I went into this race feeling well trained but with a bit of trepidation regarding some persistent hip soreness. The week prior I had backed off a bit from the more intense training and was starting to feel a bit better but it was still there in the back of my mind.
My coach had given some excellent advice for all of us on the team to make peace with the idea that the race was going to hurt. Tell yourself that at some point you are going to want to stop and try to convince yourself to just go one minute more..and then another.
Got to the race site early and without the kids which is unusual but good. I knew they were home sleeping and not standing in the cold waiting for me to finish. I was able to meet up with the team, drop my gear with them, warm up and get in line in plenty of time. I had about a 10 min warm up and lined up with the pack of 9-10 min per mile pacers.
Gun wet off and it took me over 2 min. to actually cross the start line due to the thousands in front of me. Race plan said to run 9:10's for the first 3 miles then off of HR for the rest of the race. I started out too fast since the first mile has a nice downhill stretch, ran about an 8:30 for the first mile and then pulled back to try to get back to the plan. I felt absolutely great until about mile 6 when the hip pain came back. It was at this point that the voice Coach Jill told us about started to talk to me and tell me to quit then and wait for medical. I reasoned that this was a bad idea as I had not seen any medical around and would therefor need to stand in the cold rain waiting. I was still holding a good pace and talked myself into staying in the race until mile 7 to see how I felt. Mile 7 and 8 came and went and then I convinced myself that even thought 8 is not particularly close to "being done" with 13.1 miles that I was almost finished and it would be silly to stop now.
At mile 9 the pain increased and I reminded myself that I had an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's coffee flavored frozen yogurt at home. I could eat all of it if I just kept at my pace and ran the race according to plan. I started to fall apart at mile 11-12 but had enough in the bank from some faster miles to give a little wiggle room.
The last hill was a killer but when I saw Jill and then Zot and the kids I pushed up and over and finished strong.
Goal was to break 2 hours and official time puts me at 1:59:51!!
Things that are good
1. Nutrition was spot on. 2 fuel belt bottles in my pockets with 175 calories each
2. Stuck with the race plan
3. Dressed just right..not to cold or warm
4. Broke 2 hours!
Things that could be better
1. I need to build up my pain threshold to get through Ironman
2. I still can barely walk almost 36 hours (and several ice baths) later
All in all a great race.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Winter Pineapple Classic 2008
Fueled on chocolate chip oatmeal cookies I baked this morning and fear I lined up with my 3 JFT2 compadres at the 2008 Winter Pineapple Classic 5k for a rough and tumble 3.1 miles. Decked out in out gorgeous mumu's we were obviously in it to win it. Teams of 4 in waves of 20 left every 60 seconds to tackle the obstacle course of doom while maintaining possession of the team pineapple for the duration of the race. The layout of the course and tropically adorned elite competitors made for an formidable set of opponents but in typical fierce JFT2 style we brought it and crushed the competition passing dozens of teams with a cry of "MUMUS ON YOUR LEFT"...ruffles and flowers flying. We were passed by no one and feared by all.
We did not all survive unscathed..there were band aids on knees..oh yes. But no crying..none!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Base Training Update
It has been a long time since my last post. I spent a good week recovering from Nationals and planning out the rest of the year. Mid October found me at the Salmon Days Festival in Issaquah running the 10k. The morning did not start well. I woke up covered in hives for some reason..nice. Took a few swigs of Benadryl on the way to the race and met up with fellow JFT2'ers. Started too fast of course. HR up to 197...yikes! Ran pretty much balls out the whole way and crossed the like in 57:02..sprinted to the porta potty and hurled. Yuck.
Next up is the Seattle 1/2 Marathon November 30th.
I have been taking a bunch of tests to get ready to start with the coach full time in January. Swim tests, bike testing and most recently..a visit to Seattle Performance Medicine for their "triathlete testing package"
Got to the facility at 8:00 a.m. where I handed my bike to a lab tech and got dressed for the bike. I was put into a room where I laid on a table while they put a bunch of electrodes on me as well as an oxygen/co2 mask. I had to lie there for 30 min so they could calculate my resting metabolic rate. That was the easy part.
