Syracuse 70.3 Race Recap
PREFACE
My goal this year was to qualify for 70.3 Worlds. My intentions weren't for the right reasons. 70.3 Worlds this year is in Australia. Australia is my number 1 bucket list spot to travel. Matt and I had decided to sign up for Panama 70.3 in January in hopes I could get a roll down spot. My age group (25-29) typically only gets 1 qualifying spot which automatically goes to the winner of the age group. However, if that individual has already qualified or does not want to take the spot, the position is then offered to 2nd place and so on and so forth. Leading into Panama I became injured with "high hamstring tendinitis" (not technical terms) which was causing a lot of pain at my glute where the hamstring connects. This unfortunately created some problems leading into that race, but I still fought through the heat and earned a PR for myself. I placed 6th which is my highest "ironman event" place to date, but it was not good enough for that roll down. I was told if I got top 10, then I had a really good chance with the roll down, but like me, everyone else and their mother wanted to go to Australia too.
So if I wanted to qualify this was the only semi reasonable race left to qualify (distance from home and time frame). The spring is a tough season for me while I am teaching and coaching the girls varsity soccer team at Jacobs. I became stressed and unmotivated to do my much needed workouts if I wanted a chance to qualify.
Life also got in the way- in a good way though! Matt and I decided to build a new home which meant our closing date would be some time in September and we needed to sell our home which added more stress. Oh and did I mention Matt signed up for Ironman Madison in September as well, making the time frame tight. And then, we went to Europe! No complaints here, I am super blessed with this crazy, wonderful, stressful life I have, but I am also a realist. Even if by some chance I was able to qualify for Worlds at Syracuse, realistically, we wouldn't, shouldn't, couldn't go.
Needless to say, going into this race I wasn't in it to win it. I had known for a long time that going to Australia wasn't going to happen for me, so I kind of "gave up" with this race. I let up on workouts and didn't have the motivation. With Syracuse, there isn't even a motivation for a PR. This course is a tough course and everyone we talked to said that this year they made the bike course even harder... So my race plan pretty much went out the window and I decided to enjoy the event (which I did).
Making the Journey
First, let me introduce you to Joy. Joy is my Yellow Jeep Wrangler.
Matt and I were talking to my parents about our trip to Syracuse (they were generous enough to watch our dog for the weekend) and my Mom had asked if we were going to see Niagara Falls. After she mentioned it, that became the plan: Take a pit stop in Niagara Falls on the way to upstate New York. We left early Friday morning and I planned a schedule that we had to keep. You see, Matt and I decided we would rather camp on site next to transition instead of spend a lot of money for a hotel. The race guide strictly said RV's only, but when calling the site I asked if a Jeep Tent would be allowed- they said yes. So I had Matt buy us a jeep tent. We justified it as our anniversary present as well as the the same amount for the cost of the hotel. So we needed to get to the camp site while there was still daylight to set up, therefore: time schedule.
I requested Matt to practice setting up the tent in the dark the night before, just in case :)
So off to Canada we went
Took us a while to get across the border. But they did let us in! :)
It was breath taking! They offer 20 minute boat rides through the falls. I had ordered and printed the tickets before we left which made it a nice efficient pit stop and we were ahead of schedule!
We arrived at the transition area/camp site with plenty of time to set up. We got settled and woke up the next morning for our pre race workout and some pancakes.
Saturday we drove the bike and run course and was in for a real treat with all the hills this race had to offer. As I mentioned, my motivation to qualify for World's had dwindled, which in turn didn't help my motivation for the preparation for race day, which meant I didn't have the fire I needed to kill this race. So I changed my plan. I decided this would be a great experience to practice hills, heat, and nutrition. In previous races I have had bad experiences with nutrition so I fear the way my body could potentially feel during the race. I also put a lot of pressure on myself and realized I needed to remind myself why this is fun.
Going to sleep the night before a race is usually impossible for me. I kept telling myself that I have the training to make it through the race and I'll be fine. I also tend to get injured at the beginning of the summer which keeps me from enjoying the rest of the race season, so I think some of that fear was creeping in. I want so badly to have a good, strong, healthy summer and achieve some of my other goals I have set out for with strong training.
