Pre-Race
The Day Before
I learned a lot from my failure in Miami. I took the Friday and Monday sandwiching race weekend off from work, to ensure I had enough time to travel to the race and rest afterwards. It wasn't fantastic timing, but I did it anyway. Friday morning I slept until 8am, and then lazily made my way to the kitchen to find food. Zeus and I cuddled while we checked Facebook and did laundry. He is such a helpful pup! I realized that it was going on 11am and I had not yet packed my bags for Ocala! I turned the computer off, and headed off to pack. I pulled out a list that was in one race bag or another, and I made piles upon piles on the bed, checking the list 3 or 4 times before I was satisfied that I had everything I would need for a weekend of racing and spectating.I loaded my car, secured my bike and gave Zeus specific instructions to stay off of the couch. I highly doubt he listened, but I had to get going if I wanted to make it in time for the athlete meeting, which I did - very much so! I pointed my car north east, and off I went!
You might be thinking that I obsessed about the race for two hours. I actually did nothing of the sort. I tuned into the radio, and sang along with each catchy tune. I stopped once for gas and to use the restroom. I was going to get a cup of coffee and a snack, but the employees at the store were unbelieveably slow, and I quickly grew impatient. How difficult is it to pour coffee and drop a chocolate donut into a bag?
Being as my GPS is slightly outdated by 5 years or so, I took a little detour before pulling into Carney Island Park. It worked out well, though, because as I was parking I saw Sherrie's car circling around the lot! We walked over to the registration tent, and the volunteers told us that we could get our race day packets after the athlete meeting, which was just beginning. We lucked out and found seats on the aisle, and settled in to listen to Mark, the super-awesome Race Director tell us what he had in store for Saturday.
After the meeting, Sherrie and I stopped to talk to Pete, Kari, Margie, John, Jen, Teresa and Brian. We checked out the vendor booths - I had my eye on a 70.3 v-neck t-shirt and a visor, but I did not want to jinx myself, so I refrained, and limited myself to buying a couple packagers of Honey Stinger chews and my new favorite bars:
Sherrie and I decided that we would drop our bikes that night, so that race morning we had less to worry about carting to the park. I went to my car, and put some air in my brand new tires. As I was putting my bike pump in the car, I heard a very loud BANG, sort of like a gun shot. I ducked, and looked all around, wondering what had happened. The guy parked next to me said "sounds like someone blew a tire." I was relieved that there wasn't a shooter present, and went about my business, thinking "Man, that stinks! I feel bad for whoever's tire that is." I turned to get my bike off the rack, and something looked amiss.
Crap! It was my tire that blew! No wonder it was so loud! I did not panic; it was the night before the race, and we were heading to Jen's house for our pre-race meal. I figured it would be relatively easy to change - and if not, I had plenty of help! Also, I knew it would be messy, because it was the back tire and I'd have to drop the chain. It's much nicer to clean up in a bathroom than at a park.
We stopped at the hotel to check in, and then we headed to Jen's. John manned the grill while the ladies chattered. Jen said she would help me change my tire, so we started the task at hand. Once we pried the tire off of the wheel, this is what we found:
We all had a good laugh, and an even better one when we were putting the tire back on the bike, as Jen and I managed to get the chain all twisted and wonky. Perhaps I should have paid closer attention to "how to change a bike tire day" with Coach Gene last spring. It took us a good 5 minutes to figure out how to untangle the mess, and our hands were filthy! That was hard work! We were ready to eat.
Jen and John are NSNG (No Sugar, No Grains), so our dinner consisted of grilled chicken, grilled tbone steaks, grilled plantains (OMG! SO DELICIOUS!!!!!), a garden salad topped with oil and vinegar, some bread rolls for us grain eaterrs and corn (not really a vegetable, but it looks pretty on the table). I ate an entire steak, my salad, 3 rolls and 4 plantains. It was the best meal I have had in a long while, and I deem myself a good cook! Notice how we all match :-)
When our bellies were satisfied and the clock turned to 8:30pm, we parted ways to hit the sack. Race day comes early - wake up was 4:45am! We applied our tri-tat race numbers, washed our faces, brushed our teeth and called our better halves. There was only one thing left to do. Time to sleep!
