I diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid it! OMG – I REALLY
REALLY diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid it and if you couldn’t tell, I am just a tad
bit excited. I should really be sleeping right now, but I can’t! I have such a
mixed emotion of feelings running through my head, I didn’t know was possible. I
am excited! I want to scream, I want to
laugh, I want to cry, I want to hug Jorge (my coach) – I really hope he is
reading this because he is going to have to brace himself for probably the biggest
hug EVER, I am super stoked about what lies ahead, and it would be a lie if I didn’t
say that I am just a little bit “scared”. Of course I can’t forget to thank to
all those around me that make my dream come true – my family/friends – this is
for ALL of you too! Let’s ALL go to KONA baby!
I am honestly still not quite sure it has all sunk
in yet, but I know that 109 days from todayI will be toeing the line of my
FIRST EVER full ironman and there is NO turning back now! What better way to
lose my ironman virginity than in Kailua- Kona Hawaii, right? Somebody PINCH me
now!
And here comes my weekend recap. You better grab a
drink and a snack, because this may be a long one! I would like to say, I had a
perfect race, but I didn’t. I am very proud for overcoming the adversity that I
was faced with, and obviously I am ecstatic about the final outcome. Now
without further adieu, here comes the recap of my adventure to Lubbock, TX and
the Buffalo Springs 70.3.
Thursday:
I arrived in Lubbock, TX on Thursday early
afternoon. I have received multiple warnings about what I was about to see, but
I was still quite in shock when I got off the tiny little plane (I may have
smacked my head once or twice trying to get my carry on bag into the overhead space),
and hopped in my little red companion for the next few days. Lubbock isn’t
exactly a lively town, and the highway surroundings – well there really aren’t
many. I went to check in to the host hotel, but because my room wasn’t ready
yet, I explored the surrounding area, and found Barnes & Noble, and couple
of quality reads!
The rest of the Thursday was quite uneventful minus
the trip to Super Walmart for some groceries, and Sunday really couldn’t come
fast enough.
Friday:
I got a great night sleep, and set out to check out
the venue! And quite the venue it was. I decided to drive the course first,
just because at that time I thought it would be a GREAT idea to do my EZ 35 min
run with a few pick ups right around the time that I would be running during
the race to really see what kind of heat I’ll feel on race day. Did I mention
yet that Texas is hot? So I am driving, and driving, and driving and the
scenery is NOT changing – well there really was NO scenery. Below are a few
shots I snapped while driving the 56 mile bike course, and parts of the run
course.
Run course pics: The entrance into the energy lab II road and the "beautiful" view :)
The Not So scenic bike course pics in no particular order:
The only friends I saw along the way:
They were actually quite amused that I was taking pics of them
Better make that turn right here or else it will end in dirt!
My ride for the trip:
Aaaand the never changing scenery:
Different spot, same view:
From the top of the hill (who knew there were hills in Texas!)
One of the U- turns
The MAIN road scenery and more friends :)
Museum!
During the 56 miles, I may have seen one other car,
many more gigantic tractors and other machines that I had no idea what those
were called. The race director was already out there marking the course and the
few potholes that were there all while also riding a weird looking “machine”, I
later realized he was sweeping the roads for us! The course wasn't beautiful, but the organization was top notch! The course had a few (7 to be
exact) hills in it but nothing to really be worried about. It was really going
to be the heat, and strong headwinds that were going to play the major factor
for me.
After that I went for a quick swim in the Buffalo
Springs Lake.
I think it took me longer to put my wetsuit on than I swam for,
and in the process I managed to “poke” a hole in my TYR Hurricane.
Aaaaaaaaaargh – I swear that wetsuit is so hard to get on, and so easily “ripped”.
The lake was warm, and super dirty – like you couldn’t even see your arm in
front of you dirty. Note to self – try NOT to swallow water during the swim
which is easier said than done.
Swim was followed by a 5 mile run on the run course
without any water in the heat of the day! NOT exactly one of my smartest
decisions to date. It was HOT, I was cooking, and I didn’t even run hard – all
I could think about was HOW am I going to run 13.1 in this heat? Flashbacks
from my awful run from Vegas last September were starting to creep in –
Nooooooooooo.
I was all done for the day by lunch time, and
because there isn’t exactly that much to do around here, I actually kept my
feet up for the rest of the day except for when I had to pick up my “Fireball” –
he made the trip with TriBike transport unharmed! Thank you TriBike! I also had
a great dinner with Pat Dwyer (BTT friend) and his wife (thanks guys for
letting me tag along), and for finding a good dinner spot!
