Start of the Journey
On November 14, 2014, I received an email from Ironman
telling me I was selected to compete in the 2015 Ironman World Championship
from the Ironman Lake Tahoe lottery after the race was canceled due to a forest
fire. I was beyond excited, but I really wanted to qualify to compete there. I
thought there was a chance I could do it at Tahoe, but as fate would have it,
I’d never get to find out. So I talked to my coach, Jorge Martinez at E3Training Solutions, signed up for Ironman Wisconsin 2015 and set a goal of
qualifying there just one month before competing at Kona so I could go to Kona
again in 2016.
Life doesn’t always go as planned and on July 1, 2015, I was
diagnosed with a stress fracture in my hip. Wisconsin was out and I was
initially told Kona was also not possible. Since I don’t give up easily, I
found a new doctor and worked with Jorge to make it to Kona with the ability to
complete the race and enjoy the experience, albeit on the slow side. It was
beautiful. And it made me want to get back to the Big Island more than ever.
We sat at Lava Java before the race and decided again that I
would aim to qualify at Ironman Wisconsin the next year. And that officially
started my journey to back to Kona.
Build Up
I chose Ironman Wisconsin as my goal race for a number of
reasons. It’s where I did my first Ironman, I’d raced it four times and love
the course, my family lives in Madison so it’s my adopted hometown, and the
race was on the 15th anniversary of September 11, which had extra
special significance for me as a New Yorker.
The first phase of training kicked off over the holidays with
a heavy swim focus. Having averaged 1-2 trips to the pool a week at best in the
past, it was a rude awakening to be going 5-6 days a week, especially in the
cold, dark months. I often hated it, but I did it, and for once I did the
drills and followed the workouts and waited for the pay off.
I also did a lot of work on the bike over the winter, aiming
to get my FTP back up to my pre-injury level and develop strength. I spent many
early mornings on my KICKR, riding 4-5 days per week. I actually enjoyed this,
which helps a lot!
In the build to Wisconsin, I also raced at Ironman Lake
Placid as a tune up and test. I had done well at my last couple races placing
10th AG and finishing between 11:17 on a flat course, and 11:46 on hilly
courses, but had never truly raced to compete and was still about one hour
short of the top spots. I needed to put the plan to the test and see if I was
capable of being a contender so we went into Lake Placid with a goal of top 5.
While I’ve had some big goals in past races, it was my first time racing against
competition, rather than against a time goal, and I was lucky enough to have Jorge
and my teammate, friend and Ironman idol, Jana, to support me on the course and
keep me updated on where I stood. I came off the bike in 6th, but
quickly passed into 5th, and made my way to 4th near the
halfway point of the run, finishing in 4th place AG. I had the 3rd
fastest bike split, but my run was not what we were aiming for. I was overjoyed
with my first Ironman podium and had a lot of learnings to apply to Wisconsin.
Recovery and Final Prep
The 7 weeks between races consisted of a week of deep
recovery with some days off, some easy swimming and spinning, and my first run
just four days after the race. Then I ramped back up into a moderate week with
a 65 mile bike and a few shorter runs, before going back to high volume for the
next three weeks. I was started to feel the fatigue of the long season and I
was also struggling to get back into the game mentally even though WI was my
goal race. Work was really busy and at times I was barely staying afloat, but I
kept at it. While it felt like everyone else was tapering, I was still going
strong and had a 70 mile ride and 12 mile run on the schedule a week out from
the race, but thankfully Jorge pulled the long run and declared my taper to
officially begin with a much more pleasant 45 minute run. I was feeling good,
but was so happy to get some rest!
