***Scroll down for race recap...but I'm gonna tell the whollleeee story****
So let's start from the beginning. We signed up for IMNC on March 30th. We had been
looking for a Fall-ish Ironman to do and we had mused over Mont Tremblant and considered Boulder and CDA. As one of my IG friends, Ashley, said, we were always staunchly #neverflorida. So when IM announced it had bought Beach 2 Battleship, we looked at the course and the town and said that was it. Registration paid, condo booked and it became our "A" race for 2016.
For the first time, we hired a coach to help keep us on track. I, personally, have a bad habit of winging Ironman races. It's not that I intend to do so, it's just that life always gets hectic and I end up having trouble prioritizing. Last year, I was VERY under prepared for Texas. February of 2015, my Dad had major surgery at MD Anderson, we had run team, tri club, and I had a roster of 38 personal training clients. I was going 6 days a week sometimes 430am-8pm almost every day. My longest bike was 50 miles, I swam 6x and my longest run was one 10 miler. I quasi-HIIT trained, I would go hard for 2 hours, even on the weekends, and call it good. For Cozumel last year, I had every intention of buckling down and training. Instead, we ended up planning a cross-state move right in the middle of our 20 weeks. I was closing a business, selling a house, moving into an apartment, and buying another house. Our treadmill was in the living room and I used it like 2x. Then on race day I got stung by jellyfish and I'm allergic and ended up in the ER in Mexico and it was brilliantly tragic and I needed redemption so yes this is a run on sentence but #revenge. I've always relied on my base being strong year to year, since really, since 2013, triathlon wise, I've been going non-stop. I do not recommend this approach...at all.
So Ross Young took us on in late April shortly after my 70.3 PR at Galveston. I had been riding a lot but it was nice to have someone looking over my training and bossing me around. I actually kinda like being bossed around! I don't know what it was about Training Peaks being red or yellow when stuff didn't happen right, but it irked me. I've never "met" Ross personally, although, he's gotten more than one very detailed message from me. But, Ive always had this image of my Kona Qualifying coach waking up in the morning to see my unfinished Training Peaks; a disappointed look on his face and a head shake. THAT was enough to make me try to get in at least 80% of my training. Let's not talk about my logistics riddled swim training...BUT for me, I executed my training plan pretty well.
In June and July I felt like I was flying. It was all working and clicking, and I felt like that Imagine Dragon's song, "I'm on Top of the World" HEY! But in August, the wheels began to fall off. I had to make the decision to open my own training studio, and it happened lightening fast, keeping my attention elsewhere. AND my foot/Achilles injury from last year reared its ugly head. My Heart Rate was awful Bc I was stressed. So, I listened to Sean McConnells "Running Under Water" 18,000x and I cried, a lot. Also in August, I was in and out of the Dr office 5x....
This year, to date, I've given so much blood, I've been to specialists and I'm currently scheduled to see a neurologist on Nov 7th. Besides an Ironman PR, I vowed this year to get to the bottom of my health issues. I've spent so much time ignoring and rug sweeping, being all "that's totes normal" when it's not. In August, much like in February and March this year, I sat in a lot of Dr Offices.
So back to training. September started out much better. Things began to line up again. Then on Sept 16th, my husband came home from one of his bazillion work trips this year, and we were thrown another curveball. A, let's call it a project, he's been working on for 3 years was supposed to be all wrapped up at the end of September. It got delayed. By a month. So now it would be a tight squeeze to get to North Carolina, and to make it back in time for him to finish his project. Which is why I'm now in the car for 12 hours the day after an IM. We've gotta get our asses home so he can leave for 2 weeks. It wasn't a deal breaker, but it added an element of stress and strain.
Then there was a hurricane. On Oct 3rd, I looked and saw Hurricane Matthew barreling towards the East Coast and was decidedly nonplussed. As we did our last long ride and run, our race venue was being pummeled by a Cat 2 storm. Matthew left a lot of the state under water and really hurting for resources. And again, all I wanted to do was listen to Sean McConnell "Running Under Water" and cry.
I'll spare the whole sob story, but we tried for a week to get answers about the state of our race. Got nothing. We heard from and IM official on Monday at 5pm that it was "on as planned", so we got in the car at 7pm and began to drive. We found out the next day while mid Alabama that the bike course was being machetied to 50ish miles. We were sad and angry that no one had communicated with us earlier. The bike course ended up with 56 miles yesterday. So 2.4 miles of swim, 56 mile bike and a marathon. 84.6...the 84.6 World Championships as we called it. It turned from what is usually a bike dominated race to a runners course before our eyes. And since I'm a runner, once my feelings settled, I started having illusions of grandeur and all the sunshine and gumdrops of my upcoming marathon.