Saturday:
Saturday was here before I knew it, and I got
another great night sleep. Pat and I went for a 10 mile spin on our bikes. We
pretty much rode the run course and boy was it windy! We were both riding
discs, and we were both questioning the call, but it turned out to be a good
one. “Fireball” was ready to go J and my legs
felt great!
I then hopped in for a quick swim in my TYR Torque
speedsuit this time, and water felt so nice. Nice enough that I figured race
wouldn’t be wetsuit legal, and if it was, staying cool would be a bit of a
problem. Bike/swim was followed by a HUGE breakfast! My favorite pre-race meal –
and I ate like a champ! Bowl of oatmeal with fruit, 2 gigantic pancakes, 3 egg
whites, hash browns and orange juice to wash it all down. YUM! Rest of the day
again, was spent mostly in my hotel room, just relaxing. I even took a nap. J
Then it was time to eat dinner, and try to fall asleep as 3:15 alarm was going
to be here before I knew it.
And now, let’s finally get to one of the most
exciting days of my young triathlon life.
Sunday:
My alarm went off way too early but I was ready! For
once actually awake, and ready to get this party started. I almost ate my
entire bagel with pbj, and a banana and drove over to the site. Due to the
early start most of morning was pitch black, but the sun rose as we were ready
to get started. I walked through the transition at least 10 times so that I
didn’t forget where my bike was and so that I could be in and out of there
FAST! (Now let’s remember this comment later). I visited the PP many times, and
before I knew it, I was putting on my wetsuit. In the process, of course I
managed to put ANOTHER freaking hole in it! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh what is wrong
with me! I warmed up quickly, and it was time to line up for the start of the
race.
The
Swim: (36:11)
This was the HARDEST and MOST PHYSICAL swim of my
life! I was in the 2nd wave after the pro’s and all females were
together. I have no idea how many of us were together, but most of the swim was
a boxing match. As a matter of fact the whole first half of the swim was
insane. I kept getting punched from left, and right, getting pulled and pushed
down from behind, and I was giving away my fair share of the same – there was
literally just NOWHERE to go. I have been working pretty hard on my swim, and
so I have made a deal with myself. No more, old lady like sighting and braking
my rhythm to pop my head up, no more sighting every 4 strokes because honestly,
I don’t go very far with my 4 strokes. I was going to count to 15 – 20, trust
my line and only then look up. It takes me anywhere from 18-20 strokes to swim
25 yards so even if I didn’t swim straight how far of the course could I really
be, right? Well that went out the window fast because honestly I just kept
bumping into people, and getting bumped. After the half way point, I finally
found some clear water, and did just what I set out to do, and I think it is what
helped me to my new swim PR of 36:11. Now just imagine if the boxing match
could have been avoided, I know I would have swam sub 35, and that makes me
super happy. I know I still have long ways to go, but have no doubt I WILL get
to that 30 min mark. I didn’t swim with a watch so I had no idea of my time,
but the girl whose bike was next to mine shared her swim time with mine, so I
was excited to get on with the bike – good swim – CZECH! Now let the (excuse my French) shit show
begin.
Transition
1: (2:08)
Earlier, I made sure to “remember” where my bike was
racked, right? In those 36 minutes, I somehow forgot and took the wrong turn
down the wrong row. I actually went one row too far and when I got roughly to
the middle of it, my bike wasn’t there. Now imagine the panic, with my wetsuit
hanging off my hips when I couldn’t see “Fireball” and the numbers I was
reading weren’t anywhere near mine. Panic has set in and I finally realized I
was in the wrong row! Crap! I ducked under the set of bars, hoped over to the
correct row and finally spotted “Fireball”, but it felt like it took an hour! I
am actually pretty sure it was quite comical! OMG – I really couldn’t believe
it! My transitions are usually super fast, and now this, not now. I was so
frustrated with myself and it didn’t help that there was literally a traffic
jam trying to get out of the transition area through to the “Bike Out”. I had to stop – this is a race people – move and
get out of the way please - every second counts in my mind!