Next up was the Vo2 max and blood lactate tests on the bike. They had removed the pedals from my bike and measured the distance of the pedals to the floor and then placed these on their ergometer bike. They measured my seat height and reach as well. Got on the bike with the oxygen mask thingy and they basically would increase the tension on the bike until I was pushing 250 watts in order to gauge my VO2 max. This was really freakin' exhausting but it only took 15 min. I had a rest, drank some calories and did a second lactate test to determine at what point lactate seeps into my legs and makes them feel like lead. Fun!
I got off the bike and after a 10 min. break I changed into run shoes and hit the treadmill. The mask was still on and I was put at a very slow jog (4.9 m.p.h.). They started the test and began to increase the incline every 3 min. by 3%. The test ended when we reached 15% and I gave the thumbs down that I was going to die.
Another break and again on the treadmill for the last test. I was started at 5.0 m.p.h and kept on a flat run with just an increase in speed every 2 min. 5.5,6.0.6.5.7.0, 7.5....DONE!!!
I was told to shower and change while the tester prepared a report. I showered and changed and had enough time to eat before meeting with Brady to go over the results.
Briefly went over the tests with Brady and then met with Dr. Cooper who analyzed the results and gave me some great information.
This had to be the most valuable tool I have ever used in triathlon. They were able to tell that my Vo2 max is good for both the bike and run and that I am definitely at the level of an athlete which is cool! They determined what my AT (aerobic threshold) is at both the bike and run. These numbers will be critical going forward for my coach to design my program. These numbers also showed that I am really pushing at much too high an intensity and I need to slow way down to build up my base. I have been ordered to spend the next 17 weeks swimming, biking and running at nothing greater than zone 2-3 or roughly 10 below my AT. I need to build this long slow distance base to prepare my body for what will probably be a 14-17 hour race in August.
I also learned that my Resting Metabolic Rate is ok at 1759 calories but that I am burning waaaay more protein than I should be. This is due to several factors. I am not consuming enough calories to sustain my training. The doctor wants me to increase calories by at least 1000 and eating before and after the workout is critical. My body is basically running out of carbs and converting my lean muscle mass to carbs to use for fuel which is obviously not good. I am also not burning fat since I am working at such a high intensity.
The report was forwarded to my coach who will use all these numbers to set my intensity levels from here on out.
So while I am still doing 12-15 hours of training per week, the difference is that I will be doing 3 hours of weight training and the rest will be a swim, bike and run an a slow and boring pace. Hopefully after 17 weeks I will have a good base of fitness and be able to start adding speed into the mix.
I sat on the trainer for 2 hours today spinning fast and dreaming about climbing those hills that I love so much. All in good time.
Next up is the Seattle 1/2 Marathon November 30th.
I have been taking a bunch of tests to get ready to start with the coach full time in January. Swim tests, bike testing and most recently..a visit to Seattle Performance Medicine for their "triathlete testing package"
Got to the facility at 8:00 a.m. where I handed my bike to a lab tech and got dressed for the bike. I was put into a room where I laid on a table while they put a bunch of electrodes on me as well as an oxygen/co2 mask. I had to lie there for 30 min so they could calculate my resting metabolic rate. That was the easy part.
Next up was the Vo2 max and blood lactate tests on the bike. They had removed the pedals from my bike and measured the distance of the pedals to the floor and then placed these on their ergometer bike. They measured my seat height and reach as well. Got on the bike with the oxygen mask thingy and they basically would increase the tension on the bike until I was pushing 250 watts in order to gauge my VO2 max. This was really freakin' exhausting but it only took 15 min. I had a rest, drank some calories and did a second lactate test to determine at what point lactate seeps into my legs and makes them feel like lead. Fun!
I got off the bike and after a 10 min. break I changed into run shoes and hit the treadmill. The mask was still on and I was put at a very slow jog (4.9 m.p.h.). They started the test and began to increase the incline every 3 min. by 3%. The test ended when we reached 15% and I gave the thumbs down that I was going to die.
Another break and again on the treadmill for the last test. I was started at 5.0 m.p.h and kept on a flat run with just an increase in speed every 2 min. 5.5,6.0.6.5.7.0, 7.5....DONE!!!
I was told to shower and change while the tester prepared a report. I showered and changed and had enough time to eat before meeting with Brady to go over the results.
Briefly went over the tests with Brady and then met with Dr. Cooper who analyzed the results and gave me some great information.
