Ironman Florida

Flat = fast, but it doesn’t mean painless!

If I learned anything on Saturday, that was it.  Crossing the line at 9:35, it was the fastest Ironman race of my career so far, but it was also certainly one of the hardest!

All week long, I had marveled at the glassy water and sugar cane sand of the PCB beaches.  Staring at views like this from my balcony, it was easy to forget about the cheesy clubs and shops with names like: “Condom Knowledge” and “Butter Face Pizza”  lining the strip on the other side of the condo. . .  Stay classy, PCB!

When I arrived to the race site Saturday morning, however, gone was the glassy water.  Thanks to tropical storm Ida, the water was quite choppy.  I did no favors for myself by swimming nearly the entire race solo–stuck in no man’s land between the lead pack of women and a few stragglers that had it even worse than me.  I can’t say  it was a pleasant swim, but I knew I needed to keep the effort level high and evaluate later. 

Once onto the bike, I immediately felt rather. . .good.  It was a strange sensation, as it often takes my legs a few miles to come around, but this time I was able to fall immediately into a good rhythm.  The early miles ticked by so quickly.  Some moments of an Ironman can feel like you are living life in fast forward. . .and at others–usually somewhere along the run–as though someone has hit the slow motion button. 

For much of the bike, I had legs.  I was moving steadily and passing other girls periodically.  Plus, other than a few miles that I drove on my way into town, I hadn’t seen any of the course, which also helped the miles slide by easily. 

I was trying out a new nutrition plan this race, precipitated by the stomach issues I had in Canada.  While some people have trouble with solids, my stomach seems to prefer them.  So, like a fat kid in a candy shop, I was chomping away with a big smile on my face–3 Clif bars, a pb & j sandwich, and 3 sleeves of shot bloks, thank you very much.  1,650 calories or so in all, all solid food.  Plus, lots of water and salt tabs.  Probably not a good idea for everyone, but my stomach felt the best it ever has on the bike. 

Sometime around mile 95, I got my first taste of what everyone meant when they said that flat courses can hurt the most.  My hip flexors were very grumpy, and the left Piriformis (that’s that muscle that runs over the sciatic nerve and can give the sensation that someone’s stabbing you with a knife when it’s too tight) was screaming at me to get off the darn bike.    The last 20 miles or so seemed to take just as long as the first 92. 

Jessica Jacobs, last year’s third place finisher, who I’d passed a few miles back, flew by me on our way into T2.  I managed an uncharacteristically  quick transition–didjya hear that, Coach?–and was thus treated to another opportunity of watching her pass.  Letting Jessica set the pace, we blazed outta there in sub 7’s for the first few miles, which–in retrospect–was probably a little aggressive for me.  However, having finished IM Canada with more in the tank than I would have liked, I was determined to leave it all out on the run course this time. 

Wish granted.  Several miles in, I lost contact with my “pace team”, and from there, it was a bit of a steadily sinking ship.  Despite some excellent run training leading up to this race, a run PB was not in the cards.  Still, I knew that if I managed to avoid disaster, it would still be a good day. 

Sometime late in the run, as evidenced by my Buddha belly.  Can’t believe they let a pregnant lady race! JK

I kept the gatorade, salt, and water coming in, and otherwise tried to distract myself with the on course entertainment–the dominaitrix aid station and the leaders of the men’s race.   Still, the second lap was exponentially more painful than the first.  At last I began to see glimpses of the strip, and knew the finish line was near.  I never thought I’d be so excited to see a string of seedy nightclubs; )

Despite the soft spots on the run, a 22 minute PR of 9:35 was a great way to finish out the season!  Congrats to all the finishers, and a big thank you to all of my sponsors–K-Swiss, LifeSport, Aquasphere, Orbea, Johnson & Blanton, B&L Bikes, Shimano, Pro, and Clif Bar.