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thejerkstorecalled · 9 years

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Race re-cap for Day 1: Ironman 70.3 Zell am See

Given a lot of pertinent information has been covered in other ‘chapters,’ I’ll jump right into the race start! I didn’t get a chance to do a warm up swim because I was rushing around to secure a swim cap. As my swim wave waited to enter the water, ladies were sharing that they were nervous about the size of our start wave, saying there were 400-500 of us starting together. It’s true – this was a MASSIVE start wave! All the ladies were starting at the same time. We were one of the first start waves, and were graciously allotted ten minutes before the 30-34 year old men started behind us.

We entered the water and were jam packed into the start corral with approximately one square foot of personal space per person. I was getting super nervous for the start and imaging all the elbows and feet that would likely meet my face, but I also didn’t want to start in the back and get stuck there since I’d been consistently coming out of the water in the top quarter to third of my start waves even though I certainly don’t consider myself a good swimmer. I seeded myself on the far right edge by the dock, on the third row back, and starting thinking about my strategy for avoiding impact with flailing body parts. Suddenly we all looked over and saw pink caps converging on the first buoy. What’s going on?! Were some ladies in a sub-wave allowed to take off early? No, not at all. Major false start. We had to wait to for a boat to intercept these ladies and have them swim back to the start corral. This cost some real time, and Ironman wasn’t pushing back the start time for the men behind us which meant that there would be upwards of 700+ folks starting the swim course very close together.

After a delay of several minutes, the women took off and it was surprisingly slightly less physical than I had imagined. I stayed to the right because I prefer to swim on my own at the expense of logging extra yards. I noticed before we’d even reached the turn on this out-and-back course that the men behind us had taken off and caught up to the female group. With every breath to the left I could see pink caps getting mauled by blue caps, it was a righteous cluster and I was happily avoiding it by swimming very far to the right and logging an extra tenth of a mile on the course!

When I emerged from the water, I saw that I had swam under 38-minutes, which is not great at all, but I would certainly take it given the situation.

We filtered into T2, which took us onto a rubber track (like a football field track) and by racks labeled with our race numbers where our transition bags were hanging. I grabbed my bag and continued right into the changing tent to swap out my wetsuit and goggles for helmet and sunglasses.

Right onto the bike my legs were burning. My power didn’t look out of control, but it was hard to tell because I was trying to get the ball rolling pretty hard. I think some of it was that I hadn’t been on my tri bike in about two weeks and the burn is a little different on my road bike, which I’d been training on, so I was hoping it was just a ‘re-adjustment’ issue. Given that feeling along the rolling, high cadence portion of the course, I was actually anxious to start the climb around mile twelve.

A photo that Topher shot from the midpoint of the climb while we were driving the course on Friday.

The climb was 15 kilometers straight up hill. It starts off relatively steep (7-8% grade), then levels off where I can ride in aero in the middle of my little ring (I actually even switched to the big ring for some sections) before it gets really gnarly and the last 2km are a grind along a 15% grade. This part was really tough. I saw people walking their bikes both days and one guy trying to resist it fell over on his bike right in front of me, plus I could hear my valve extender rolling around inside my back wheel. I could see this was a slow 9-10 mile stretch that was taking me a while and really drawing out my bike time, but I felt I was doing pretty well since I was sticking with a strop group of Europeans the whole climb and we’d dropped quite a few others a ways back on the hill.

Once we eclipsed the hill, there were some pretty treacherous switchbacks and hairpin turns where WTC/Ironman had set up tall guard rails with pads on them to catch rogue cyclists. It was a fun stretch for me and I’m used to that kind of riding given all the mountainous Northern California routes I’ve been tackling. After two or four miles, the descent straightens out and you can really hammer. Eventually this becomes rolling hills. When you hit town, there are A LOT of turns, so this was definitely a course to test bike-handling skills. I felt better about mine on Sunday, perhaps already having ridden the course. Another thing I was able to correct on Sunday was the chain drop that happened with about ten miles to go – it’s been a long time since I’ve done that! I hated to get off my bike and spend time fixing it since I felt like I was losing momentum, but on the whole, my legs felt much better after the climb and I really felt warmed up on the loops in the last twenty miles. This was a very scenic and really fun bike course!

After rolling into T2 and grabbing my run gear bag, which was labeled and hanging on a rack on the opposite side of the tent from the bike gear bags, I put on my racing flats and took off. I was surprised that my legs felt pretty light and my stomach felt good, I was excited to tackle this run!

