Race Recap: Boise 70.3

Warning: This post took almost as long to write as it did to race.

Skyler and I spent the past weekend in Boise. Although it may seem like we were there just to race, we actually spent most of the time visiting Skyler's brother's family, who moved there about two years ago. I have a few photos of that, but first is my novel about that race.

Skyler and I have raced in the Oceanside 70.3 race twice, so completing a Half-Ironman isn't new to us. We arrived in Boise, along with our friend Jeff, on Friday afternoon. I have to relate that half of the stress I was feeling before the race was due to our plane ride. This was the first time we had traveled with bikes and I was very nervous. I was worried about taking our bikes apart, putting them back together, how the bike boxes would hold up, etc. Luckily, Southwest Airlines was very kind to our bikes and they made it to Boise safely.

After we arrived in Boise, Skyler's brother drove us over to the race check-in. It took forever! We figured out that Oceanside's race check-in is run so well because it is run by the Camp Pendleton marines. Boise should take note.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of Skyler and Jeff reassembling our bikes. Both of their bikes were put together with no problem, but my handlebars had as issue. My heart rate rose quickly and they drove my bike to a bike shop to diagnose the problem. $75 later, my bike was fixed.

Race day: we slept in. This was a first. Boise had a unique start time of 2:00pm. We ate breakfast and paced around the house until it was time to go. Another unique feature about the Boise 70.3 is that there were two transition areas. This was different from Oceanside and required us to do some extra driving to drop off our race stuff.

First stop: T2. We drove to downtown Boise to drop off our running gear. Everything had to be put in a bag and left by your specific area. The spots were numbered.

While we were there, we spotted Craig Alexander, the top triathlete in the whole world. He was the winner of Boise 70.3 last year and would go on to win it again this year.

Next up: T1 and Start. Skyler's brother dropped us off near Lucky Peak Reservoir. We had to hike our bikes up a large hill over tons of rocks. Not the safest way to get to the start, could cause something to get lodged into a bike tire (?).

By the way, have I mentioned the weather yet? Well, it was around 90 degrees at the start of the race. I had been worried about rain because the past two years it rained and hailed during this race. None of that this year. Not a cloud in the sky.

We got our bikes set-up in the transition area. This race had something called a clean transition area. This means that nothing is allowed on the ground, so everything (helmet, bike shoes, race belt, nutrition) had to be kept in a bag.

I forgot to bring my camera with me so all of these pictures are from the camera on my phone. Skyler, Jeff, and I sported Team Poseidon race gear. I don't know why I look so awkward in this picture, I think maybe I had just grabbed something off the ground. Oh well.

Race time! Like I mentioned before, the race started at 2:00pm. Jeff's wave started at 2:13, mine at 2:33, and Skyler's at 2:45. I waited until my wave started before getting in the water. I had heard the water was 60 degrees, but I was very unprepared for how cold it actually was. I've swam in colder water plenty of times before, but the air temperature has always been a lot cooler, making the water seem not so cold.

The water hit my face and I got an instant headache. It took me probably 4 or 5 minutes for the shock to wear off, but it didn't affect my swim too much. About 2/3 of the way, the water started getting choppy. I thought it was because I was changing direction. I exited the water and felt great.

Since Skyler started 12 minutes after me, he got more of the choppiness than I did. Also, he told me that he went off course for about 100 meters, which cost him some time. Maybe he's just jealous of my good swim time :)

Swim Time

Skyler - 41:57

Elise - 40:09

There were volunteers helping to strip wetsuits, which I was very much grateful for. I always have a hard time with them. I ran into T1 feeling great, but that was the last time I was happy for the rest of the day.

T1

Skyler - 3:14

Elise - 4:52

I got my Garmin watch situated on my arm and began riding my bike. The first part was a giant hill going down from the reservoir to the main highway. Usually when you ride downhill you go fast. I knew immediately that something was wrong when I had to pedal going downhill. WIND! The wind had started up, which is why the water got choppy during the swim.

I was determined not to let it bother me. But within the first mile, I dropped some of my nutrition. I let it go. Big mistake. Five miles into the bike I hear a thump, thump, thump. I stop and realized that I have a flat tire. No big deal, I can do this. I hurriedly got my repair kit out and began changing the tube. This was the first time I've had to change a tube during a race and while in a hurry. I was not fast at it. I had a problem igniting the air, but luckily a nice racer stopped and helped me. The tube was changed and I needed to put it back on my bike. Of course it was the back tire, which is a little difficult to put back on.

I turned my head to look backward and saw Skyler riding up. Remember, he started the swim after me. He stopped to help me out (thank you!) and was on his way in 2-3 minutes. Thank goodness for wonderful husbands!

I got back on my bike and was even more determined to make up the lost time (a little over 9 minutes). But the wind was relentless! I was so frustrated. I pushed hard, but the wind pushed harder back. There were very few downhills, but even when one appeared, there was a headwind pushing up. I couldn't wait to get to the turn-around to get some tail-wind.