This had to be the most valuable tool I have ever used in triathlon. They were able to tell that my Vo2 max is good for both the bike and run and that I am definitely at the level of an athlete which is cool! They determined what my AT (aerobic threshold) is at both the bike and run. These numbers will be critical going forward for my coach to design my program. These numbers also showed that I am really pushing at much too high an intensity and I need to slow way down to build up my base. I have been ordered to spend the next 17 weeks swimming, biking and running at nothing greater than zone 2-3 or roughly 10 below my AT. I need to build this long slow distance base to prepare my body for what will probably be a 14-17 hour race in August.
I also learned that my Resting Metabolic Rate is ok at 1759 calories but that I am burning waaaay more protein than I should be. This is due to several factors. I am not consuming enough calories to sustain my training. The doctor wants me to increase calories by at least 1000 and eating before and after the workout is critical. My body is basically running out of carbs and converting my lean muscle mass to carbs to use for fuel which is obviously not good. I am also not burning fat since I am working at such a high intensity.
The report was forwarded to my coach who will use all these numbers to set my intensity levels from here on out.
So while I am still doing 12-15 hours of training per week, the difference is that I will be doing 3 hours of weight training and the rest will be a swim, bike and run an a slow and boring pace. Hopefully after 17 weeks I will have a good base of fitness and be able to start adding speed into the mix.
I sat on the trainer for 2 hours today spinning fast and dreaming about climbing those hills that I love so much. All in good time.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
I wasn't last!!!
USAT National Championship Race Report
Got to Hagg Lake on Friday at 1:00. Zot dropped me off and took the kids to lunch so I was able to pick up my race packet and listen to some of the talks in peace. I was able to get one of my bike jerseys signed by 4 members of the Olympic team which is really cool!
At 2 I was able to get into transition to rac my bike and take a look at where I would come in from the swim, exit on the bike and then exit after T2 for the run.
The vibe was very unlike any race I have been to thus far. It was VERY competitive and I felt compelled to lose 15 pounds and buy a $4000 bike before the race the following day.
By 3 I left to go back to Amber's house for home made cupcakes (so delicious) and an early bedtime.
Saturday 5 a.m.
Up after a pretty good sleep, downed coffee, emergencee, 2 toaster pastries and a bananna and Amber drove me out to the race site. Into transition by 6:30. Loaded the nutrition onto the bike, set up the transition area, grabbed my wetsuit and checked in my bag into the security area. I was then body marked and given my timing chip. Ready to go!
The race started at 7:15 with the older age group and waves went every 4 min. until 7:30 or so when they had a 30 min break and then restarted to let the older people head out on the bike. My wave went off at 8:28. I warmed up a bit and then before I knew it we were in the water and the airhorn blasted and we were off! The buoys looked far away but the water was clear and felt great. What didn't feel so great was my ever stretching size too big wet suit pulling my legs down to the bottom of the lake. Angela, bless her, stood in line at Triumph, this morning and got a smaller size suit for me but this did not help me out in this race. I tried to just stay calm and get into a rhythm and I did fine. Not fast but I survived. Out of the water in 34 min.
Up a long hill to the transition area. Pretty easy, wet suit off, helmet on, glasses on, shoes on..GO!
Bike: Bike was HARD. This course kicked my ass. The first loop was ok. I tried to keep the heart rate in check but stay fast. On the second loop after about the 4th or 5th mile I felt a "something" happened with my left hip flexor which has been giving me issues lately. I had a lot of trouble after that point climbing with a lot of power. It just hurt. Got through the second loop and managed to pass a few people. Bike 1:24
T2 Uneventful
Run: A long slow slog. Up a hill, down a hill, up a hill, down a hill. All the while I was feeling it in that left hip. Started to old man shuffle up those last hills on the way back. Run took 1:04 which is about a 10 min mile. Not too impressive but good for how I was feeling.
Crossed the line and went right to the medical tent for ice which is the first time I have visited a medical tent after a race.
Total time 3:08. Pretty sure I was at the bottom of my age group but I was 864/1200 overall so I for damn sure was not last.
I would love to go back to this race again and blow it out of the water, qualify for Team USA and go to Worlds but for now I was really just thrilled to be there. Got a sweet National Championship jacket at the finish and my kids think I am a rockstar!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Ironman Canada
What an amazing experience. Hands down one of the most emotional races I have ever attended.