I slept wonderfully. I did not wake up in a panic that I overslept, I did not wake up to use the bathroom, and I did not wake up from dreaming of race terrors. When the alarms sounded, I was startled. It took a minute to remember why I was waking up so early, and as mch as I wanted to stay curled up in bed, I made myself get up. I put on my "outfit" and re-checked my gear bag. I guess I had everything. We did one last sweep and hopped in the car.
Race Morning
When we arrived at the park, it was very DARK. We didn't see anyone directing traffic, and I passed up the first entrance to the parking lot. We found a different entrance, and found a spot close to the finish line area - sweet! Sherrie and I gathered our belongings and made our way to transition. I took my time, because it was only 5:30am and I had an hour until transition closed. I put my bike in the rack and sat on my little pink bench. I laid out my towel next to my bike, and lined up my gear by activity. I put a water bottle and my combination sunscreen/bug spray in the bin by my bike tire, thinking that I would need both coming out of the water. As I was talking to the guy across from me about the weather, I decided that I would wrap everything in plastic, because it would definitely rain at some point. And if it didn't, then I over prepared.I put my run shoes, visor and fuel belt in a zippered pouch, which is actually part of my tri bag. I left the bottles for the fuel belt out, because I didn't want them spilling all over my shoes. The whole purpose of the zippered protection was to keep them dry!
I put my bike stuff in a plastic Publix bag, because I honestly thought it would rain while I was riding. I placed my gloves, calf sleeves and socks in my shoes, and wrapped the bag tight. I turned it upside down and put my helmet on top.
Sherrie came over and asked if I was ready, and I said yes, but I wanted to go put my bag in the car. She asked why, and I said because it has dry clothes and it's not a water proof bag. I could tell she tought I was crazy, but she humored me anyway. We stopped at the car, used the restroom, and liberally applied vaseline to our under arms and necks to protect our skin from our wetsuits. I put my keys in a secure place, and felt a fat drop land on my cheek. Um, Sherrie? I think it's starting to rain.
We made our way over to the protected area of the bathrooms, and moved to the inside where we were safe from the wind and rain. It was POURING. Yuck.
Part 1: The Swim
Standing close to the back wall, I stepped into my wetsuit, jumping up and down, pulling it up as far as possible without having to zip it, because doing so meant that the race was real. I clenched my swim cap in my hands, checking every other minute that my goggles hadn't fallen out, nervously biting my lip while I looked out at the rain, silently hoping the swim would be cancelled. I turned to Sherrie and quietly said "I don't want to do this." I must have looked terrified, because her eyes opened wide and she paused before answering. She said "Well, that's fine. You're an adult, and you can make your own decisions. I trust that you'll make the right one."My stomach was turning tumultuously, and I was close to tears, questioning whether or not I could really swim 1.2 miles in under 70 minutes having not trained. The rain stopped, and after a few brief moments of deliberation, I nervously followed the crowd down to the water's edge, scanning the water for the markers, which were masked by the eerie pre-dawn light and a moderate cloud cover from the earlier shower.
Sherrie and I met a woman wearing a Team In Training wetsuit similar to ours, and we got to chatting. Her name was Michelle, and she was from Wisconsin! I welcomed her to Florida and apologized that it wasn't warmer. She smiled and said that it was 28 when she left, so this was a nice change of climate. I saw Sherrie wading into the water, so I quickly followed, trying to shred the cloud of self-doubt that was threatening my day.
We splashed our arms and faces with the water, which while cool, was not too cold. It was fresh and clear, and I momentarily felt better about the swim. I thought back to Miami Man, when I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the fresh water swim, and how I did manage to complete the 1.2 mile swim. I told myself I could do it, to focus on myself and not the other swimmers. I was just getting ready to go completely under to further acclimate myself to the water when the race director called everyone back to the beach. YES, I thought! The swim is being cancelled!!!!