After finally falling asleep, I was woken up what felt like too quickly. It was nice to get that little bit extra sleep because we were feet away from the transition area. I can barely eat anything before races because I am so anxious. I had my typical oatmeal, and a granola bar to try and get something in my stomach to prepare me for the long day I had ahead of me. Thank goodness I was one of the first waves otherwise I just sit there in panic waiting and waiting. I read a book about confidence and nerves (something I clearly struggle with). One thing I thought was meaningful was that they explained that we are who we are. If I were to try and calm my nerves down, I would be using even more energy to try and do that. I have realized that this is just who I am and this is the way I feel before big races.
SWIM (1.2 miles)
34:36, 16th in my AG and 60th for the females.
This was definitely not my best swim I have ever had, but not my worst either. Knowing how tough the course was going to be I was hoping to have a better swim to start me off. The lake temperature felt great, and I was able to find feet early. I'm not the best when it comes to swimming off feet because I can never tell if the person I am following is going a good pace for me or not. I felt good for a little while but then it seemed like they were slowing down so I went around and found myself towards the inside of the buoys. I wasn't able to get my sighting right. It seemed like I would be on the right track, but I was always too far in.
T1
3:47...
I am really bad at transitions. This is an area I need to work on. I was able to get my wet suit off and one of the girls I had talked to earlier that morning was also preparing to get on the bike. It was her first 70.3 and later I would find that we were going to see each other a lot throughout the day. I ran the rest of the way out of what seemed to be the longest transition. Thankfully my bike was located close to the bike in and out.
BIKE (56 miles)
3:14.33....(slow) 16th AG and 56th female.
I knew going into this course it was going to be brutal. Here in the "Flatlands" we don't really have hills... I wanted to keep my heart rate down so that I could actually digest the nutrition I was putting in my body (I have made that mistake before which is why I fear that feeling).
I was able to pass quite a few men on the uphills and keep trucking along. There were a few girls that passed me quickly and I knew I needed to ride the way I had set out to ride so that I could feel good and make it through the run. I have had too many races that I over raced which has given me a bad taste in my mouth, so this race was much needed to remind me, I got this.
I am happy to report my stomach felt great the whole time and I had no digestive problems like I have had in the past!
T2
1:54
I have been practicing my T2 by taking off my shoes prior to dismounting. I tried moving dismounts before this race and didn't have it nailed down, that I decided to remove my shoes and still come to a stop at the dismount line before running into transition. I figured baby steps are still steps forward and I've got to start somewhere. After putting on my running shoes and grabbing my hat with everything in it, I was on the go.
RUN (13.1 miles)
1:51:46 (8:31 min mile)
I surprised myself with how good I felt on this run. I took the first couple of miles easy to get an idea on how my body was responding. The first half mile is on grass/dirt/rocks with a nice uphill towards the end and then you get to the street. More hills, one of which is tough and then you turn a corner and think it's over, nope. Oh and this is a double out and back loop, so after the first time you know you are going to have to do it all over again. After I hit the turnaround to start the 2nd loop I got an exciting feeling that I was still feeling really fresh and ready to finish the last 6 miles. I felt like I had energy, excitement and I was really enjoying myself on the course. Matt likes to say that I was having a party out there. Which I kind of was. I like to high five, so with this out and back course, there were people coming at me constantly, why not take advantage and high five some people. So I did.
I finished with a happy gut, a happy body, and a happy heart. I knew I was slow, but I didn't care. I needed this race to remind me why I put in the hours training along with the hours of anxiety leading up to race day.
Official time: 5:46:36, 11th AG and 31st female.
THE TAKEAWAY
This is not my best race. My age group finish is my worst age group finish to date for an ironman event. My time is my second worst time (the first I was mis directed on the bike course and road an extra 9+ miles...). BUT, I was fully aware and in control of the decisions I was making and how I wanted to race. This was my best day with nutrition. The BEST I have felt on a half ironman run. AND I REALLY enjoyed myself. I made friends from Guatemala, Toronto, and the East coast that I wouldn't have met without this sport. I got to see Niagara Falls and camp for the weekend surrounded by people who love this crazy sport that I too have fallen in love with.
In the end, it was my bike time that really slowed me down. The good news is, I have time before my next race to really focus on that training. I am confident in my nutrition and am able to say I am excited about the next race again. For a while it was feeling daunting and like a burden with the pressure I put on myself. The pressure will still be there, but I feel more motivated than ever to stay healthy and train right so that I can give the next race all I've got.
Thank you for taking the time to read if you did :) Stay tuned for more....