Finally it came! Ahhh...it felt so wonderful to go fast again! I started to get teary-eyed realizing that I had a chance to make up some time. That wonderful feeling lasted about 2 minutes.

Thump, thump, thump.

I couldn't believe it....another flat tire!! Normally I would have been crying and hysterical, but I was surprisingly calm. Unfortunately I only had one spare tube and had already used it. So I tried flagging down riders asking for a spare tube. After about 20 racers went by, a kind gentleman stopped and gave me his. I am so grateful to him!

I changed out the tube and was on my way (took over 10 minutes, not sure because my watch mysteriously stopped working). I rode for about another mile with tail-wind and then it stopped. I never got a tail-wind again for the rest of the race.

At this point I was so behind my proposed race schedule that I wasn't concerned about time anymore. I was terrified of getting another flat tire. I decided that I didn't want to drop out of the race because I wanted to finish what I started. All I could think about was a moment that happened four years ago after my first triathlon.

Long story short, during that race I got a flat tire and had to walk my bike back in. I could have quit right then, but I didn't. I completed the run and after the race my dad told me that he was proud that I didn't quit. So I was determined to finish this race, no matter how long it took. If I got another flat tire, I would change it and continue on.

Fortunately, I only had those two flat tires. I rode against the wind for the rest of the bike course. I didn't push myself as hard as I should have, I pretty much had a leisurely ride back. Every time I would pass someone, I would ride alongside of them and chat for a bit. It was fun getting to talk to everyone about their race.

Throughout the entire bike leg people had been telling me that the last 6 miles was all downhill. And I'm sure they were telling the truth. But add wind into the equation and there's no downhill relief. I kept thinking, I can't wait to get off this bike. I was thrilled to see T2 and happily dismounted my bike.

Bike

Skyler - 3:01:49

Elise - 4:02:11

I took my time getting my shoes on and pulling on my Team Sparkle running skirt. I wasn't in a rush because I had just finished the absolute worst bike split of my life (it should have been about an hour faster).

T2

Skyler - 1:47

Elise - 3:47

I started running and felt great having people cheer for me. I ran onto the course and just felt lethargic. I wasn't sore and I wasn't too tired, just lethargic. I later pinpointed this to be a lack of nutrition. This is something I need to work on for future races.

I remember seeing the Mile 1 marker and thinking, that was only a mile? Right then I knew I was in trouble. I wasn't trying to run very fast, just finish the race. I knew my time was out the window, so I wan't pushing hard at all.

I walked through every water station. I never stopped (except for when I went into a park bathroom) moving, but I certainly wasn't running much. I tried eating some pretzels and drinking gatorade, but I just wasn't feeling very energetic. As I was coming to the end of the first loop I spotted Skyler. I waited for him to catch up to me and we ran together for about half a mile. I told him what happened, but surprisingly again, I wasn't devastated about the results. Sure, I was mad at the wind and my bike, but I could have acted like a big baby.

I got to watch Skyler cross the finish line, but I still had another loop to run. A woman who I was talking to at the beginning of the race caught up with me and we started chatting. She was also running slow so we ran together. I found out she was running 5 minutes, then walking 2 minutes. I accepted that pace and we enjoyed running with each other for the rest of the race.

Beth and I crossed the finish line together and I couldn't have been happier.

Run

Skyler - 1:59:19

Elise - 2:25:03

Hands down, this was the crappiest race I've ever completed, but I'm happy I completed it. I learned a lot about myself and racing. I would like to race it again, just to prove that I can beat it, but I'll save that for another time.

Total

Skyler - 5:48:06

Elise - 7:16:03

Immediately after crossing the finish line we gathered all of our stuff and drove home. I didn't eat anything and I didn't take any time to cool down and recover. Another mistake. I was so worried about everyone else that I didn't take the time to take care of myself. A 30 minute drive home in the backseat of a SUV proved to be too much for me. I got super carsick and barely made it into the bathroom when we got home. I didn't feel well enough to eat anything, even though my stomach was caving in. I wanted to eat so bad, but my body wouldn't let me.

I was finally able to stomach some food in the middle of the night. I woke Skyler up by my loud chip eating. He tried to eat some of the chips too, so that I would finish faster.

The next morning I felt great. I wasn't tired or sore at all. I guess that's the difference between racing and just finishing.

I'm not sure how I should end this post, except to say that even though I had a bad race, I still had a good time. I really enjoy training for and racing in triathlons. I like pushing myself to do things I didn't think I could do. When I look back at myself just two years ago, I see a girl who had a goal of completing a 70.3 (Half-Ironman) sometime during her life. And here I am, two years later with three 70.3s under my belt. I'm proud of myself and I'm proud of my husband who is an awesome, competitive triathlete. I'm thankful to him for pushing me to do my absolute best. Here's to more racing and more fun!...