Amber and I headed up to Penticton on Friday afternoon. Border crossing sucked as it was reduced to one lane. Got into our marginally acceptable hotel room early evening and drove into Penticton for dinner.
Saturday morning I got up bright and early to meet 2 team mates at the swim start for a 45 min. swim and run. The whole beach area was just electric with nervous athletes getting in their last swim before the race on Sunday. The water was clear and the beach was not rocky at all. It stays shallow for quite awhile so I was able to walk out a ways and get used to the cold water gradually. I was able to see the marker for the turn buoy far in the distance. 2.4 miles is just a really long distance to swim!
Got out, dried off and slipped on some shoes for a fun 5 mile run with friends. Running through Penticton and seeing all the hoopla surrounding an Ironman weekend was really cool. Met up with many members of the team who were racing the following day. I began to feel sick to my stomach at this point seeing how nervous they were.
After a nice lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant Amber and I headed to the local park near the expo to meet Lyle the Finish Line Captain and about 200 people who also volunteered along with me to "catch" athletes after they cross the finish line. We were instructed in the best way to offer support to the finishers without touching them unless they need to be touched.
Out to dinner an back to the hotel for an early night or so I thought. Sleep eluded me. I was so nervous for the team and anxious to see the race begin that I didn't fall asleep until midnight.
Up at 5. Got to the race site by 6 and staked a place along the waterfront for the 7 a.m. start.
Cannon boomed at 6:45 and the pro men and women surged into the water. Cannon boomed again at 7 a.m. and 2400 athletes piled into the water. It was just chaos. I left after the swimmers headed out and put myself on main street to see them as they came out of T-1 and out on the bike. 45 min. later the first pro male screamed by on his bike headed south out of town. The streets were covered in chalk with messages for the departing athletes. The streets were packed 4 deep with fans cheering the athletes as they started their long day.
I saw a few team mates leaving on the bike and then later(5-7 hours) I saw them come back in and begin the run. The 112 mile bike course winds through wine country and is relatively flat and/or rolling hills for the first 30 miles. The road then heads west for a sharp and long climb up Richter Pass, through more rollers and another even longer climb to Yellow lake. It was windy as hell that day and I know the bikes were getting blown all over the road.
At 4 p.m. I started my job as "finish line catcher" just in time to see one of my heros, Belinda Granger (a pro triathlete) I was in a tent directly behind the finish line with about 100 other people. Each of us paired with a partner and as the athlete crossed we ran to either side of them. I would gently put my hand on their back and tell them they could lean on me. 95% of the time they would practically collapse on my partner and I. We would have to keep them moving and walk them toward the medical tent and athlete recovery area. We tried to assess them on the walk over to see if they needed medical. Some people seemed just fine and could go get food and sit down. Some were in obvious pain or were incoherent at best. We handed them off to medical and got back in line to catch more.
I got to tag out other catchers and catch 10 people I knew who were racing. 5 of them were completing their first Ironman and I was honored to be there to support them. One woman on my team who raced faster than she expected nearly killed herself on the marathon and burst into tears after she crossed the line. It was so emotional. I have been training with these men and women for 8 months now and to see what they are able to do and how each one of them crossed that line within the 17 hour cutoff is so inspiring.
It started to get cold and rainy towards the end which did not runners out in the dark trying to reach the line. The crowd and finish line was pretty crazy with music blaring and the jumbotron showing the last little stretch before the finish line chute. And Mike Reily the announcer calling each athlete by name as they crossed the line and telling them that they were an Ironman.
Home late, freezing cold from rain I took a shower to heat up, emailed my coach with all the race details and passed out in bed.
Monday morning I woke early and headed down to the race expo to stand in a GINORMOUS line with 8 million other people to register for Ironman Canada 2009. When the line started to move I got put in a really short line with other volunteers for priority registration. I showed my passport signed on the dotted line and just like that I am in.
Amber and I could have a good time anywhere..but it was really nice to share this with her. Seeing the mad enthusiasm of the entire town for this race make me totally stoked. Next year it will be my turn and I will be the one being caught at the finish and becoming something a few years ago I would never have believed.