Heading into race week I felt way better than I did before
LP. I was much less fatigued, but was still sleeping a ton and feeling the
benefits of the rest. I focused on getting my head into the right place, doing
a final analysis of my competition, and reminding myself every single day that
I had the ability to be at the top of my AG and earn my Kona spot. Someone had
to win, and there was no reason it couldn’t be me. Since I started this sport,
I’ve found that if I boldly share my goals it feels more likely I’ll achieve
them. I spent the past year telling anyone who asked that I was aiming to
qualify for Kona at Wisconsin. As race day drew nearer, this goal weighed
heavily upon me, but it kept me focused and motivated. I realized I was as
ready as I was ever going to be and it would come down to how well I could
execute the plan, and how well my competitors executed their plans.
Race Morning
Race morning arrived faster than ever and it was time to go.
I had my usual 3am breakfast of an English muffin with almond butter and honey,
as much of a banana as I could stomach, coffee and two bottles of Ensure. I
woke up feeling more calm than I’d anticipated, but also very reflective. I
scanned the news and social media posts about 9/11 and spent the early morning
hours feeling grateful to have the chance to do what I love surrounded by
family and loved ones. I was staying with my parents as always, and Scott had
flown in Friday night to be there for the big day. The only thing missing was
my sister and her husband, who’ve been at every IMWI I’ve raced and even a
couple that I didn’t, but this time they couldn’t make it. I had their support
from afar though and literally could not have asked for more. My heart was
really full that day.
Swim
IMWI is one of the last Ironmans to have a mass start, which
I still really love. I got beat up badly in LP with my aggressive start
position that served me well pace wise, but I paid for it with heavy contact
due to my less than great swim execution. Wisconsin is also one big loop so you
don’t end up swimming into slower swimmers like you do on a two-loop swim.
I got into the water about 10 minutes early and swam all the
way out to the buoy line. It was surprisingly not crowded and I asked the
people around me for their goal times to be sure I was in the right place. Most
were aiming for 1:05-1:10 so I settled in and floated until the gun went off.
At the beginning of the LP swim I was so nervous I felt sick
and was flooded with adrenaline for the first 500 yards or so. But at WI when the
gun went off I felt really calm and in control. I took some typical mass start
contact, but nothing major, and within a few minutes I was in relatively clear
water and feeling strong. I migrated slightly inside the buoy line and was
focusing on swimming straight. The first stretch was a little crowded, but for
once I was passing and holding my position when others passed me. There was a
bottleneck at the first turn buoy where people stop and moo like cows (for
Ironman MOO, as the race is often called), but I navigated through and only
slowed a bit.
The next stretch was straight into the sun and full on
contact so I just tried to get through it as best I could. As soon as I made
the turn for the long back stretch I settled in and was swimming what I thought
was my best race ever. I occasionally glanced at my watch and my pace was
consistently 1:37-1:39/100, which is really good for me. I felt great, my
sighting was strong and I was handling the crowds better than usual. I was
certain I was on track for a big swim PR.
As I exited the water I looked down at my watch and saw 1:14
and change. I was a little disappointed. I swam 1:14 in LP and was hoping for
1:10-1:12 in WI, but I didn’t let it phase me. A big part of my race plan was
to finish each leg of the race, forget about it and keep moving forward
regardless of whether or not I was on goal.
Time: 1:14:13
T1
I made a quick stop for the wetsuit strippers and ran for
the helix. Ironman Wisconsin is pretty unique in that the transition takes
place inside a building. And not just any building, but a Frank Lloyd Wright
building with a curly-cue parking ramp leading up from the swim and down from
the bike, referred to as the helix.
A lot of people came out of the water with me so it was
jammed, but I managed to pass a few people and keep the momentum going. I found
my bag quickly and ran into the change tent where I stood off to the side and
put on my socks, stealth top loaded with nutrition (which took a lot of
struggling with the help of a volunteer), helmet and sunglasses, a spritz of
sunscreen that cuts through water, and grabbed my shoes for the long barefoot
run to the bike. The transitions in WI are incredibly long, particularly T1
which has the run up the helix, then a run the entire length of the bike
transition area in both directions.
