Looking Back Before Moving Forward!

On September 28, 2014, I competed in my second IRONMAN Augusta 70.3. Typically, for IRONMAN Florida athletes, my coach will simply use this race as a training day, but with the added benefit of doing all three disciplines under race conditions. No matter how well you think you have everything (effort, hydration, nutrition, etc.) dialed in, when you throw in the excitement of actual race day, you will learn something!

The IRONMAN company, World Triathlon Corporation, recognizes the value of half-distance races for full IRONMAN preparation and now even provides recommendations for those on the sign-up page for those races. They have even taken it a step further and are providing “Race Ready” packages that allow you to sign up for the half and the full at the same time. This is how I signed up for this year’s IRONMAN Augusta 70.3 and IRONMAN Florida! All in one package, nice and easy.

Two weeks before the race, my coach informed me that, since my training had been going so well, that instead of just doing the race at my IRONMAN Florida pacing, I’d be able to “race” it at a higher intensity. She was very explicit, though, to ensure that I had appropriate expectations. Especially on the run portion.

In the last year, my swim and bike have greatly improved. I have also set personal records in every run distance I have raced. However, having spent the last couple of months focusing on pacing more in line with a 26.2-mile run after a 2.4-mile swim and 112-mile bike, my ability to hold the intensity needed for a “fast” half IRONMAN simply was not going to come easily. I could push and maybe beat last year’s pace, but it would be very challenging.

Speaking of push… the number one message my coach gave me was to remind me that IRONMAN Florida is my “big race” and what I have been working towards all year. She insisted that if anything felt "off" at any time during IRONMAN Augusta 70.3, I was to stop pushing, pull back, and save myself for my “big race”!

Race morning dawned to near-perfect conditions. The swim was largely uneventful. I had the best swim I have ever had. I was head-down, with good form and strong pulls for the entire distance. The burn in my shoulders told me I had put in some effort. I was later shocked to find that I was only a few seconds faster than last year, but learned that the water flow was also greatly reduced from last year’s! I would have loved to have had last year’s water with this year’s form and strength!


Transition was smooth and I was out on the bike course. The only controllable issue I had on the bike was dropping my prescription sunglasses right after getting underway, as I fumbled to put them on. After circling back to pick them up, the rest of the bike was largely uneventful, save for much bumpier roads than last year and blustery winds! (What was up with those roads?!) I ignored the wind, stuck to my plan, and came off the bike with a good improvement in time. I can now only imagine how great it would have been had we had last year’s conditions on the bike!

Transition was, again, smooth and I was out on the run course. The first issue I had on the run was not being able to get a good feel for my pace. My Garmin was not helping me much, as the real-time pace seemed to be varying wildly. I ended up being just a few seconds above my goal paces for the first three miles. When it came time to pick it up for mile 4, I was, again, just a few seconds above. At the time, I just was not able to tell this and was still feeling great and like everything was within reach.


I cannot remember exactly where things started to change, but I think it was a water stop in mile 5 or 6, where I had already planned to walk, take in fluids, and get some cold sponges to cool my core. As soon as I started running again, I simply could not get back up to the speed I wanted. I started feeling like my right ankle was tightening up. Then there was a twinge in my left hip. Within the space of half a mile, my mind convinced me that these were all the beginning stages of a “big race”-endangering injury or, at the minimum Lupus, Ebola, and/or Psoriasis. OK, I am exaggerating a little bit...

The aches and pains were real. BUT… they were probably the same little aches and pains that I can normally just run through and will go away in short order. In my head, though, I was having a good race and the “big race” was looming only a short, 30 days away. And with that, I did what was probably the smart thing and backed off.

I worked into a rather manageable pace and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the race. I thanked twice as many volunteers as I even normally would and interacted with the crowds lining Broad Street like never before. Something I would not have been able to do if I would have been hammering the whole way home.





In the end, I was very happy with my race. A great swim and a great bike were followed by a good, not great, run. Sadly, this meant I was a few minutes slower, this year, than last year. But, I finished with a huge smile, am healthy and ready for my “big race”, and know that I will one day return to beautiful Augusta to capture that personal record!





And now, all focus is on moving forward… IRONMAN Florida! Panama City Beach, Florida. Saturday, November 1, 2014, baby!