So let's get to race day, shall we?
****Race Day****
Pre-Race
A cold front blew in on Friday night and cooled temps down from the mid 80s to the low 50s. It was still blowing on race morning. I had never done a legit cold triathlon (I DNSed one one time!) but, as we walked a mile to the buses, it was cold. And windy.
Walk to the Swim Start at Sunrise
We got to the swim start epic early. We shivered on the sidewalk in our half on wetsuits, and listened to some hilariously cray cray Big Sexy peeps tell funny stories. We ate pop tarts and did the port-o-potties unsuccessfully (for me). Finally, the sun came up and we walked on to the beach. I had brought a sweatshirt and a pair of socks to sacrifice to the swim start Gods, and I was so happy I had. It was freezing before the cannon went off, and I was sad to finally let my monkey socks and my Christmas reindeer sweatshirt go. Brrrrrrr.
Let's get in the water ya'll!
Swim
The gun went off but I waited to head towards the arch. It was kind of mumble jumbled, no pace markers like at other races, and everyone seemed all over the place. I finally got into the water around 7:25am, and I was on my way! It was strange. The first 2 buoys you kept to your right, then you swam in a bit, and the rest were to your left. That is way too much logistically for me. I followed feet and got the crap beat out of me. By the time I was ready for the left buoys, I was already over fighting green cap (men) people. So, I swam way far outside. So far outside that, at one point, I looked over and realized how far away I was and decided I would try and get closer. Mistake. It was just more fight. This was the most aggressive swim I've ever done. I could care less about the damn current, I felt like I was playing roller derby in the water. I swam back out to my safe place, but I was passing people with all the room...so fine. Outside it is. Then all of a sudden, I saw a red buoy (which usually means to turn or signals the end). TONS OF CHEERING PEOPLE! WOW, that was so fast! I'M DONE!!!! Except that was the 70.3 swim start point. It had me so confused, but I figured it out when the buoys kept going. As we turned into the channel, holy crap. It was very narrow, I could feel the wind blowing, it was so choppy and people were all over each other. That last 1000 or so, I played roller derby swim to the best of my ability. I swam over and under and beside people and got my heart rate all jacked up. I just wanted OUT. I have never wanted out so bad. It felt fast, but I knew I was tempting fate by fighting it out with a bunch of green caps. Eventually, I would lose and end up with a missing tooth or a black eye. By the time I climbed the ladder (yes a ladder!), I was so happy to be out of the salt water. I looked at my watch, it said 1:07ish and I was shock and awe amazed! I AM NEVER EVER THAT FAST EVER...*current* (I'm not taking credit, I realize there was a current that helped me on my merry way...). I was excited, and I started running to get my wetsuit stripped off me. Then ahhhhh, into the warm shower to wash the salt off.
T1
Omg it's 50 degrees, windy, I'm wearing an ill fitting bikini bottom and I have to run like .35 miles across a busy road. I realized that people were watching, my bottoms were falling off and the crowd was getting a really pale show they didn't need. I thought to myself "this is my life". Running half naked on a cold day dragging a wetsuit yelling at people "382! 382!" And I almost ran into the men's changing tent. Glamorous, the flossy flossy. As Fergie Ferg once sang.
I changed my entire outfit and I'm so glad I did. It would have been miserable wet. SO COLD. Bike shorts on, Base Jersey on, arm warmers on. Mouthwash to get the salt out of my mouth. Helmet and gear on, and when I ran to get on Magnolia, I wanted to do a cartwheel Bc there were so many bikes there, which meant my swim was good!
Bike
I headed out to the mount line and a lady immediately crashed. I felt so so so bad. She couldn't get clipped in, and down she went. As I started down the road, my toes were frozen and I had trouble making my fingers work. After a series of tight crowded turns, we started to climb a scary metal grated bridge. The signs said NO AERO and everyone was going super slow. I had heard stories of people crashing and took extra care to pedal and stay straight. Then the next few miles were straight through town. Best way to describe it, like going down one lane of Tyler or Harrison in Harlingen on a busy day. Or down Culebra in SA at noon on a Saturday. It was a busy road with lots of cross traffic and people were yelling "I've got to get to work." The Police presence was good, but it was crowded and busy.
We finally did a major turn onto a highway. A highway??? Imagine merging onto Loop 1604. The cops were telling cars NOPE! Gotta stop and let 1,564 bicycles go on the ramp. So hello highway! We were in the left lane too (which is odd) and there were cones separating us from the other lane of 55-70mph traffic. Kind of like taking a bike ride on US 77 from Combes to the King Ranch (for you valley peeps), but not on the frontage road. Overpass climbing and all.
