Coliseum Rock 'N Rollman Half Ironman Aquabike
Date of Race: 01/06/2103
Total Race Time = 4h 3m 32s
Overall Place = 8/12
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Pre-race: Eyu-Jin picked me up around 3:00PM. We swung by her bf's office to pick him up and we were off. We arrived in Macon in the 5:00 hour. Boy was it hot! I picked up my packet and then headed to transition to drop off my bike. Along the way, I ran into a group of ATCers and I mentioned my shifting has been off. The recommendation - head back to the pavilion and have Cadence Bikes check it out. Its a good thing I did, because Fiona needed some serious adjustments. (I do find this odd since she just had a tune up about a week prior) Once everything was good to go, I headed back to transition and dropped off my bike. Just outside transition a few folks were sitting around, planning a large get together for dinner. I was in! We headed back to the hotel to relax for a few and then headed to dinner. Any pre-race jitters I may have had were certainly calmed by the wonderful company that evening. Thanks all!
I got back to the hotel close to 10PM (a bit later than anticipated, but all was well.) My volunteer roomies (Sara, Stephanie, and Robin) were already in the hotel and in bed before I got back. And to think, I was the one racing. We chatted for a few, and then the three of them seemed to be fast asleep. Me? I tossed and turned a bit, and finally fell asleep. 4AM - alarm (not mine, my volunteers!) I stayed in bed half asleep as they got ready to go. They were gone by 4:30, so I decided to jump in the shower to help wake myself up. It definitely worked.
Breakfast: The plan was supposed to be a banana and a crumpet (they didn't have English Muffins at Trader Joes) and possibly a luna bar and a pack of Buddy Fruit. I was absolutely not hungry. I took a bite of crumpet and tossed it. I ate a half a luna bar and then the banana when I got to the race site.
I met Eyu-Jin and Brad in the lobby around 5:45 and we headed to Lake Tobesofkee! I was surprisingly very calm at this point. I got to my bike, set up my gear, and then hit the port-o-potties.
Warm-up: My warm-up consisted of chatting with my fellow teammates and doing some stretches. I have learned that getting in the water to swim a bit before the race has seriously helped me out. I'm really not sure why I decided not to do it this time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swim: Since I was doing the Aquabike, I was in the 2nd wave with the men 40 and up, Clydesdales, Athenas, and all relays. This was interesting for me as it is only the second time I have started in a mixed wave. 3, 2, 1... and I am off. I think I really need to work on running further into the water before I start swimming. I felt very far behind after the start. I break the race up into 4 parts. My watch goes off after 528 yards to give me an idea of where I am. I spent the first 500 yards getting into a rhythm. It didn't feel great. This is where I decided that I should have warmed up about 500 yards or so.
Lap 1 - 7:12
I like to quickly check my watch in the water as soon as it buzzes to know how my pace is. 7 minutes. Ok, this is good. Here is where everything started to go downhill. Just after the first buoy, I noticed a guy drafting off me. Every time I took a breath on my right side, I could see him at my feet. He wasn't hitting me or doing anything to interfere with my race, but it really pissed me off. I spent so much time worrying about my drafter, that I lost any kind of rhythm that I had. I finally just stopped. Once the drafter was in front of me, I drafter off of him. I had him with me for the most part of sections 2 and 3 of the race.
Lap 2 - 9:01:40 (you can see how much I was distracted here)
Lap 3 - 8:00
At this point, I didn't feel like I had a good pace. My shoulders were hurting (another indication that I should have warmed up.) My drafter was now ahead of me and I was just trying to muster through the end of this miserable swim and get on with the rest of my race. I tried to pick up my pace, but I just couldn't. Nothing was working.
Lap 4 - 8:22.80
As in most races, my watch buzzed before I was out of the water, but not too much. My last lap was a combination of the end of the race and the run up to transition.
Lap 5 - 3:59
Since I am still recovering from a stress fracture, I was not planning on running at all in the sand or up the hill. I was going to start running as soon as I crested the hill. Immediately, I see Reckers. His comment, "Come on. You are cleared to run 1/4 mile. Go!" Well gosh, since I got called out, I jogged a bit in the sand, and then walked up the hill. Big Sexy was right behind me and it was apparent that he had a great swim. As soon as I crested the hill, I trotted along into transition.
Like the swim, I broke the bike up into 4 sections. My official goal for this race was a 3:30 on the bike. I did a 3:20 at Augusta, so I secretly wanted to do that, but I know this is a rough course. I also haven't been training like I had for Augusta since my injury. I wasn't really feeling good until 20 to 30 minutes in, but I expected that. On the hills, I didn't "push" them. I went into a pretty east gear and got to the top. I really didn't want to kill my legs since I had no idea how I would fare once I hit 30 miles. My nutrition on this course was terrible. I have a long way to go for IMLOO. Because of the heat, I had planned on 2 salt sticks and a goo every 30 minutes instead of my typical 45 minutes, but I forgot to set my watch. 45 minutes in - I took goo and salt sticks. Oops. I drank about 24 oz of water before the first aid station. I really had to make myself drink as I am not much of a drinker. At some point around 20 miles, my stomach was growling! I took a goo early trying to get some calories in my so I wouldn't be hungry. This didn't work. Here is where eating breakfast would have come in handy! The rest of the bike was pretty uneventful. I got some speed on the downhills and then trucked it up the hills at a slower than snails pace. Once I realized I had only 10 miles to go, I may have picked up the pace just a touch. I finally see the ATC tent and the dismount like. Yay!! I jumped off the bike, ran into transition and I was done!