No such luck. Mark was simply telling us that he was delaying the swim start for 10 minutes, so that the sun would be rising and the cloud cover would lift. Darn. He gave a few other instructions, and then announced that those who would like to join him in prayer were welcome to do so. I stayed, placed my hand on Sherrie's shoulder, closed my eyes, and prayed with all my heart. I didn't pray for anything in particular. I didn't ask God to save me from drowning or to help me swim faster, or to prevent me from having a bike accident or from spraining an ankle on the running trail. I just prayed.
I waded back out to the first buoy for the in water start, making sure to stay close to Sherrie. I was shaking, I was so nervous, but I put my goggles on and took a deep breath. The horn sounded, and off we went. I sort of walked with Sherrie, because it was waist deep water, and she was wading. I wasn't ready for her to leave me. We started swimming some, and John and Jen appeared. The four of us swam sort of together for a few minutes, until they found their rhythm and headed off towards the first buoy. I told myself that I could do this, and just breathe every couple of strokes, like I had been practicing in swim class.
It was going pretty well, and then I felt a foot connect with my head. Ouch! I was taken by surprise, because on my last breath there was no one even remotely close to me, lol. My breathing became more rapid and shallow, and I remembered that this happened in Miami, and that I should immediately flip on to my back to slow my heart rate down. I found that placing my arms in a T position and pushing down towards my sides while flutter-kicking was propelling me forward, so I decided I would "swim" that way until the first buoy. I glanced at my watch, and it read 15:23 - ok! I was doing just fine, time-wise! This gave me confidence, and I was able to alternate actually swimming freestyle and floating. I counted strokes, trying to use the tips and drills Coach Lora was teaching us in class. I told myself to swim to the kayak, that I could take a break when I got there. The problem? The kayaks kept moving!
It was about this time that it started to rain again, and I was thankful that 1) I was already wet and 2) I had the good sense to put all of my transition gear in plastic bags. I could not see the second red buoy, and I started to panic a little. I took a look around, and I saw several navy and powder blue swim caps in front of me, so I put my head down and "just kept swimming." After what seemed like forever, I made it! One more buoy to go, and then I could ride my bike. The thought crossed my mind that maybe I should pee while I was in the water so that I didn't have to stop on the bike. I tried really hard, but I just couldn't do it. Sigh.
I knew the water was shallow after the turn, and I also knew that trying to walk through the water would take way more energy than swimming, so I kept going until I pulled my right hand back and grabbed a handful of sand. Time to run out of the water. FINALLY!!!! I glanced at my watch - 59 minutes! I did it! I made the cutoff!!!! The race director was standing on the beach, and he smiled and gave me a hi-five as I exited the water, pulling my cap and goggles off in one swift motion.
I heard "Megan! Over Here! Good job! You did it!" I looked to my left, and there were Brian, Teresa and Kate, cheering me on. I smiled and screamed "I did it! I didn't die!" The spectators laughed, but they had no idea that I had conquered the most terrifying part of my race.
I jogged up to T1, extremely proud of myself for not having a panic attack in the water and making the cutoff. Whew! I wore my wetsuit all the way to my bike station, and quickly stripped it while I put my helmet in place. I noticed that the earlier storm had blown through my bike bag, and my socks and calf sleeves were a bit damp. I contemplated not wearing the compression sleeves, but being as I was cramping a little in the water, I figured that it was better to wear them. I struggled to pull them on, but finally got them up. I thought about not wearing my socks, because I rarely ride with them anyway, but then I thought it might rain again, and I should try to keep my feet warm. My deliberation added a ton of time to my transition, but finally I was off!
