a big smile on my face through (almost) the whole thing.

First, Caitlin needs to be recognized for being my #1 race supporter and photographer. She showed up at might house at 4:30 a.m. and never stopped encouraging me and laughing with me until much later in the afternoon. Plus, she took some awesome photos! Thanks Caitlin. I’m forever thankful :) Pre-race I fueled with an English muffin, PB, jam, a banana and coconut water.

We arrived to Disney’s Fort Wilderness around 5:20 a.m. The race started at 6:20 a.m., but I wanted plenty of time to take care of anything and everything since this was my first triathlon.

I wore Pearl Izumi tri shorts (the padding is thinner than regular bike shorts) and a Not So Deep V lululemon bra and lululemon racerback tank (for the bike and run). The outfit performed really well… except for my shorts being a little too big!

I immediately headed to my bike (which I dropped off the day before) in the transition area to get everything set up. Laying out my materials for the bike/run was kind of a shot in the dark! I basically packed everything from Caitlin’s list:

Swim:

Cap

Goggles

Sports Bra

Tri Shorts

Sandles

T1:

Bucket

Water

Two towels

Sunscreen

Fuel

Helmet

Glasses

Gloves

Shoes and Socks

Pump

Spare tire kit

Two water bottles, filled

Garmin

T2:

Hat/Bondi Band

Sunscreen

Extra socks

Running shoes

Anti-chafe stuff

Fuel

Body marking was fun. It’s neat to see how most triathletes look so much younger than they are!

SWIM

There were around 20 waves for the swim. I was about in the middle, beginning my swim 40 minutes after race start.

I always wet my hair before putting on the cap, so doing it all dry was a little bit of a challenge ;)

I was SO excited right before the swim. The music was pumping and the reality that this was the major event was about to start for me had me super excited. I was literally jumping up and down out of excitement!  I was able to splash around in the water a minute before our wave went out. I think the temperature was about 85- perfectly warm for a beginning swimmer like myself.

Then the tough part. I put my head under water, saw nothing but dark brown in front of me, felt all the seaweed and junk with every hand stroke… and I stopped breathing. I had a mini-panic attack as I watched my entire wave progress as I was frozen between my group and the start area. I flapped around trying to calm myself. After a minute I made my way to a lifeguard’s canoe and held on for a moment.

This was the scariest moment of my life. I definitely thought of quitting. Really, it seemed like the only option. It wasn’t that I was scared or just didn’t feel like tackling this… my body literally froze and I felt as if I could not breathe. It’s hard to explain that feeling unless you’ve been through it.

As I hung on to a canoe in a huge lake about to tackle my longest distance so far, I tried to calm myself. I said, “my name is Ashley and I don’t quit!” I reminded myself that I know how to swim… put one hand in front of the other and breathe. I let go of the canoe and trucked on.

The swim never felt totally relaxed, but I did it. I fell into my own groove that worked. In an odd way I loved it, actually. I took in air every other stroke.  I didn’t even mind the other athlete’s kicking/hitting me. And I actually didn’t fear the alligators. It was just me and the water :)

I felt so proud and strong finishing that swim!!!

Below is my favorite photo of me ever! I look hardcore, right? :)

I had a short run to the transition area where I was just as interested in chatting and photo opportunities as I was getting ready for my bike ride!

After some difficulty with my helmet randomly not fitting I got everything I needed and headed out for the bike leg.

BIKE

Running is my thing, but I am definitely strongest when on the bike. I rode the first part of the ride at about 20 mph. Then I got terribly bored (no headphones allowed on a very boring course) so I made friends with Nolan from Chicago. (Hey, Nolan!!!) We rode maybe half of the ride together at an easier, conversational pace.

I was so hungry during the ride that I ate everything they threw at me. I had 3 gel packs, 1 Powerbar and 1 Gatorade.

Apparently I was the only one who thought it was Swim Vinyasa Bike Vinyasa Run!

RUN

Getting off a bike that my butt had been glued to for more than three hours and then prepping to run a half marathon was weird! I hadn’t practiced brick workouts enough, so I didn’t really know how my legs would react.

The course was three loops of a varied-terrain course. It was half pavement and half grass. Unfortunately this course was pretty boring with lots of straight out and backs…. done three times.

Nothing screams hardcore like taking the time for a photo op ;)

My legs felt amazing for the run. Most people walked but my body was actually wanting to run. I think my legs operate best on exhaustion- some of my best races were within a week after a marathon!

I had another strategy during the run: eating chocolate chip cookies at almost every aid table. Hey, whatever works! (ps- The cookies and Powerbars weren’t vegan. Oh well.)

The run is where I noticed my real weakness: I have no “game face.” My body wanted to run, and I was in a RACE, but I was more interested in having fun. On the third and last lap I didn’t run as much and chatted with Nicole from Michigan.

It’s nice to have fun during a race, but I need to know how to focus and push hard when it counts. I could have biked harder and run faster very easily but I chose slowing down and chatting. That’s okay some of the time, but soon I want to see what my full potential is and make a time I can be proud of!

I sprinted a little to the finish and BOOM! I finished my first half Ironman. What a feeling! There’s a sweet mix of pride and relief that keeps me running to the finish lines.

Final Stats:

Total time: 7:51:36

Swim: 1:05:34

Bike: 3:38:26

Run: 2:47:12

 Reflections:

The race: It was challenging but doable. The three legs keep your body guessing, but they also help keep you from getting burned out from one sport. I was outside working my butt off for almost 8 hours, but it didn’t feel that intense. When I finished I immediately thought how I could do more. (hint hint)

The course: I hate to bash races, but this course was boring. There were a lot of out and backs and nothing especially interesting to look at. Not having headphones at all for almost eight hours definitely didn’t help. Also, it was insanely hot. I completed the run portion at the hottest part of the day (after noon) with little shade.

My training: I felt so strong this race! I never trained specifically for this triathlon. Instead I ran a bunch of marathons, biked two metric century distances and swam as much as I could. I don’t regret my training decisions at all. My body was well-conditioned and ready to handle the challenge, even though I hadn’t followed a specific training plan or done any brick workouts (one exercise followed immediately by another to mimic a tri). I might have performed better with a few bricks, but I don’t think I lost out.

Afterward: I feel awesome. My body was sunburned beyond belief (even though I applied sunscreen during each transition and slept with it the night before), but my muscles weren’t sore at all. Even more of a reason I should have pushed harder!

More than anything I am proud of myself for overcoming the swim. I pushed myself to swim 1.2 miles in a dark, deep lake full of alligators when I had only swam 1,000 m. in a lap pool. Everything in my body begged me to not swim, but I pushed forward in the hardest moment possible. Fear was rushing through my veins and closing my lungs, but I conquered it!

What’s next? How do I like triathlons compared to running and biking races? Am I really crazy enough to sign up for a full Ironman now? You’ll have to check back tomorrow for that. ;)

Of course I basked in my 70.3 glory by applying my hard-earned bumper sticker before even leaving the parking lot!

Have you completed a triathlon? Is a half or full Ironman in your future?