Bike Time: 3h:24m:33s
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Post Race: After my anticlimactic finish (No finisher's chute,) I headed to the ATC tent. After about 5 minutes, I realized I was hungry. I went to the finish line to return my timing chip. Stephanie gave me a shirt, a visor, and a medal. I was excited as I had originally thought the Aquabikers didn't get medals. I headed to the pavilion and came back with pizza, chocolate chip cookies, and a coke. My perfect recovery meal! I hung out with the volunteers and racers and cheered on the rest of the team coming in on the bike and then again on the run.
What would you do differently: Eat more breakfast - this was a killer. I was so hungry. It was hard to focus on the bike and not my grumbling tummy. I would also warm up in the water prior. I feel this affected my swim. When someone drafts on me next time - deal. I can't waste time and energy being pissed off.
Rate your overall experience with this race: The race gets a 5 hands down. Maybe it was the whole ATC presence all over the place, but it certainly made the race. While the course was challenging, we live in Atlanta, I expect hills!
Date of Race: 01/06/2103
Total Race Time = 4h 3m 32s
Overall Place = 8/12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-race: Eyu-Jin picked me up around 3:00PM. We swung by her bf's office to pick him up and we were off. We arrived in Macon in the 5:00 hour. Boy was it hot! I picked up my packet and then headed to transition to drop off my bike. Along the way, I ran into a group of ATCers and I mentioned my shifting has been off. The recommendation - head back to the pavilion and have Cadence Bikes check it out. Its a good thing I did, because Fiona needed some serious adjustments. (I do find this odd since she just had a tune up about a week prior) Once everything was good to go, I headed back to transition and dropped off my bike. Just outside transition a few folks were sitting around, planning a large get together for dinner. I was in! We headed back to the hotel to relax for a few and then headed to dinner. Any pre-race jitters I may have had were certainly calmed by the wonderful company that evening. Thanks all!
I got back to the hotel close to 10PM (a bit later than anticipated, but all was well.) My volunteer roomies (Sara, Stephanie, and Robin) were already in the hotel and in bed before I got back. And to think, I was the one racing. We chatted for a few, and then the three of them seemed to be fast asleep. Me? I tossed and turned a bit, and finally fell asleep. 4AM - alarm (not mine, my volunteers!) I stayed in bed half asleep as they got ready to go. They were gone by 4:30, so I decided to jump in the shower to help wake myself up. It definitely worked.
Breakfast: The plan was supposed to be a banana and a crumpet (they didn't have English Muffins at Trader Joes) and possibly a luna bar and a pack of Buddy Fruit. I was absolutely not hungry. I took a bite of crumpet and tossed it. I ate a half a luna bar and then the banana when I got to the race site.
I met Eyu-Jin and Brad in the lobby around 5:45 and we headed to Lake Tobesofkee! I was surprisingly very calm at this point. I got to my bike, set up my gear, and then hit the port-o-potties.
Warm-up: My warm-up consisted of chatting with my fellow teammates and doing some stretches. I have learned that getting in the water to swim a bit before the race has seriously helped me out. I'm really not sure why I decided not to do it this time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swim: Since I was doing the Aquabike, I was in the 2nd wave with the men 40 and up, Clydesdales, Athenas, and all relays. This was interesting for me as it is only the second time I have started in a mixed wave. 3, 2, 1... and I am off. I think I really need to work on running further into the water before I start swimming. I felt very far behind after the start. I break the race up into 4 parts. My watch goes off after 528 yards to give me an idea of where I am. I spent the first 500 yards getting into a rhythm. It didn't feel great. This is where I decided that I should have warmed up about 500 yards or so.
Lap 1 - 7:12 I like to quickly check my watch in the water as soon as it buzzes to know how my pace is. 7 minutes. Ok, this is good. Here is where everything started to go downhill. Just after the first buoy, I noticed a guy drafting off me. Every time I took a breath on my right side, I could see him at my feet. He wasn't hitting me or doing anything to interfere with my race, but it really pissed me off. I spent so much time worrying about my drafter, that I lost any kind of rhythm that I had. I finally just stopped. Once the drafter was in front of me, I drafter off of him. I had him with me for the most part of sections 2 and 3 of the race.
Lap 2 - 9:01:40 (you can see how much I was distracted here)
Lap 3 - 8:00
At this point, I didn't feel like I had a good pace. My shoulders were hurting (another indication that I should have warmed up.) My drafter was now ahead of me and I was just trying to muster through the end of this miserable swim and get on with the rest of my race. I tried to pick up my pace, but I just couldn't. Nothing was working.
Lap 4 - 8:22.80
As in most races, my watch buzzed before I was out of the water, but not too much. My last lap was a combination of the end of the race and the run up to transition.