I quickly put on my shoes when I reached my bike, ran to the
mount line and cruised down the opposite helix. I felt like I had moved as
quickly as I could, but would later discover I was about a minute slower than
my last time racing at WI.
Time: 7:10
Bike
The big learning coming out of LP is that while I rode what
appeared to be a perfect bike effort exactly at 70% normalized power, my
average power was low and my variability was high due to a lot of power spiking
as I passed on flats and started climbs. Lake Placid has just a few big climbs
so it’s much more manageable than Wisconsin, where there are nonstop rollers
that often hit 8-11% grade in spots. These short, steep bursts can lead to
major burn out. The course tends to be faster than LP on the bike, but a lot of
people pay for it on the run. I’ve ridden it multiple times in training and
racing so I felt pretty well prepared, but needed to focus on not burning too
many matches.
Best Bike Split predicted my Lake Placid ride at 5:49 and I
rode it in 5:49 on race day. So I was rather excited when it had me at
5:39-5:41 in the days leading up to the race, adjusting slightly as the
forecast changed. The last time we looked was Saturday night and I was looking
good for 5:40 so the goal was 5:40-5:45. However, as it often does in
Wisconsin, the forecast changed overnight and we ended up with a windier day
than anticipated. It wasn’t intense wind, but just enough to make the effort a little
harder and a little slower, but I wasn’t aware of it in the earlier miles. I
was expecting an average of 19.5 or higher and was barely maintaining 18.9.
I hit the end of the “stick,” the section leading out of
town to the loop, and my power was a bit low and my pace was far from a PR. I
was well into my nutrition plan of one bottle of Skratch/Gatorade, one gel and
two Clif blocks per hour and overall I felt really good. My legs felt fresh, I
wasn’t depleted from the swim and the temperature was absolutely perfect.
I headed out onto the loop and got ready for the hills,
gaining some speed as I passed through the first, flatter part in Verona. There
were a couple hills to pay close attention to in this next segment – a roughly
5 mile climb into Mt. Horeb that starts as a false flat and gradually increases
before a steep climb at the end. I’ve always thought this is a section where
people blow themselves up without realizing it so I paid attention to my
numbers and was exactly where I needed to be. I started leapfrogging with a lot
of guys and this would go on for miles. I was riding a steady power and they
clearly were not, so I just ignored them and focused on my own race. I saw more
than a few of them walking on the run.
The next hill was THE hill that had everyone talking for two
months leading up to the race. Due to road work, they had to take out the
famous three climbs that make the IMWI course so challenging, but also so much
fun since they are lined with spectators, tents and people in costumes. The new
route took us up a beast of a hill called Barlow Road that was around 1.5 miles
of heavy climbing with a quarter mile section of 12% or more grade, with bits
in the 18-22% range. It was such an all out effort that my head and arms were
burning. I love climbs like this, but not so much in an Ironman! The reward was
a very fast downhill and another long descent after on Mineral Point Road. I
tucked into aero and took advantage of the free speed and recovery time.
A few miles later we had the third of the original three
hills. It was absolutely packed since everyone had to condense from three hills
to one. I saw my parents and then Scott. As I passed him I was averaging around
18.9-19 and was way below the anticipated plan. I said I wasn’t having a very
good day, which I meant speed-wise, not how I was feeling. He told me my
average was among the fastest in my AG and I was doing great, which was such a
relief to hear. I finished the climb feeling much more confident and figured we
were all a little slower than planned. I zipped through Verona and got a nice
boost from the crowds before starting the second loop.
I treated the second loop as one big segment and aimed to
maintain my pace and stay on the power plan. The wind was steadily picking up
and on the long rolling/false flat section into Mt. Horeb I was about 2mph
slower than the previous loop at the same effort. I didn’t want to overdo it by
trying to push harder against the wind so I let my power drop a bit. I knew the
climbs would bring my normalized power up, but I’d have a bigger variance than
we were hoping. I didn’t want a repeat of LP where my normalized power was dead
on, but my average was way off and my legs were heavy and shot by mile 10 of
the run, so I was a little more conservative while keeping up a strong effort.