Part 2: The Bike
The prior day, we were informed that the bike course had changed slightly, that it would be an out and back for the half, and two out and backs for the full. I wasn't too concerned, because I knew there were rolling hills and a few turns, thanks to John and Jen - they not only went to tri camp at Ocala, but went back out to the park and rode the course, providing an in depth synopsis for all of us. In other words, they did my homework for me, hahaha.I waved to Pete, and took a drink of water as I made my way out of the park. I checked the time on my watch, and made a mental note so that I knew when to start fueling. I read somewhere that it takes 10-15 minutes for your stomach to settle after the swim, so I chose to use that as my rule of thumb. I was doing everything wrong - the farthest I had ridden in the three weeks prior to the race was maybe 26 miles, and I only did it once. I bought new bars at the expo, mostly because I was hungry and wanted a snack. I didn't practice fueling, so I was breaking the cardinal rule of racing: NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY!
The bike route was enjoyable. It was a quiet ride, and I was alone quite a bit - being last of of the water will warrant that most days. My bike computer wasn't working, so I used my watch to gauge my speed. I pretty much decided to just have fun - I was in a deliriously good mood from my successful swim. I thought I would be able to do the bike portion in 3 hours, give or take 15-20 minutes, so I focused on keeping my legs moving and using my shifters when I noticed myself slowing down. I drank water when I needed it, swallowed 2 salt pills every 30 minutes, and alternated sipping my recovery brew and downing a GU every 15 minutes on either side of the salt pills.
At Mile 20, I was just over an hour into the ride - sweet! I was doing great! I saw the volunteers with new bottles, and I called out "WATER!" I dropped the first one, which was a little embarrassing, but they were super nice and the third person handed me another bottle, which I successfully placed in my cage. At Mile 28 (the turnaround!), I was still doing good, but man, did I have to use the portalet! The guy volunteering said "turn around, right here!," to which I replied "I have been waiting 28 miles to use your portalet, so I am stopping quickly." He laughed. The facility was a little tilted, as it was placed on uneven ground, but it was clean and not smelly - bonus! I used same sanitizer from my bike bag, ate my second bar, swapped out my water bottle again, and headed back out for 28 more miles.
At Mile 30, it started getting a bit . . . . windy. I somehow managed to hang on, and soon I rode up to a guy that looked like John. I wasn't really sure, because I had no idea what he was wearing that day! It turned out that it was him, so I wished him well and continued onward, fully expecting him to leap frog me.
At Mile 40, my legs went. I knew my 3:15 was out the window, and that there was no way I was going to hit a 2:20 half marathon, but I kept going. It was windy and uphill - I thought of Whitney telling me that she had a "come to Jesus moment" in Augusta last year, and I laughed to myself, because now I know what she meant. Those last 16 miles took awhile. Finally I hit Mile 53, and all I could think about was getting OFF my bike. My butt hurt. After what seemed like an hour, I rounded the bend and spotted Teresa and Kate again - YAY!!!!!!
I racked my bike, and heard Pete yelling. I looked over, and there he was, helping Kari focus. I have never been happier to see two people in my life! I put all my gear in its' place and donned my running visor and fuel belt, and off I went. Or so I thought. My legs had other ideas. I walked to the aid station, downed some Hammer Heed, and jogged out of T2.
Part 3: The "Run"
Ugh. This was going to be a rough run! I checked my watch, and I saw that I still had nearly 4 hours to complete the half marathon. Once I realized that I had time, I slowed to walking and let my legs come back. It was about this time that Kari came upon me. She was doing a 3:1 run:walk, so I decided that I, too, would do that! It was beyond fantastic to have someone there to divert me from myself. We had a great time chatting.
Teresa came into the woods when we were on a walk break, and said "Come on, you need to run." What?
This did not last long. Everything hurt, and I needed to walk some if I wanted to finish. So I held up, and reconnected with Kari. Like I said, this was the BEST THING EVER. After mile 4-ish, we switched to a 1:1 ratio, taking longer walk breaks if we needed them. We were both in an enormous amount of uncomfortable. Even though everything hurt, I never once thought "I am never doing this again." Mile 5 was at the top of a hill. We moaned and groaned, knowing that we had to make that trek again, because it was a 2 loop course. We definitely took our time at that aid station, talking to the volunteers, eating oranges, stretching. Finally we forced ourselves to turn around and head back towards Mile 6. When we were in the midst of our misery, we happened upon Teresa, Kate and Pete again - just the pick me up we needed!
