Well after about 10 years of dreaming of doing this race Atsuko 2 years ago told me that 2010 was our year. Luckily 4 other women from Revelstoke decided to sign up. We became known as the Ironwomen. I never could have done this without the support of all my wonderful training partners in Revy. This year also brought about many new friendships which has made the world of triathlon which i've been doing for over 10 years so much more enjoyable.
The week leading up to the race was more stressful than it needed to be. I had major mechanical issues with my bike plus the first hole in my wetsuit ever. I slept the night before which was so much better than in Oliver where I couldn't sleep the night before.
The swim start was very exciting. I ran into all the Revy clan just prior to race start and a lucky shot together before the big day. I choose to start a little off to the left. Mardi and I started together but i lost her about 300 m into the swim. I had expected the first third of the swim to be the worst but i had lots of clear room for quite a while. Closer to the first turn around the excitement began. I got punched in the eye and had to stop 3 times to re-adjust my goggles. Then i got punched in the ribs. What always amazed me was that when things got tight and a little crazy it just as quickly spread out and i'd have room again. I wished I had known how many buoys there were because I kept seeing the numbers and couldn't easily judge how much further I had to go. I also had no concept of how i was swimming. I just tried to swim steady with a nice relaxed cadence. I knew I had a long day ahead. I got out of the water in 1:08:36 and was thrilled. I figured I could swim in this time but wasn't sure how it would pan out with all the other swimmers.
The transition out of the swim was amazing. They volunteers went above and beyond. In just over 6 mins I had the wetsuit stripped, dried and a fresh warm set of clothes put on, and slathered full body with sunscreen because I burn like crazy (even if there was no sunshine).
Off on the bike i was feeling pretty good. I choose to keep my Garmin on the bike to control myself on the way down to Osoyoos. I didn't really have a target other than wanting to not be above my LBP. The tailwind down was great. I am not the strongest on the flats and got passed by many people but still averaged about 30-35 km at times and felt great. I loved my new ZIP wheels and have told my husband he will never get them back.
I told my first bathroom stop at the way up Richter which was enough time to let me make another bottle of fluid. The climb up Richter went smoothly with lots of local Revy support who ran with me in drag get-up. This is definetely where I finally started to pass people and continued to do this all the way to the top of Yellow Lake. Prior to the rollers I started to feel a bit funny in my head. I had been consuming 1 bottle with 200 calories of Carbopro and 1 nuun tablet/hour plus 1 gel per hour. At the next aid station I took a bottle of water which really helped to make me feel less "fuzzy". I survived the rollers really thankful for the men with their shell breasts who kept showing up when i just needed a little boost. The out and back at Keremeos was a nice change of pace. I stopped at the special needs area and picked up two more bottles of fuel. This pickup was smooth without incident. At this point I had to pee so badly and someone told me while waiting in line it was illegal to pee in the bushes so i ended up wasting 10 mins standing in line at a port-a-potty. In hind-sight this was a poor decision and next time would just pee in the bush. The horrible headwind started for me on my way back to Highway 3A. It was a real blow to drop into the small front chain ring and suddenly pedal only 11-12 km/hour. My legs were on fire but i just dropped into arrow and pushed through it. The wind settled by the time i started the climb up Yellow Lake. Saw Bart on my last climb up to Yellow Lake and a few other friends. I had thought seeing people on this spot would carry me up but I found the volume of people a bit overwhelming. But who knows how I would have felt if there had been nobody there. I started this season riding downhill tentatively but Mallorca helped me advance these skills. In the race once I reached the top I thoroughly enjoyed a fast ride into the town. Total bike time = 6:53:27. Little slower than hoped but 15 mins in the bathroom and a crazy headwind made things slower. Nutrition wise though I kept on top of things and felt topped up starting the run.
Into transition I wondered if my legs would be able to carry me for a full marathon but I took it easy and suprisingly my legs didn't feel that bad. I did not have my usual speed (which usually isn't too fast to begin with). I was glad I hadn't taken my Garmin because I think that knowing how slow I ran would have bothered me. Instead my goal was to get to the next aid station and then enjoy a walk. I definetely walked every aid station and later on every uphill. But even though I did this I managed a negative split. Probably could have finished stronger with less walking in the end but just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was trying to enjoy the day. At 5 km into the run I developed my usual exquisite left foot pain. I had come equipped with tylenol and ibuprofen in the event this happened. I decided to stop to make sure my sock was not folded and to give my foot a little rub and then took some tylenol. BIG MISTAKE. Ended up with the worst cramp of my life. I had not planned for this at all. Thought i'd never run again. But managed to get going and then was afraid to stop for some time. Stupidly i forgot my salt tabs but started drinking chicken noodle soup to help me recover. I carried water with me which was essential to help me get my gels down. I still consumed 1 gel per hour. But at each aid station I started to alternate between gatorade/water and then chicken soup/water. In the last 5 km I threw some pepsi in for a little variety. Total run time: 4:51:52. Definetely slower than in training but obviously had never put this kind of distance together. Had a strong finish into the finish line crying and smilling all at once. The crowds carried me in the last 2 km for sure. So many people chanting my name. Talk about overwhelming.
Overall an amazing day. The volunteers really make this race and they are absolutely amazing.
Had a rough night after with major GI distress and the worst stiffness I have ever felt. 4 days later I am finally eating normally again. My muscle pain resolved 2 days ago but now i feel sort of lost. What did i used to do when I didn't have a daily workout plan. Ginny started giving us our training plans in November.
Thanks everyone for the great support for this amazing journey. So glad to have met so many new friends to share this journey with. Thanks to Ginny for providing us with a plan that worked and got me to the finish line still smiling. Special thanks to Bart for putting up with me this year. At times I wasn't always the easiest person to deal with. I can now call myself official an IRONWOMAN. Wohoo!