The big climb was only on the first loops so the second loop
was shorter. The wind was strongest heading back into Verona and was mostly
crosswind and tailwind heading back into town so I pushed as much as I could to
make up time with low power thanks to the net downhill.
As I approached the Helix my average speed was at 19mph,
about .6mph slower than the Best Bike Split prediction. I finished in 5:52,
which was three minutes slower than my LP ride. We would later discover that
BBS had me at 5:51 on race day due to the change in the forecast. This is a
great example of how easy it is to let the data get into your head and
potentially ruin your race. I was feeling pretty down and felt like I was
blowing my chance until Scott told me my bike was actually going well. It’s
great to have estimates, but you have to remember that race day is
unpredictable and a million things can change.
When I got off the bike and started running to T2 my legs
were burning, but luckily it faded quickly as I ran to the changing area.
Time: 5:52:58
T2
In and out, that was the goal. I never sit down, I just grab
what I need and get everything situated on the run out – pulling on my race
belt, getting my visor on and loading my pockets up with gels. This transition
is much shorter as we only have to run the length in one direction.
Time: 2:27
Run
I spotted my mom and dad right away along the first part of
the run. My mom shouted out that only a couple of the women we were tracking
were ahead of me, but I would find out in the coming miles that the tracker
stopped reporting bike splits after mile 61 so we didn’t have much accurate
data for the first part of the run. I was feeling really great and running
well, and was hopeful I might already be in the top five and have a shot at making
my way to the top two.
Scott was waiting around mile 1.5 for the first update and
as I ran by, he told me I was in 7th, which was a little
disappointing. The next stretch has a short out and back on a bike path and I
saw one of my competitors was only about .4 miles ahead. My race plan was HR
and pace based for the first 18 miles, aiming for 140-145 bpms and roughly
8:30s. My HR was spot on and my pace was a little faster in the 8:20s due to
some downhill, but I didn’t want to risk speeding up for the pass only to blow
up later so I kept her in my sights and stuck to the plan. The temperature was
perfect and I was feeling pretty great. At times I lost sight of her, but
didn’t let it worry me. I knew I’d see Scott around mile 5.5 for another
update.
I tackled the first run up Observatory, the only steep hill
on the course, and managed to keep my HR pretty controlled. Scott was just past
the bottom and told me I was in 7th off the bike, but was now in 4th
or 5th. We would later discover I came into T2 in 7th,
but started the run in 5th, passing two women in transition. I knew
at least one of the women was right in front of me so I figured I would at
least be able to grab 4th or 5th place as the worst case
outcome. I saw my parents right after near the State Street turnaround and the
reiterated that I was definitely in the top five.
The next section has a longer out and back along Lake
Mendota so it’s a great opportunity to see where your competition is. I spotted
the woman right ahead of me and realized she was slowing down, only about .25
ahead at that point. But I had yet to see the others, which worried me a
little. I continued on and the miles ticked away. I stayed focused on my pacing
and nutrition, which was water at each aid station, sometimes a little
Gatorade, 4 gels spaced out about 4-6 miles, and around mile 12 I had Coke at
every aid station with an occasional gulp of Red Bull. I had stomach pain,
which I also had in LP, but it was not enough to slow me down or keep me from
getting my nutrition in.
As I neared mile 12 I saw the woman right ahead of me and as
we went through the aid station, I passed her. She didn’t try to catch me and I
didn’t speed up, I just continued my steady pace and hoped it would be enough.
About a half mile later I saw Scott again and motioned behind me so he would
see I had passed her and he gave me a big smile and said I was now in 3rd
place! The woman in 1st was way ahead and 2nd was about 4
minutes ahead. I was so happy. It was a big gap, but I was steadily gaining
ground and I still had half the race to go.
