Event: July 20th, 2008

Background:

Out of impulsive determination and in the spirit of new year resolutions, I signed up for the Vineman Ironman 70.3 back in early January. Having only done a couple of Sprint triathlons and badly out of shape due to MBA madness, I wanted to have something drastic on the horizon that would motivate me to get fit again. Well, the plan quickly dissipated when the spring semester flood gate opened with classes, projects, internship and club obligations in a constant rush. So, it wasn’t till mid-May when I was finally forced to confront my impulsive “purchase.”

Preparation:

It was a bit late to kick off training in mid-May, especially with a very pathetic athletic base. However, I thought I just take it a step at a time, enjoy the process, have fun along the way and see where I end up. I didn’t really follow a specific training plan, but consciously alternated the three sports and gradually loaded on the mileage to avoid injuries.

I did a few casual and prep events along the way:

- Mt. Tam Wild Boar Ridge 10K Run: challenging single-trail “hike run”, beautiful but scary.

- Bay to Breakers: not much running there, except to get away from the naked saggy butts.

- See Jane Run 1/2 Marathon: my first all-women event, felt like I was in a dri-fit fashion show.

- San Jose International Triathlon: a good mental-prep event for the Vineman, it was super hot that day and can’t forget pacman-shaped swim in the lake

In addition, I had the opportunity to swim a portion of the Russian River and bike the entire bike course. These were definitely the confidence boosters and have helped me to stick to the race.

The Day before the Race

The day before had been quite hectic running errands and getting settled (my parents just got in town the day before and my fiance’s parents left after staying with us for the last few days). My late lunch consisted of two 99 cents cheeseburger from McDonald’s and a couple of plain bagels in the car. Luckily (and unfortunately), I OD’ed on carbo-loading the entire week, so I felt like I had enough carbs for an Ironman. For the night, I stayed in a house a town over from the starting point with a friend who is also doing the race and my fiance. Finally setting down around 6pm, we had homemade pasta together and joked around while we got ready for the next day.

Race Day

Holy crap! I’ve never seen sooooo many expensive tribikes in my life!!! I felt quite underdressed with my basic road bike, a rarity amongst the norm.

Swim:

The usual drill: drink, porta-potty, drink, get ready while chit-chatting with people around me. A pleasant surprise- my parents decided to drive all the way from Sonoma (1 hr+) early in the morning to see me off. This year, they’ve grouped age 29 and under altogether as a wave, we were the third to last wave to go.

And off, we go. With swim being my worst leg, I was overall fine with this one. There were a very slight current swimming out, but overall it was nice and calm (except when you’re being passed). The swim was a lot longer than I had expected, I think hitting the turnaround bouy took a lot longer than I had expected. Also, there were a couple of spots where you could literally stand up and walk without too much effort. I did take advantage of that to adjust my goggles.

Bike:

There was an immediate hill right out of transition, which it was encouraged that we pushed our bikes up and mount up the hill. Doing so saved me some energy and helped me to ease nicely into the bike leg. My intention for this race was to enjoy the fun and ENGAGE in the moment. I definitely did that on this leg. I felt great going into the bike and was biking faster than I anticipated. Having already bike the entire course before allowed me to relax and enjoy the scenery a bit. The only time when I felt slightly fatigued was around mile 30, but bounced back after about a couple of miles and a quick bathroom stop. I loved the cheers from spectators and the guys (age 40-44 male was the wave behind mine) who were passing me. For the entire course, I passed a few of the girls in my age group and not vice versa (although I think it’s because I was already so behind from swimming). The Chalk Hill was really not bad at all- short and sweet. Although I did pass a guy (age 35) who had dismounted and was push his bike up the hill. My favorite moment was when I rode 33-38mph down the hill. Boy, was that liberating!

Run:

I was feeling really good after the bike. Going into the run, I was surprised to feel my legs in control (probably because I took it easy on the last four miles of biking). However, I was cautious to make sure that my heart rate was in range by self-perceived exertion. I definitely did not want to hit the wall. The run was a lot more hilly than I thought. Being overly cautious, I intentionally pulled back on my speed and stayed most in the 9.5-10 mile range. Having not ran more than 4 miles since my Half Marathon in late May due to Plantar Fasciitis, I was not in running shape and had lost touch to how I was supposed to feel and how much to push myself. At that point, I decided that it was more important for me to finish my first Half Iron happily and calmly, than to try to shave minutes off of an nonexistent time and risk hitting the wall and injuries. So, I basically walked up the hills and ran down the hills. As someone who refuses to stop during half marathons, you could say that I was a fellower of Jeff Galloway for the day. It wasn’t till I was in sight of the finishline when I finally decided that I was going to sprint to the finish. Which, to my surprise, proved that I had A LOT more unused energy left in the end.

Looking Back & Lessons Learned

My goal was to finish between 6.5 hrs and 7 hrs. My time interestingly was 6 hrs 59 min 50 sec. Funny eh?! Honestly, I’m bummed that I didn’t push myself harder on the run- which had I done so, I think I could’ve at least shaved off 10 minutes on the run. Next time!!! In the end, I got what I had in mind for the Half Ironman: fun, engage, challenging and sharing the experience with friends & family. This is something that my parents have never experienced and comprehended in their lives, and I’m so happy to be able to show them my joy in the world of recreational Triathlon. I was also touched to see my parents spending the whole day cheering me on. As not-so-outdoorsy people, they even took a couple of hits- badly sunburnt and my dad scrapping his knees as a result of trying to chase me down for photos while avoiding taking down some kids! Lastly, definitely want to thank my Fiance for putting up with me and my unpredictable nervousness. Finally, a major lessons learned: do not carbo-load like there’s no tomorrow. Ironically after the race, I think I actually gained a few pounds from overboarding on carbo-loading. UGH! I feel nasty. I think it’s going to be salads for the next couple of weeks!