Everthing about our Ironman 70.3

Well, you asked for it, so here it is. Everything you could ever possibly want to know about our Half Ironman. Skyler and I have spectated this particular race in Oceanside for the previous two years. I didn't think it was something I could ever do. But after watching last year's race, I became determined to do it before I had kids. We signed up last July. These races sell out quickly.

This race easily became something I thought about every day. I knew it was going to be the longest race I would ever do and I worried about my ability to finish it. But after several months of training, I changed my worry about finishing to a worry about how fast I would finish. Up to the day of the race, I had never actually biked that far or ran that far. I knew it would be a challenge, but I was excited and ready for it.

The week before the race I cut out all unnecessary sugar--no sweets. Two nights before the race we went to a small Italian restaurant in Tustin called Pino's Bistro for dinner. I think this is the most important meal before the race because it is what your body is running on during race day. My favorite pre-race meal is angel hair pasta with meat sauce and tomatoes. That's what I ordered. 

Skyler and I took off work early the day before the race so we could do our packet pick-up. We arrived at race check-in and signed waivers and got race bracelets. The bracelets had our numbers on them so that we could be matched to the numbers on our bikes and gear. Skyler = 205 and Elise = 1803. We checked out the booths at the expo. Skyler bought an Ironmam 70.3 towel and hat. I bought a transition bag. I needed one badly, as the duffle bag I had is hard to hold when riding a bike.

We met our friends Kenny and Jill for dinner at Macaroni Grill for dinner. I loaded up on the bread they bring you. I can never get enough carbs (which is a bad thing because too many carbs can be bad for you). I ordered the same thing I had the night before at Pino's, some kind of pasta with meat sauce and tomatoes. It is also important to load up on water the day before a race. I drank so much water that day.

We headed to our hotel in Carlsbad and began preparing our gear for the next day. We went to bed around 10:30. Not early enough for me, but I knew that 4:30 would seem early no matter what time I went to bed. 

We woke up at 4:30 and I was excited for the day. Sometimes I have a hard time getting out of bed before a race, but I felt great. We loaded up the car and were on our way back to Oceanside. Breakfast consisted of a white bagel (not wheat, fiber not good on race day), a PowerBar, some GatorAde, and something else that I can't remember. I forgot the bananas at the hotel, so no bananas. Oh....the other thing was a few Strawberry Newtons (way better than Fig Newtons).

It was still pitch black when we got to the parking lot. We loaded our bags and hopped on our bikes. We rode about one mile to the transition area. I was excited to see my friend Jaqi, who was volunteering. She is doing Ironman Arizona in November. I set up my stuff in my transition row, which was near the back. Skyler's area was in the front. our numbers were very far apart (205 and 1803). I didn't want to put on my wetsuit yet because I was a little cold. I stayed in my sweats for a while longer. Skyler and I went on a search to find a bathroom. I knew it wouldn't be the first time I would go that morning because in previous races I visit the porta-pottys at least four times before my race starts.

We finally found some porta-pottys and I settled in for a few minutes. After pondering for a while I realized how peaceful this moment was. It was the first and only time that I would be alone during the whole day. The sounds from outside were kind of muffled and no one was going to bother me in there. Being in that porta-potty gave me time to reflect on what was about to happen that day. I felt calm and collected. I was ready to do this!

We walked back to the transition area and I said good-bye to Skyler. His wave started at 6:53, which was soon. We kissed and wished each luck. "Go fast" is our catch-phrase for races.

I heard the gun go off for the first wave. The race had started! I decided it was time to put on my wetsuit. My wetsuit is tight so it takes me about 10 minutes to put it on correctly. I nervously chatted with the other girls around me. About 15 minutes before my scheduled wave start, I headed into the swim chute. As I got near the front I saw my mother-in-law. We hugged and I thanked her for coming. She boosted my confidence.

My wave got into the water because we were next to start. I put my feet in the water expected them to freeze on contact. Surprisingly, the water was warm! Not what I expected at all. The water was warmer than the air temperature so it probably just seemed warm. I think the water was 63 degrees near the boat launch ramp and 58 in the harbor. I realize that I have to pee again. I will go when I am in the water, I think. I forgot.