Shortly after, I finally saw the woman in 1st and
she looked strong. I didn’t see 2nd, but Scott saw her and said she
looked like she was suffering. I started to feel like there was a chance I’d be
able to pull it off, but I still had 13.1 miles to go.
The next several miles were pure focus. The pain started getting
more and more severe and fatigue was building, but I couldn’t afford to slow
down. I couldn’t wait for mile 19 where I’d get another update. As I headed
into the State Street turnaround, Scott said she was slowing down and I was
maintaining. Then, just a few hundred yards later, I finally saw her for the
first time and she was no more than .25 miles ahead of me. I got the biggest
jolt of adrenaline and it took every bit of control to maintain my pace and not
make a stupid move. As I made the turn toward the Lake Mendota path, Scott pointed
just ahead and said she was right there, to go get her.
We passed through an aid station and as my Garmin beeped for
mile 20, I made the pass. It was at once the most thrilling and most terrifying moment
because I wasn’t sure how she would react. Almost everyone’s ages had come off
their calves, but of course mine was still on so she would know we were
competing against one another. I ran a mile or so before the first glance over
my shoulder and I didn’t see her there. At the next turnaround, near mile 22, I
was able to see how far back she was and I had gained about .4 miles on her. But
I still didn’t consider it a certainty. I realized it was going to be the
hardest four miles I’ve ever run in my life!
My HR was up to the 150s and I was in tremendous pain. My pace
had slowed around 5-10 seconds per mile, but I gave it everything I had to
speed up a little and keep putting more distance between her and I. I looked
over my shoulder at every turn and while didn’t see her, I was so worried
someone else would come out of nowhere and pass me in the final moments. I was
overwhelmed by emotions and wanted to get to that finish line more than
anything. I saw Scott at the usual spot one last time, just about a mile from
the finish and he told me she was down by a lot and it was mine. I couldn’t
believe it was really happening. But I had to stay focused because so many
things can happen in an Ironman.
The race ends with a loop around Capitol Square where you
can hear the finish line on the other side, but still have about .5 miles to
go. When I reached that corner I looked over my shoulder one more time, and
finally let the emotions take over. I had done it. I was in 2nd
place in my age group, which meant I would qualify for Kona. I had the finish
chute completely to myself and it was such an incredible moment. I crossed the
finish line in 11 hours, 4 minutes and 20 seconds, a 42 minute course PR, and punched my ticket to
Kona. I was 10th amateur female overall, I had the 3rd
fastest bike split in my AG and 2nd fastest run.
Time: 3:47:32
Final Thoughts
I raced my first Ironman in 2009 on this same course and it
took me 15 hours and 45 minutes to finish due to an injury right before the
race. I did the same two races in 2010 that I did this summer, finishing LP in
13:31 and WI in 12:48. A few years later I came back to Wisconsin and did 11:46
and placed 10th. I was so excited. I did it again at Coeur d’Alene
and while I still had a long way to go, I started thinking that I could do
more. The Tahoe lottery spot to Kona was the push I needed. I knew it was going
to be incredibly hard work and I knew there was a chance my best wouldn’t be
good enough. But Jorge believed in my goals, he build the right plan to get me
there, and I did the hard, consistent work needed whether I felt like it or
not.
In the end, it all came together and I achieved a huge dream
at my goal race, where all of this began for me 7 years ago, with my family and
friends there to share it with me. To say I’m grateful is the biggest
understatement. I didn’t sleep at all that night and as I sat at the awards and
waited for my name to be called for the Kona slot allocation, I was still in
disbelief.
If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough. I am
proof you can set a goal that everyone might think is crazy, and if you work
hard every day and don’t lose sight of it, you can achieve that goal. I can’t
wait to set a new goal and see what happens next.
amazing! Only 50 more weeks until you get to race with the best in the world :-)
ReplyDelete