I started on the run with a handful of girls that appeared to be near my age, and initially it felt like we were all running the same pace. I was thinking it was going to be a pretty interesting run! After a mile or two, I was able to shake them and was feeling pretty good. The run course starts you off on the lake path, and then takes you into town on the cobblestone and pitchy hills. This was fun due to the spectators and crowds but definitely wasn’t accelerating the pace. Afterward, we went back out on the lake trail to the turnaround for each loop, which ended in a long ascent in direct sunlight, and dern it was hot! The actual turn loop was in the shade and there was an announcer with music who called out competitors’ names and nationalities as they made the turn – I thought that was really awesome!

In town, I saw the Oylers and some other Atlantans cheering, which was great for a mid-run boost!

On the second loop, I was heading up the long, slow climb to the turn and a girl passed me. I recognized her from the beginning of the run. I wasn’t certain if she was in my age group, but she sure looked like she could be. My legs were getting heavy, so on the climb, she pulled ahead of me. At the turnaround, the announcer proclaimed that I was in eighth place. I knew I had about 5k left in the race, and that seemed like a good stretch to potentially catch some more girls, so my pace picked up again for the last 5k. As well, I caught that girl on the descent from the turnaround loop and got a look at her bib. There was no body marking at these events, so you couldn’t determine a competitor’s age group by checking their calf. It was listed on their bib with the race number, and I could tell by her bib and number that she was in fact in my age group. The race was on! I was focused on forward momentum, so didn’t look behind me to see how close she was, but I knew she was running pretty well and could assume she wasn’t far behind me. Based on when she pulled ahead at prior points on the run, I was nervous heading back into town, as there was more climbing leading to the finish, so I was trying to do what I could on the descents and flat straightaways since I had been able to pick up speed there on earlier stretches.

Alas, when I pulled into town and started the final climbs, about a quarter-mile from the finish, she pulled ahead. I was really trying to catch her. It was like the run from the Iron War, and I’m sad to say that I was Dave Scott all the way. I chased her through the finish line as I passed Michael and Giorgia cheering – she snagged sixth place and I seventh by fourteen seconds, we were both a minute off the podium and I could tell she was as hungry for that slot as I was. We thanked each other for the push and tried to determine our finish position before collecting medals and morning clothes.

I felt good about this race, particularly the way I stayed relaxed given the scenario at the swim start, and then the way I was able to compete with the Europeans on the bike - I consider them super bikers - to move up in the age group and female rankings, and finally that I was able to finish strong on the run. There was one girl in my age group that rode the bike course in 2:48, the other ‘fastest’ times were low 2:50s and I was right behind them, what a tough course! Following that, I was able to run within thirty seconds of the fastest run time for my age group. Though I didn’t land on the podium or walk away with a slot to race in Australia, I was pretty happy with the way things unfolded.

#im703zell #ironman #half ironman #halfironman

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thejerkstorecalled · 9 years

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Race re-cap for Day 2: Ironman 70.3 World Championship

I was happy to wake up on Sunday not feeling sore! I felt relaxed and ready to enjoy a day on the course because that’s what I needed to do to finish out a good weekend of training for Ironman Lake Tahoe.

It was great to sleep in and have low pressure and expectations on race day. I think a lot of it was tied to the fanfare with this being a Championship event, but largely this laid back day of ‘racing’ really helped me get back to what the sport is all about and I’m really grateful for that opportunity.

After sitting on the side of the lake with Michael and watching Sebastian Kienle suit up just ten feet over, I headed into transition to drop my morning bag and do a warm up swim. I was hoping to see my former [Atlanta Triathlon Club race] teammate Giorgia and wish her Bona Fortuna, but there was a lot of bustle in the swim warm up area.

I joined the line for my age group to enter the start corral of the swim and immediately noticed a different vibe than Saturday. The competitors were light-hearted, relaxed, bubbly and chatty. It was a lot of fun catching up with the other girls pre-swim. I noticed a VERY big difference when we got in the start corral in the lake – there was so much room! Much different from Saturday’s swim start, and I was very relieved by this.

The start gun went off and I headed left instead of just staying right. For nearly the entire first length of the out-and-back, I swam stroke for stroke with another girl. It was nice to have company! I did noticed this time that it was actually pretty difficult to pull left and get really close to the buoy line. I was also a bit torn on if I wanted to. I knew there was another group starting behind us and that they’d likely catch me quickly since this was a Championship race, however I was hoping they would be gentle since it was 55-59 year old mean and women 55+. I didn’t encounter any of them until about half way through the stretch back to shore and I wouldn’t really characterize them as gentle, so I shifted back a bit more toward the right although I still wasn’t all that close to the buoys. I finished the swim without drama or incident and was happy to see that I was just a few seconds off the previous days’ swim and faster than my swims at both St George and Boulder earlier this year!

No room for flip flops in this wetsuit!

I ran into transition and grabbed my bike bag and also the flip flops that I’d tossed over the fence J.