7:25 I start my stopwatch and start swimming! I am swimming on the right side of the pack, near the middle. I feel great. To pass the time I start counting my strokes. I knew the approximate number of strokes it will take me to swim 1.2 miles, about 1,000. It seems like a large number, esepcially since I am used to counting laps, not strokes.

I reach the half-way point and still feel great. I was excited to be half-way done because I knew on the way back that I would be able to see people standing near the transition area and I wanted to see people I knew. I am near the launch ramp and I remember that I hadn't peed yet. I am too excited to do it right then. I finish my swim with a time of 38:14! I am very happy with my time. I am 32 out of 62 in my wave.

I run down the swim chute, it is quite a long run. I see Mickie (my mother-in-law) and John (my father-in-law) standing next to the swim chute. I wave and keeping running. I get to my area and decided that it would be the best time to pee, while I am still in my westsuit. I do it and take the wetsuit off. I am able to rinse off my body with a little water and my towel. I put on my helmet, sunglasses, cycling shoes, and race number. I am ready to go. 6:39 minutes. Not a great transition time...I need to work on that.

I'm off on my bike. I still feel great, but cold. The air temparature still hasn't warmed up yet and I am wearing wet clothes and have wet hair. Oh well, just part of the race. I am cold for about 45 more minutes and then it never crosses my mind again. 

The bike ride goes through the front side of Camp Pendleton and then up towards San Clemente. There are a lot of people cheering along the way. I come up to my first no-pass zone, right before I hit Christianitos. I am immediately behind a really slow guy. I look back at the people behind me and think that they will be upset if I don't speed this up. I pass the slow guy and notice that everyone behind me passes him too. I guess I made the right choice.

I didn't see Brandon and Michelle on Christianitos because they had gone back to their house. Mackenna was a little fussy. The bike course continued down to Tressles and into the back part of Camp Pendleton.

My nutrition on the bike consisted of one bottle of water, one bottle of Accelerade, three GUs (which Skyler nicely taped to my bike), six Strawberry Newtons, and one Cliff bar. I ate 100 calories every 30 minutes and I switched off between solid food (Newtons) and non-solid (GU). Between the 30 minute intervals I would drink water and Accelerade. I switched off between the two.

The previous day I learned about a steep hill that was part of the bike course. That worried me a little bit because I hadn't mentally prepared for one. Not long after we were back in Camp Pendleton I got a glimpse of the big hill. It was a steep hill for sure, but I wasn't scared of it. I have been mountain biking a lot over the past year so I have the legs to climb big hills. It was steep and I had to put my bike in the easiest gear possible, but I conquered the hill. I was glad to get it out of the way. Not too long after that I encountered hill #2. What? There is more than one steep hill? I then found out that there were three big hills. Oh gees! I could handle it. The first hill was the worst, but the other two were still hard because my legs were getting tired. 

About 2/3 of the way through the bike I noticed that my fingers were feeling weird. I took my hands off my aerobars and tried stretching my fingers. Ouch! They hurt so bad! I guess I had been gripping my bars so tightly so my fingers were now cramped. I spent the rest of the bike curling and un-curling my fingers. I knew it was only a temporary pain, but it still bothered me. Plus, it gave me something to do. I was still feeling great!

The third hill was great because there was a huge hill at the top going down. I like going fast on a downhill. We I came to another no-pass zone, but didn't realize it was one. It's hard not to pass people when you are going fast downhill. Oh well. I apologized to the people I passed. They didn't care.

The last aid station on the bike was about 7 miles from the finish. I grabbed a water bottle and drank about half of it. I threw the bottle back to the aid station. I did all of this without stopping. The last section of the bike was hard. I finally began to feel tired. The wind was blowing pretty hard against me, but I could tell the end was near. I wanted to finished in less than 3 hours and 15 minutes, because that was my goal for the bike leg. I changed my goal during the race (like I always do) to 6 hours. I felt it was possible. 

I was so excited to see Kenny and Jill waiting for me to come in from the bike! Having supporters there is SO important. It gave me a boost to finish strong into the transition area. I fnished the bike in 3:16:35, 26th out of 62.