Amber and I headed up to Penticton on Friday afternoon. Border crossing sucked as it was reduced to one lane. Got into our marginally acceptable hotel room early evening and drove into Penticton for dinner.
Saturday morning I got up bright and early to meet 2 team mates at the swim start for a 45 min. swim and run. The whole beach area was just electric with nervous athletes getting in their last swim before the race on Sunday. The water was clear and the beach was not rocky at all. It stays shallow for quite awhile so I was able to walk out a ways and get used to the cold water gradually. I was able to see the marker for the turn buoy far in the distance. 2.4 miles is just a really long distance to swim!
Got out, dried off and slipped on some shoes for a fun 5 mile run with friends. Running through Penticton and seeing all the hoopla surrounding an Ironman weekend was really cool. Met up with many members of the team who were racing the following day. I began to feel sick to my stomach at this point seeing how nervous they were.
After a nice lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant Amber and I headed to the local park near the expo to meet Lyle the Finish Line Captain and about 200 people who also volunteered along with me to "catch" athletes after they cross the finish line. We were instructed in the best way to offer support to the finishers without touching them unless they need to be touched.
Out to dinner an back to the hotel for an early night or so I thought. Sleep eluded me. I was so nervous for the team and anxious to see the race begin that I didn't fall asleep until midnight.
Up at 5. Got to the race site by 6 and staked a place along the waterfront for the 7 a.m. start.
Cannon boomed at 6:45 and the pro men and women surged into the water. Cannon boomed again at 7 a.m. and 2400 athletes piled into the water. It was just chaos. I left after the swimmers headed out and put myself on main street to see them as they came out of T-1 and out on the bike. 45 min. later the first pro male screamed by on his bike headed south out of town. The streets were covered in chalk with messages for the departing athletes. The streets were packed 4 deep with fans cheering the athletes as they started their long day.
I saw a few team mates leaving on the bike and then later(5-7 hours) I saw them come back in and begin the run. The 112 mile bike course winds through wine country and is relatively flat and/or rolling hills for the first 30 miles. The road then heads west for a sharp and long climb up Richter Pass, through more rollers and another even longer climb to Yellow lake. It was windy as hell that day and I know the bikes were getting blown all over the road.
At 4 p.m. I started my job as "finish line catcher" just in time to see one of my heros, Belinda Granger (a pro triathlete) I was in a tent directly behind the finish line with about 100 other people. Each of us paired with a partner and as the athlete crossed we ran to either side of them. I would gently put my hand on their back and tell them they could lean on me. 95% of the time they would practically collapse on my partner and I. We would have to keep them moving and walk them toward the medical tent and athlete recovery area. We tried to assess them on the walk over to see if they needed medical. Some people seemed just fine and could go get food and sit down. Some were in obvious pain or were incoherent at best. We handed them off to medical and got back in line to catch more.
I got to tag out other catchers and catch 10 people I knew who were racing. 5 of them were completing their first Ironman and I was honored to be there to support them. One woman on my team who raced faster than she expected nearly killed herself on the marathon and burst into tears after she crossed the line. It was so emotional. I have been training with these men and women for 8 months now and to see what they are able to do and how each one of them crossed that line within the 17 hour cutoff is so inspiring.
It started to get cold and rainy towards the end which did not runners out in the dark trying to reach the line. The crowd and finish line was pretty crazy with music blaring and the jumbotron showing the last little stretch before the finish line chute. And Mike Reily the announcer calling each athlete by name as they crossed the line and telling them that they were an Ironman.
Home late, freezing cold from rain I took a shower to heat up, emailed my coach with all the race details and passed out in bed.
Monday morning I woke early and headed down to the race expo to stand in a GINORMOUS line with 8 million other people to register for Ironman Canada 2009. When the line started to move I got put in a really short line with other volunteers for priority registration. I showed my passport signed on the dotted line and just like that I am in.
Amber and I could have a good time anywhere..but it was really nice to share this with her. Seeing the mad enthusiasm of the entire town for this race make me totally stoked. Next year it will be my turn and I will be the one being caught at the finish and becoming something a few years ago I would never have believed.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Federal Escape Olympic Race Report
Up at 4 a.m. got into the pre-loaded van and headed for Federal Way. Breakfast consisted of two poptarts, coffee and a bananna. Breakfast of champions
5:30 transition opened and I was the first in line. First come first served racking which was great. I got an end rack right next to bike out after having EVERY race this year putting me by the swim in. I can run in my wetsuit but I have a hell of a time running efficiently with the bike.
