Saint George Half Ironman 5/2/15
Top 35-39 Female Age Groupers
PRE RACE ANXIETY
Saint George has always been a tough course for me. When I did my 3rd Ironman in Saint George I wasn't prepared mentally for all the hills, and the freezing cold water. The next year I crashed a few days before the race and needed a new seat, helmet and seat post. I also had a flat tire in the first 15 miles of the race. My friend Jen gave me the motto that "I rock at hills". However I felt horrible all day. The following year after surviving the crazy windy swim, my shifter broke half way through the bike ride and I was unable to finish. This was one of the most disheartening races. Then they changed the course to a half Ironman. I still had a rough time with the hills and thought that running on hills was a great weakness. I also thought I was not meant to race early in the tri season. However, last year I finally had a good race in Saint George. So I was thinking of not racing this year and leaving the race feeling good about my performance. However, I love how close Saint George is to Salt Lake. The beauty of the course keeps pulling me back year after year. Also the volunteers at this race are amazing.
Two weeks before the race, I had my car stolen during a run after a long bike ride. My bike, phone, and wallet were inside the car and were also stolen. Such an emotional and stressful ordeal. I had an old frame I never sold and had some friends help me make it race ready. I rode twice on the bike before heading to Saint George. The day before the race around 2pm at Sand Hollow I did a little bike ride and the shifter broke. Seriously I thought to myself, maybe I am just not meant to race. Thankfully the Red Cliffs bike shop was able to make my shifter functional, by applying a lot pressure sideways and down. I was worried about the shifter but decided to race anyway. I have dealt with stress before in Saint George, just try to relax. I talked with a few friends and my coach which always helps calm my nerves.
GOALS
My goal is always to have a good race, and to improve from last year. Last year I had a really bad swim with a lot of goggle issues. I have been working hard on my swim, so I was hoping to have a better swim than last year. I have worked hard all last year on my bike, and although my bike times were not great last year my run times were improving. So I was really hoping to have a good bike split, even though I wan't sure how my bike would hold up. My run I was hoping to finish strong, and to feel good on the last half.
RACE
The weather seemed perfect. My swim start was at 7:51 so I started about an hour later than the pros. It was fun to watch all the strong pros exit the water and transition to the bike. The water temps were in the 60s. I focused on my pull for the swim, had no google issues, and felt fairly good. I never time my swim, but it felt like a solid swim.
Running Towards T1
For the bike I didn't put any expectations on myself. I loved seeing Ashley (2nd overall female amateur) on the bike ride, who is always upbeat, and had sparkles around her numbers. We kept passing each other throughout the ride. I really enjoyed the bike! The red rock scenery is amazing. I tried not to push myself too hard up the hills to save my legs for the run. My shifter that was struggling survived, however when I started up snow Canyon on the path I was trying to shift into a harder gear and the other shifter would not shift. Great! I thought to myself I have been performing well and now my bike will be ruined, when I get to the top of Snow Canyon I will not be able to shift into a harder gear. Oh well just see what happens at least most of snow canyon is uphill. The temps were rising, I could feel my head heating up Snow Canyon. Thankfully at the top of the hill the shifter kicked in and worked. I am so lucky! So I enjoyed the ride down to Saint George.
I know the run course well and wanted to make sure I had enough energy to feel good after mile 7. I told myself to stay relaxed. So I started my shuffle up to red hills parkway. I may have started a little too slow considering my last half was 53 sec/mile faster than the first half. However it sure felt good to come home strong. I had no GI issues which was awesome! My run time was slower than last year but still happy about my race. I am beginning to believe that , "I rock at hills"
Running Towards the Finish Line
RESULTS
4:53:31
I am happy with my race. I reached my goals. I have never placed 1st in my age group at an Ironman branded race.
1st in age group out of 142 (35-39 age group)
5th overall female amateur
142 out of 2586 athletes (overall rank includes men and women pros)
Swim 32:08 PR swim. Yay!
Bike 2:37:55. Amazing that I biked 4min faster than last year!
Run 1:38:58 Not a PR, but ran well the last half of the race. Always something to work on.
T1 3:14 Need to work on my swim to bike transition
T2 1:16 Good bike to run transition for me
LESSONS LEARNED
How to prepare for the mind games on the Ironman Saint George Course
1) Prepare yourself for a hard race. The water in Sand Hollow can be freezing cold and wavy. There will be lots of hills both on the bike and the run. Train and practice on the hills. This is a hard half Ironman. Realize that the course can be windy and hot, so you have to prepare yourself for the possibility of challenging weather. Focus on things you can control. Break down the course into segments and have mantras to help yourself endure.
2) "We cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward." ~Victor E. Frankl.
I have had several bad races in St George, including a DNF. To improve takes patience, hard work and a determination to keep working hard despite having a bad race. Learn from failures and mistakes and use what you learn to make new goals. Set goals that will push you out of your comfort zone, but at the same time not so big that it discourages you. Enjoy the journey and the little successes in training.
3) "You are what you think. You are what you go for. You are what you do!" ~ Bob Richards.
In my mind, I thought that running on hills was a great weakness. Things started to turnaround when I started to believe that "I rock at hills". I am very grateful for my friend Jen for giving me this motto. Now, every time I run up a hill, I think I rock at it.
4) Coaches are invaluable resources. The night before my race, I called my coach and she helped me prepare mentally for the race. Equally, important is your friends. I could have never have made it through the emotional and stressful ordeal of having my bike stolen, finding a new bike, dealing with a broken shifter before the race on my own. They help you when you need it the most. I am very thankful to have them in my life.
5) Enjoy the race! Enjoy the athletes, the atmosphere, and the volunteers. Relax and trust in your training. It is an opportunity to test your limits and surprise yourself.
I hope you never find yourself with a stolen car, a stolen bike, a broken shifter, a flat tire, a dropped chain, a lot of bad things... if you do, call me and I will help you through it. :)
Lastly, thank you to Brave Heart Coaching Salt Lake City for the coaching and Elevation Endurance for all the bike classes.
Brave Heart Athletes