Kari and I waved farewell, and headed back into the woods for round two. We walked a lot of that part. We were hot, everything ached . . . . but NOT ONCE did we think we wouldn't finish the race. It might take us forever, but we were going to do it! When we got back out to Mile 9.5 or so, Kari's friend Val picked us up and got us moving. She had been running with Margie, but she sent her to the finish line and helped us get back up the hill. Once we got to the top, we moaned for a bit - we stretched, applied sunscreen, ate some more oranges. And then we just started running. It was slow, and not pretty, but there we went. With about a mile and a half left, Kari's knee gave out. She needed to stretch it out some, and told be to go on without her. I declined, and both her and Val said "Go! We'll be right behind you."
So I went, looking over my shoulder to make sure that they were, indeed, right behind me. At this point, I really, really, really wanted to be done. As much as it hurt, I put one foot in front of the other and ran as bet I could, all the way to the finish area. Teresa cought me coming around the corner.
I was elated that I was finishing, and within the time constraint. I was ready to cry, I was so relieved - both that I could stop and that I was capable of finishing the 70.3. I told myself that I was not allowed to cry, and somehow I held it together and ran through the finish line.
The volunteers gave me a medal and a bottle of water, which I gladly accepted. Kate and Teresa were there cheering and hugging. I turned around, and there was Kari, running through the finish, Pete by her side on the outside of the course. It was fantastic! We did it!
Post Race
We hung around awhile, chatting and cheering on the other athletes that were still out there. We saw John and Jen looping around, and we cheered as loudly as we were able. We cheered for the athletes doing the full iron distance, and we profusely thanked the volunteers. Kate packed a cooler full of Yuengling, and I greedily grabbed a beer from her, beyond thankful for her thoughtfulness. We ate some pasta, cheered some more, and cleaned up our transistion areas.Once John and Jen finished, they grabbed some food and headed out with Teresa and Brian. Kate, Sherrie and I stayed, joining Bonnie and her crew at the top of the hill so that we could watch Patrick, George, Vinnie and Terry finish their races. It was awesome, seeing the full athletes run. They all looked so strong! Someday, I hope to be that strong. I hope to be iron strong.
At 9pm, we called it day. Kate had her race the next day, and Sherrie wanted Five Guys. I had never been, and let me tell you, I didn't know what I was missing! That may have been the tastiest cheeseburger I've had in awhile! I ate a few fries, but I didn't really want them much. That's what clean eating does to a person - the junk food isn't as appealing.
Once we got back to the hotel, we repeated the activities from the night before, but set the alarms for 5am - we were sleeping in! Lol.
The Next Day
The alarms sounded, and all three of us were up, moving around and getting ready to go back tot he park. Kate was doing the Aqua Bike, Teresa and Brian were doing the Sprint, and Brad and Bonnie were doing the Olympic. We had a full morning of cheering to do!I had a great time, watching all of my friends and a few hundred strangers compete this weekend. I know first hand how much work goes into working up the nerve to try something new, how overcoming your fears is a daunting task. I was so happy for all of the finishers. I have never had this much fun at a race before! Everything was well organized, and any problems were addressed immediately. I enjoyed the course - even the swim - and the race director truly cares about every single athlete. I will definitely do another race with HITS.
In the meantime, I am just enjoying my accomplishment. It was not pretty or remotely fast. It took me 8 hours and 19 minutes to finish the race. My goal was to finish, and I did exactly that. I am proud of myself for forging ahead when I knew I was unprepared and that there was a great chance I would fail again. I am proud of myself for not quitting, for sticking it out when things got tough. In doing so, I have found my passion for triathlon. I have been to the pool already, and I have plans to swim, bike and run several times this week. I do not have another race of such magnitude on my schedule, but that doesn't mean I will stop training. I discovered that I actually love it - when every part of your body hurts, and your mind overcomes the voices that tell whisper "you can't do this," it has become part of your tapestry. It has become you.
And so I run.
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