6:00 met up with Judith, Melissa, Scott, Heather and Kristen, walked down to the swim, jogged a quick warm up and then got into the wetsuit and down to the swim start by 7:15
SWIM: 32:48
The swim went well for me as I improved my time from my first Oly by almost 6 min. Of course having a wetsuit helped. Having a wetsuit that is too big for me was not so good. I bought my suit about 10-15 pounds ago and I am happy to report that I am a women's medium instead of large. Swimming in the large is getting pretty unbearable. I feel like my arems and legs are filling with water and I am being weighted down. I felt pretty exhausted coming out of the swim because of this. The water at 5 mile lake is nice but visibility is zero and doing a two loop swim was strange.
T1: 1:30 Uneventful.
BIKE: 1:17:28. I felt great on the bike. This course is not hilly but rolling and we did a total of 4 loops at 5.83 miles each. I got slowed a bit by some traffic on the 3rd and 4th loop but overall I passed a fair amount of both men and women and was not passed by too many. Held back a bit and spun towards the end to save my legs for the run. I walked the aid stations at the last Oly I did and I was determined to RUN the whole 6.2 miles. Nutrition 16 oz. water/ 1 bottle gatorade and carbopro 370 colories
T2: 52.9 Pretty fast!
RUN: 54:19 For once the run felt great. I kept my heart rate in check on the first loop (3.1 miles) The run was NOT flat and I really had to focus. I kept 3 small fuel belt bottles with me filled with carbo pro and that really helped. I pushed it on the second lap and finished strong.
I beat my last Oly time by 21 min. which I am so proud of.
Total Time 2:47
OA (men and women) 99/353
OA (just women) 41/193
Age Group!!!!!! 7th (out of 40)
I took a quick shower at the park, met the kids and husband at the Microsoft picnic and ate so much I am embarassed.
5:30 transition opened and I was the first in line. First come first served racking which was great. I got an end rack right next to bike out after having EVERY race this year putting me by the swim in. I can run in my wetsuit but I have a hell of a time running efficiently with the bike.
6:00 met up with Judith, Melissa, Scott, Heather and Kristen, walked down to the swim, jogged a quick warm up and then got into the wetsuit and down to the swim start by 7:15
SWIM: 32:48
The swim went well for me as I improved my time from my first Oly by almost 6 min. Of course having a wetsuit helped. Having a wetsuit that is too big for me was not so good. I bought my suit about 10-15 pounds ago and I am happy to report that I am a women's medium instead of large. Swimming in the large is getting pretty unbearable. I feel like my arems and legs are filling with water and I am being weighted down. I felt pretty exhausted coming out of the swim because of this. The water at 5 mile lake is nice but visibility is zero and doing a two loop swim was strange.
T1: 1:30 Uneventful.
BIKE: 1:17:28. I felt great on the bike. This course is not hilly but rolling and we did a total of 4 loops at 5.83 miles each. I got slowed a bit by some traffic on the 3rd and 4th loop but overall I passed a fair amount of both men and women and was not passed by too many. Held back a bit and spun towards the end to save my legs for the run. I walked the aid stations at the last Oly I did and I was determined to RUN the whole 6.2 miles. Nutrition 16 oz. water/ 1 bottle gatorade and carbopro 370 colories
T2: 52.9 Pretty fast!
RUN: 54:19 For once the run felt great. I kept my heart rate in check on the first loop (3.1 miles) The run was NOT flat and I really had to focus. I kept 3 small fuel belt bottles with me filled with carbo pro and that really helped. I pushed it on the second lap and finished strong.
I beat my last Oly time by 21 min. which I am so proud of.
Total Time 2:47
OA (men and women) 99/353
OA (just women) 41/193
Age Group!!!!!! 7th (out of 40)
I took a quick shower at the park, met the kids and husband at the Microsoft picnic and ate so much I am embarassed.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Hy-vee Olympic Triathlon Race Report
Rachel O'Connor
bib number: 1034
gender: F
location: DUVALL, WA
overall place: 926 out of 1257
division place: 60 out of 90
gender place: 230 out of 400
time: 3:08:47
pace: 0:
swim: 39:46
t1: 2:03
bike: 1:21:38
t2: 2:17
run: 1:03:05
penalty: 0:
Wow! I think that about sums it up. The race was incredible from start to finish. With the exception of Ironman it has got to be the most well supported race out there.