Bike: (2:31:38)
Let the shit show continue. I finally hopped on my
bike, more than ready to work my way through the field. I climbed the first
hill, which is followed by a screaming downhill that finishes by going over a
bridge. I must have been going pretty close to 40 mph when I hit the bridge and
heard a loud noise. Oh oh. I look down and my 2 weeks old joule bike computer
is GONE! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, OMG! No, no, no, no – this CAN’T
be happening right now! This thing was far too expensive to leave behind, but so
was getting here, and I came too far to stop during a race. I wanted this Kona
slot BAD! My heart sunk, and my brain made the decision for to me. I slammed on
my brakes turned around, and went back to look for it. I looked around for
couple minutes and just didn’t see it L. I couldn’t
waste anymore time. There were couple of volunteers on the golf cart collecting
water bottles and whatever else fell of people’s bikes so I told them if the
find it to give it to Lost & Found. (so far it hasn’t been returned L)
. So computer less, powerless, timeless, distance less, just simply BLIND, I
set out on my way. UGH! I never ride without my computer, how am I am going to
know when to eat, drink, pop salt caps – I wasn’t exactly in the happiest
places of all, but it was time to GO GO GO , if I wanted that slot! I quickly
remembered that since the aid stations were every 10 miles, and I knew roughly
what time I should be able to ride, I could figure out how long I have been on
the course. I also asked couple of times when going uphill by people how long
into the ride and how far they were. I did get a couple of weird looks, but
when I mentioned I lost my computer, they at least didn’t think I was totally
crazy! I kept working my way through the field, and I was feeling good. I kept
hydrating and pouring an entire bottle all over myself at ever aid station –
definitely worth the slow down. I wasn’t hot, and I kept moving. The headwind
got pretty stiff for the last 15 miles, but I love my aero position, and I
really believed it actually played to my advantage. I kept passing people the entire
56 miles and I rode aero even on most uphills hiding from the wind. I am very
happy with my final time, and really would like to see my power file if I
could, but we will never know. I felt great getting off the bike, and I rode
right around the time Jorge said I would, so I am again happy with my bike time
though if I didn’t stop at all, I could have broken 2:30 which would have been
sweet!
Transition
2: (1:20)
A lot faster than the first one! Phew! I found my
running shoes in no time J, and I only saw one bike racked so I
assumed there was one girl in front of me. Time to go get her. In reality there
were two but somehow I missed Ashley.
Run:
(1:43:56)
Guess what – my GARMIN worked and I didn’t lose my
watch!!!!!!!! J
And yes – it was HOT! Like 95+ hot and there really wasn’t anywhere to hide. The
plan was to take it out relatively EZ, make it up the hills EZ, survive the
energy lab, and then push the last 6.5 miles to the finish. I started out
controlled, and my pace was GREAT! I didn’t feel like I was pushing it, and my
legs felt awesome. I passed the girl whose bike I saw racked very close to mine
in the first mile, and I thought I could be in first at that time, but because
nobody had their ages on the calf you really didn’t k now. I kept taking ice at
every water stop and half the cup went down my pants and other half I held on
to in my hands. That strategy worked for good 8 miles and the ice in my hands
really kept me cool from aid station to aid station. I won’t bore you with my
splits, but I did actually negative split the energy lab and felt really good
until the last hill between miles 9 and 10. I wasn’t able to grab ice there
because it was too crowded and I chose not to stop. Maybe that was a mistake,
but I was never quite able to get the mojo back after that, and the last 3
miles lasted FOREVER. I kept trying to pick it up, once I grabbed some ice at
mile 10, but I was so hot at that point, that the ice cubes that would last me
a mile before, would seriously evaporate from my hands in less than a minute. I
could feel the heat rising from the palms of my hands. I kept trying to pick it
up, and I was running scared – I had no idea who was behind me, but there was
no way I was getting beat in the last 3 miles of the run. I was sooooo glad to
be done! Not exactly my fastest run by far, but I felt much better than I did
in Vegas back in September in similar heat, and I think I can figure this whole
heat thing up and get faster in it. I am definitely not as “intimidated” by it
as I was 24 hours ago. Proper cooling sure goes a long way.
Final
Time: 4:55:13 (2nd AG, behind Ashley
Johnson who had an awesome race). Great, super nice girl, and I am looking
forward to seeing her in Vegas! It was very nice to meet you Ashley!
So here you have it. I came to Lubbock, Texas this
weekend with one goal in mind and that was to qualify for KONA! I knew it was
going to take a great race, and I knew I had to most likely win my AG. I didn’t
have a perfect race, but I am very happy with the way I overcame adversity I
faced today. It was my lucky day when Ashley decided to not take her Kona slot
and told me right after the race so I didn’t have to wait till awards that
night to find out we actually had 2 Kona slots anyways! I wanted it, and I
wanted it bad. I had raced 2 tough races in the last 6 or so weeks, so I felt
like all I have been doing was tapering and recovering, but all the work that
went into this throughout the year (s) had paid off! It’s now 24 hours later,
and I am still NOT sure I quite comprehend what happened yesterday.
I am going to KONA to compete in my first EVER full
ironman! Holy Shit! It is for REAL and not just a dream anymore.
I say it every time, and he always says it’s all my
hard work, BUT I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today, if it wasn’t for
my coach Jorge Martinez (www.e3ts.com) (@coachJorgeM) He is much more than a
great coach, and I think he deserves to come to Hawaii with me. What do you
think?
Thanks to all for reading, and you can now follow my
journey to Vegas and Kona! Why not do the double, right? J