Getting out onto the bike, my legs felt better than the beginning of the bike on Saturday, but I also noticed I wasn’t pushing very much power, which was to be expected. I was able to pass a handful of girls in my age group straight away. Although I knew racing wasn’t the goal, it was still fun to try to compete a little! As well, I was able to notice elements of the course that I didn’t the previous day, such as the long stretch through a tunnel. The fellas mentioned this after Saturday’s race and I had no idea what they were talking about.

As soon as I hit the major climb, my legs felt much different than Saturday! This is where I could tell that I wasn’t fresh and people were passing me constantly. It was fine – I was doing what I could, and I knew this would be good training for Tahoe. I ended up riding a good portion with a guy from South Africa, so I explained to him the latter parts of the climb and he informed me I was nuts for racing both days. Funny fella. The last 2km was especially hard on Sunday – I was eagerly awaiting the summit and wasn’t sure if my legs could carry me to the peak. I was so thrilled when I arrived, as I knew the rest of the day really would be all downhill from there!

I recovered fairly quickly for the rollers and though I knew I was about eight minutes behind where I was on Saturday as of the summit, I was trying to see if I could keep the same post-summit tempo. In retrospect, this may not have been the best idea since I dropped my second bottle of Infinit trying to get through an aide station too quickly, and opted to leave it and keep riding. I took the rollers a tad easier, but as I got into town, I felt really warmed up, perhaps given the literal heat of the day, and I knew the course, so it was a lot of fun. I was being bold on the turns in town and that’s when I noticed a funny and very unexpected thing – I was starting to catch a lot of girls that I saw earlier on the bike course. I wasn’t sure if it was a) because they were tired and running out of gas after the climb b) due to the heat, which was pretty intense given the later time of day or c) on account of their hesitant and conservative bike handling. Particular to b), there were additional aide stations out on Sunday to provide extra hydration in the heat, and I definitely took two more bottles on the second day, but I have to think it was all of the above, as I did notice that I was passing and putting distance on girls around the turns. I don’t think of myself as a good bike handler, but I have gotten a lot of experience the last few months training on mountainous Northern California roads during HIM and OD effort bike intervals. At any rate, I rolled back into transition and prepared for the run.

I was thankful that, with the heat, volunteers were handing out water as we exited transition for the run course. Immediately, I could tell that it was steaming hot, my HR was high and my breathing not under control. I stayed steady and was able to manage all this after about a mile or two, and was shocked to see that I’d also dropped some girls out of T2. After I was more composed, it was starting to bother me that my timing chip strap was loose, as this was causing the chip to slam into my ankle with each step and it was pretty painful. I tried to adjust it at a couple aid stations, but evidently not well enough since it still left a bruise!

The Garmin I was wearing had died on the bike, mostly because I’m a bonehead and didn’t charge it after Saturday’s race. I think this was a good thing because then I couldn’t see my run splits and let them get in my head. I really needed to focus on being comfortable and careful while continuing to move forward. This allowed me to take my time at every aid station, and then when my GI issues really erupted, for me to stop at the portolets on the second loop. As well, for some reason, my shoe kept coming untied. This has never been ‘a thing’ in training, but I had to stop and tie my shoe about four times since I don’t typically race in these shoes and ergo they do not have elastic laces.

On the second loop through town, I saw Michael and was so glad for this familiar face with fun cheers! I had been looking for Giorgia and waiting on her to pass me, but was now starting to wonder if that happened while I was at an aide station or tying my shoe or in the portolet.

As well, heading into town on the second loop, I heard people behind me cheering for Ken Glah, and it turned out he was running right behind me. I figured he would catch me and then I’d give him a shout out. It was really cool that he was there. He was our guide for Challenge Roth last year, as he owns Endurance Sports Travel, and is also a legend that used to compete against Dave Scott and Mark Allen in the early years at Kona. Naturally, he passed me while I was grazing at an aide station, and I didn’t realize it until I took off and saw him already ten steps ahead of me.

Although I was tired, Sunday was a really cool day. All the American competitors and spectators cheering for other Americans - and generally fired up spectators overall - made it such an electric event. I was in good spirits and basically counting down the miles to the start of vacation. I had no idea where my race was in terms of time, but I knew I wanted to keep it under six hours, so that was also good impetus to not dilly dally too much or spend an excessive amount of time soaking in the whole run course!

As I closed in on the last few miles, I knew I wanted to stop for Michael and then do a big victory leap at the finish instead of stopping my watch – pretty easy today since the watch was already off! I did do all of these things and with a huge smile. It ended up being a phenomenal day, and I’d do the whole weekend all over again in a second!

To top it all off, I was pleased to see that I didn’t finish the swim dead last in my age group, I was able to move up quite a bit on the bike and then even a bit more on the run to finish in the top 2/3 of my age group at the championship race as my second 70.3 of the weekend. I’ll call that a win!

#im703wc #im703zell #ironman #half ironman #halfironman

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