The Hyvee is held in Des Moines Iowa and is an ITU World Cup race. It has the largest prize purse for the elites in triathlon history. The winning men and women get 200k plus a Lexus. This year we had the added bonus of the elite race being the Olympic Selection event for the final man and woman to go to Beijing.
All the big names were there...Laura Bennet, Sara Groff, Sara Haskins, Becky LaVelle, Sara McClarty, Emma Snowsill, Hunter Kemper, ect.
Des Moines as you may or may not know had been inundated with flooding for weeks prior to the tri. I left Seattle on Friday June 13th and at the time it was said that there was no possible way to make the triathlon go. The lake/race site was 10 feet above flood stage, all available bodies of water for the swim were flooded and filled with run off with unhealthy levels of bacteria. It would be a duathlon for sure. The problem with this is that the Olympic Selection HAD to be a triathlon and if they could not pull it off then the selection would be moved to an alternate race on July 12th in another state. The city of Des Moines basically told the race director that he could have WHATEVER he wanted to make it happen. By Wednesday the waters had receded a bit and a miracle occurred....a race site was found. The swim portion was moved to a lovely lake in West Des Moines and the decision was made at 2 p.m. on Wednesday and announced.
I traveled out to the lake Thursday morning to get a look at it and saw no less than 500 volunteers/race staff transforming the area into a usable site. The beach was flooded so sand was trucked in, a brand new dock was built for the race start, blue carpet was laid everywhere and by Friday morning all the transition bike racks were set, swim in, bike out channels were made and timing mats were laid down. It was incredible.
I was able to get into the water both Wednesday and Thursday morning and after swimming in the freezing Lake Sammamish here, the 74 degree water felt great! The unfortunate part of the late notice is the fact that my wet suit was left at home. I was much slower in the water but I enjoyed feeling the freedom of swimming in a tri suit alone.Friday I also got a chance to bike a bit of the course. I ran into a police officer while on the course and asked him if the race would be closed to traffic and he said it would be and every officer in West Des Moines and Des Moines would be helping! Wow!
In the afternoon on Friday we went to the big race expo downtown. Again...a first rate event. We attended a pre race meeting and after that we were given a stamp which allowed us to pick up our race packet and have a bracelet put on our arm. The bracelet was the ticket we needed to get into transition to rack our bikes. This event was a two transition site event which was different for me.
Saturday morning bright and early I took my kids down to the kids duathlon at the race finish. Things were too chaotic and rushed to put together a tri for the kids at the lake so the finish line/stadium area was used. There were a million volunteers and over 500 kids racing. The race was great and Mary Lou Retton of all people was at the finish line to hand out medals to the kids. Aidan and Maddie had a great time. After their race we spent time in the athlete village and the kids loaded up on tons of swag.
Around 2 p.m. the transition area at the lake opened for bike racking. I racked the bike and walked the line from the swim exit to the bike and out the bike exit. Saw the buoy's on the course for the first time and 1500 meters all the sudden seemed like an impossible distance.
Left bike transition 2 miles away back to the finish/stadium where the second transition site was. Counted the number of racks from the bike dismount to my area and arranged my shoes, race belt and hat in a numbered bag for the run.
Got home by 5 and into bed by 8p.m. but sleep eluded me until about 11p.m.
I woke up at 3:30 a.m. race morning and ate a bagel with peanut butter, 8 saltines, coffee and gatorade. I also brought a banana with me to eat before the swim.
It was dark when we arrived at the race site at 4:30. I stood in line to get body marked and in another line to pick up my timing chip. The lines moved quickly and by 4:45 I was in transition loading up my bike and setting out my swim/bike transition space. I brought a 16 oz bottle with 250 calories of carbopro and gatorade as well as a water bottle.