I race to my area and took off my helmet and cycling shoes. I put on my socks, running shoes, and a visor. I grabbed my nutrition and I was ready to go. I stopped to use a porta-potty but they were all occupied. I would figure it out later. All of that took 4:39 minutes.

I saw Kenny and Jill again and then John a minute later. I was frantically searching the crowd to find my family. I didn't see them and started crying hysterically. When your body is pushed to the limit, the only way to express anything is by emotions. I was worn out and I needed that support from my family. I didn't see them. I tried to stop crying because I couldn't spare the lost energy, but I just couldn't help myself. I cried for about five minutes and then finally stopped. I knew I would be seeing Skyler soon.

I was excited to finish this race. After only 1/2 mile out I hit sand. Running on sand is never easy. That lasted about two minutes and then I was on asphalt. I was ready to run fast, but my body felt differently. I was having a hard time. I figured I just needed a few minutes to get in my groove. That moment never came. 

I wouldn't say that I ran, it was more of a shuffle. It was so hard! I didn't expect to be this tired and be in this much pain. My knees were hurting and my arches were starting to flare up again. I pushed through the pain. 

I was having a hard time eating anything. I brought two GUs with me and the remainder of my Cliff bar. I was able to eat the GUs, but the thought of eating solid food was repulsive to me. I tried to grab water at every aid station and just take a few sips. Next time I will need to eat more on the bike because I will probably feel like crap again on the run.

I used a porta-potty at the second aid station. It took 30 seconds off my time and I felt so much better. I knew I wouldn't be able to wait until the end.

The mile markers weren't marked for the first half of the run. I was trying to figure out how far I had run, but I really had no idea. I should have looked at the course map before the race.

The moment I had been waiting for for hours finally came....I spotted Skyler! He was running in the opposite direction. I was so excited to see him! He didn't look too good. Although, I'm sure I didn't look too good either. We waved at each other. He motivated me to run faster I'm sure, but I was still running at a slow pace. To obtain my new goal of finishing in 6 hours, I would have to complete the run in just under 2 hours. I just didn't think I could do it.

I saw my friend Donny, who was also in the race. He was running the opposite way and told me that his mile times were almost 15 minutes (exaggeration). I could tell he was frustrated. He is doing an Ironman race in June in Idaho.

I ran for forever, or so it seemed. I wasn't sure where the turn-around for the loop was, so I was unsure how much longer I had left. It ended up being back at the finish area. It's kind of a downer to run back to the finish area, but then have to run back out and run the same distance as you've just done. The biggest bummer was running on the sand part four times! It was discouraging!

I'm over half-way done with the run, but still struggling. I calculated my time and realized that 6 hours was not possible anymore. I would just stick with my original goal time of 6 hours, 15 minutes. After running for a few miles I spot Skyler again. We give each other a high-five. He was almost done with the race. I wish him luck. He looked so tired.

One good thing was that our race numbers also had our names on them. Spectators would shout words of encouragement to us personally. It was great to hear people say, "Go Elise," even if I didn't know them.

I ran on the sand for the last time and saw that I needed to finish the race in less than five minutes to meet my original goal time. I try running faster, but it was just so hard. I am running down the finish chute when I finally spot my family. I see my mom and my sister. I lost it. I start crying again. I run a little further and see my Dad and my other sister. The moment had come. I crossed the finish line. I had completed a Half Ironman. And I did it under my goal time. My run time ended up being 2:06:12 (25th of 62). Total time was 6 hours, 12 minutes, 17 seconds.

Not two seconds had passed when I saw Skyler, waiting for me to come across the finish line. I fell into his arms and continued to cry. We had finished and we were so proud of each other!

The remainder of the day consisted of massages, pizza, cookies, family pictures, Del Taco, cupcakes from Elizabethan Desserts, more visits with family, and a long drive back home (at least it seemed like a long drive when I was the one driving and also so tired).

The only regret I have is not putting on sunscreen. I fried my shoulders and arms. Besides that, I felt good the day after the race. I didn't feel any more sore than I do after snowboarding for a day or two.

Going into this race I didn't think I would do it more than once. But after finishing, I have decided that I want to do it again next year to improve my time. I think I can finish in under six hours. I will have to put in a lot of training, but it will be worth it!