Lap 5 - 3:59
Since I am still recovering from a stress fracture, I was not planning on running at all in the sand or up the hill. I was going to start running as soon as I crested the hill. Immediately, I see Reckers. His comment, "Come on. You are cleared to run 1/4 mile. Go!" Well gosh, since I got called out, I jogged a bit in the sand, and then walked up the hill. Big Sexy was right behind me and it was apparent that he had a great swim. As soon as I crested the hill, I trotted along into transition.
Swim Time: 36m:34s
T1: I knew that I wasn't breaking any speed records at this race so I took my time in T1. Typically my heart rate is so high that I can barely function when I get on my bike. As I ran in, I immediately see Jerome waiting for Trey. I got some encouraging comments from him. Thanks J! I got to my spot, wiped the sand off my feet, put on my socks, my ankle brace, and my shoes. I took a sip of water, ate a fruit buddy, and then put on my helmet and glasses. I took Fiona off the rack and headed out of transition. Not sure who it was, but someone yelled out, "2nd girl out of the water." While my swim seemed awful, it gave me some encouragement.
T1 Time: 2m:35s
Bike: I was a little nervous about the bike going in as I have only ridden outside a handful of times this year. I have made it up to 30 miles twice. I took my time clipping my shoes in and I was off. The nice thing about taking my time in transition? I could breathe! My heartrate wasn't skyrocketing like usual. On the way out of the park area, I slowly started spinning my legs. It typically takes me about 20 minutes into the bike until I feel "good." The nice thing about being a fast swimming and a slow biker? I got to see just about every ATCer that raced the half! Encouraging remarks from everyone. Thanks guys!
T1: I knew that I wasn't breaking any speed records at this race so I took my time in T1. Typically my heart rate is so high that I can barely function when I get on my bike. As I ran in, I immediately see Jerome waiting for Trey. I got some encouraging comments from him. Thanks J! I got to my spot, wiped the sand off my feet, put on my socks, my ankle brace, and my shoes. I took a sip of water, ate a fruit buddy, and then put on my helmet and glasses. I took Fiona off the rack and headed out of transition. Not sure who it was, but someone yelled out, "2nd girl out of the water." While my swim seemed awful, it gave me some encouragement.
T1 Time: 2m:35s
Bike: I was a little nervous about the bike going in as I have only ridden outside a handful of times this year. I have made it up to 30 miles twice. I took my time clipping my shoes in and I was off. The nice thing about taking my time in transition? I could breathe! My heartrate wasn't skyrocketing like usual. On the way out of the park area, I slowly started spinning my legs. It typically takes me about 20 minutes into the bike until I feel "good." The nice thing about being a fast swimming and a slow biker? I got to see just about every ATCer that raced the half! Encouraging remarks from everyone. Thanks guys!
Like the swim, I broke the bike up into 4 sections. My official goal for this race was a 3:30 on the bike. I did a 3:20 at Augusta, so I secretly wanted to do that, but I know this is a rough course. I also haven't been training like I had for Augusta since my injury. I wasn't really feeling good until 20 to 30 minutes in, but I expected that. On the hills, I didn't "push" them. I went into a pretty east gear and got to the top. I really didn't want to kill my legs since I had no idea how I would fare once I hit 30 miles. My nutrition on this course was terrible. I have a long way to go for IMLOO. Because of the heat, I had planned on 2 salt sticks and a goo every 30 minutes instead of my typical 45 minutes, but I forgot to set my watch. 45 minutes in - I took goo and salt sticks. Oops. I drank about 24 oz of water before the first aid station. I really had to make myself drink as I am not much of a drinker. At some point around 20 miles, my stomach was growling! I took a goo early trying to get some calories in my so I wouldn't be hungry. This didn't work. Here is where eating breakfast would have come in handy! The rest of the bike was pretty uneventful. I got some speed on the downhills and then trucked it up the hills at a slower than snails pace. Once I realized I had only 10 miles to go, I may have picked up the pace just a touch. I finally see the ATC tent and the dismount like. Yay!! I jumped off the bike, ran into transition and I was done!
Bike Time: 3h:24m:33s
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post Race: After my anticlimactic finish (No finisher's chute,) I headed to the ATC tent. After about 5 minutes, I realized I was hungry. I went to the finish line to return my timing chip. Stephanie gave me a shirt, a visor, and a medal. I was excited as I had originally thought the Aquabikers didn't get medals. I headed to the pavilion and came back with pizza, chocolate chip cookies, and a coke. My perfect recovery meal! I hung out with the volunteers and racers and cheered on the rest of the team coming in on the bike and then again on the run.
What would you do differently: Eat more breakfast - this was a killer. I was so hungry. It was hard to focus on the bike and not my grumbling tummy. I would also warm up in the water prior. I feel this affected my swim. When someone drafts on me next time - deal. I can't waste time and energy being pissed off.
Rate your overall experience with this race: The race gets a 5 hands down. Maybe it was the whole ATC presence all over the place, but it certainly made the race. While the course was challenging, we live in Atlanta, I expect hills!
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