The morning was absolutely stunning. The sun came up at 5:20 and the sky way clear blue except for a cloudy patch to the east and a huge rainbow! The air temp and water temp were the same at 74 degrees and I felt so happy to be there. I was nervous and excited. I think I was the only one without a wet suit but oh well. At 6:16 I got into the water with 89 other women in my age group and the horn sounded. I had swam to warm up and was already used to the water so I dove right in. The water felt great...the elbow to my face knocking my goggles off after about 200 yards did not. I had to stop and put them back on and dove back into the fray. The swim was pretty brutal. The men ages 40-44 took off 3 min. after my wave and by the second buoy they caught up and mowed me down. I took another hit to the back of my head and lost the goggles again! Overall the swim was great. I was slow but intentionally so. I did not want to freak out and I wanted to come out of the water feeling strong. It was the confidence boost I needed to feel like I can finish Lake Stevens in a few weeks.
Got out of the water feeling great! I did it and it didn't kill me. I loved the swim!
39:46 wasn't the best but with a wet suit and a little more hustle Lake Stevens should be better. Ran right to the bike, put goggles and cap in bag, shoes on, sunglasses and helmet and ran to the exit.
T1 2:03
On the bike and ZOOM. I loved the bike. I passed a LOT of both women and men and I averaged 18.2 m.p.h. which is good for me. The course marshalls were out in force and I had to push myself a lot to hammer past people once I entered their draft zone.
Bike 121:28 18.2 m.p.h
The course was actually a bit hilly. They found the only 4 hills in Iowa and they were all on the course. I felt a little worn hopping off the bike into T2. Helmet off, hat on, change shoes, race number and go. Nutrition felt pretty spot on. I drank 350 calories on the bike and 20 oz water. The air temp was now around 82 degrees and I was feeling it a bit.
T2 2:17
It takes about a mile to iron out my legs and loosen them up on the run. This took a bit longer as my hip flexor started to hurt a bit and I could not shake it. I ran slow and steady and walked the length of each of the 5 aid stations. I would take a sip of water and dump the rest on my head and then grab a gatorade and drink a sip.
Got to mile 5 and started to get pretty emotional. I felt tired but strong. One year ago to the day I had graduated from my weight loss program at the Pro Club after losing 90 pounds and now I was completing my first Olympic distance...cool.
I turned into the stadium which was PACKED with people cheering. I heard the announcer say "Let's welcome Rachel O'Connor to the finish line" and I heard my family yelling my name. I ran hard down the blue carpet and crossed the line.
Run: 103:05
I felt great after the race. I intentionally was just slow and steady but I needed the confidence of this race as a boost for the impending 1/2 iron. I was targeting 3:15 and was happy with 3:08.
My Dad and I gave all the gear to my family to take home and then we stayed all day for the Olympic Selection Event. The transition area was right inside the stadium for the bike to run. The women elites swam at the same lake 2 miles away, transitioned to the bike and then biked the 2 miles to the stadium crossing the blue carpet inside the stadium before beginning their 40k. They came into the stadium 7 times before doing their transitions not 15 feet from where we were seated. Amazing. They were blazing past us 25-30 m.p.h for each look and then they were in and out of T2 in a blink of an eye. A huge Jumbotron which had captured the age group swim and bike for the audience in the grandstand now showed us the excitement of this draft legal event. The U.S. girls worked well together but seemed to intentionally squeeze out Sara Groff who was battling Sara Haskins for the last Olympic team slot. In the end Emma Snowsill screamed to the finish after running 5:30 miles and ultimately won first place. Sara Haskins came in 3rd to win the final Olympic spot and was handed an American flag as she entered the stadium. Laura Bennet finished a respectable fourth. So exciting!!!
Watching these girls was such an inspiration.
Being a part of this race was awesome. The entire town was watching and involved. Hyvee is a local grocery store and when I went to buy groceries a few times before the race I was approached by many employees who saw my bracelet who wanted to wish me luck. I felt like a celebrity...The chips/snack aisle had a large TV broadcasting last years Hy-vee race and they were selling flags and merchandise in the store!
I am happy and proud to report that I now own a box of Frosted Flakes with Laura Bennet on the front as well as a box of Wheaties with Jarod Shoemaker. Only available in Iowa I guess!!
Left Monday at 5 a.m. with the van packed with husband and kids.
How does that Frosted Flakes/Tony the Tiger slogan go.......
I feeeeeeel GREAT!
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