And it was windy. I was terrified. Weather reports said Saturday we had 20-27mph sustained winds with reported gusts over 36mph. It had been a while since I'd ridden in anything like that. Cones blew over into us and into traffic. People were passing on the left when it was too narrow, and I saw 2 people crash (one of our friends from the RGV, German was sadly in a bad crash, he's thankfully ok). The cross winds were blowing me all over the road, and I just knew, KNEW, I was going to blow into traffic and be under a car. I regretted my race wheels for sure. I have never been more terrified. I heard an ambulance behind me, and our message board has lots of stories of crashes from Saturday.
I finally gave in and dropped into the small ring, put my head down and tried to stay upright. I will tell you, as the cold wind blew and snot rolled down my face, I wiped it on my zebra arm sleeves and thought "what am I doing???", it was definitely the low point of my day. But I continued to snot rocket down the highway. I thought we would never turn around. I saw Kristofor on the way back in. But it looked like everyone on the other side was struggling too (because they were climbing...). I was convinced that there wouldn't even be a tailwind.
Those Zebra Sleeves though
We did get 11 miles of tailwind glory. And as we headed back into town, we climbed up another amazing metal grated bridge and dismounted downhill onto a caliche/gravel path. We ran in the dirt and rock with our bikes and handed them off. Bike was done. It should also be noted we went over 5,763 railroad track in 56 miles. Bottles graveyard and debris everywhere.
I took in zero nutrition beside Gatorade G2 on the entire bike ride. Nothing. I was too terrified to eat. So I didn't. As I handed off my bike, I grabbed a payday from my back pocket and ate it. That's the first thing I had eaten since the pop tart at 630am. It was noon!
T2
Blur. Changed into Janie's Team Healey tank, arm sleeves off, shoes on, visor on and finally my first potty of the day. I started my Garmin way too early. No sunscreen. Whoops!
Run
I had been so stoked to run, but I knew starting off, I was in a huge calorie deficit. If I didn't eat soon, I would likely bonk. I had used a lot of energy on the bike and my hamstrings felt all cashed out. I knew I could run, but I knew that my dream of a PR marathon was highly unlikely. I was going to have to eat, and I was going to have to sunscreen. So, I decided to settle in around a 9-9:30 min mile and hope for the best. Holy cow, not one mile in, 4 girls from my AG flew by me like I was standing still. I looked down and saw I was going at an 8:40 pace, so wow!. Never saw them again. Couple of miles later, 2 more flew by me. And I was watching these women come back in from lap one like damn Olympians! It was crazy! This one chick was in the teeniest shorts and bra top and was running down Front St like a wild animal. So here I am all like, "I can run kinda good" but I was surrounded by a bunch of Janie and Amanda's running their fresh leg BQ paces. I looked at my HR, and just kept it steady. My race my pace. I knew I had to pace myself and get to food.
I stopped to eat grapes and a banana. I poured ice in my bra, and I kept my HR as close to 165 as I could. By mile 7 my right foot started to hurt. BAD. And it was taking my Achilles down with it. Funny thing is, my right foot is usually my "good foot". The one Dr Wallace only had to work 1x this season. I've had problems with my feet and Achilles for over a year now. As a runner and coach I know it comes down to some muscle deficiencies that I need to clear up. I'm also very interested in working with someone specifically on my running form. Anyways, my stupid foot. I stopped to stretch at mile 10 and this amazing lady from Big Sexy helped me work through some stretches. I was so grateful! I knew what to do, but she took charge and bossed me and it helped so much. But a couple miles down the road, it was back with a vengeance. At the turn around, I got a bit mopey and wanted to be done. NO goshdarnit! There are pajama pants available in 13 miles! You keep moving forward! So I did.
I had to stop and stretch my foot almost every mile. I would stretch, walk for a minute or two then jog, repeat. I kept trying to eat. I was starving! I stopped at the mile 17 port-o-potty and was grateful it wasn't too gross. Highlight of my day was my chat with a 78 year old ironman who said he was going to pace me. I loved him so much and almost almost stayed with him to finish Bc he was just so fun. He had me so inspired. Overall, I just tried to pass the miles one by one. By mile 20, stabbing pain. Mile 21, I finally gave in and said EFF THIS, I can make it be over faster if I just go, it was going to hurt if I walked, it was going to hurt if I ran. So I started running/hobbling and had a nice chat with a police officer. He thought it was fun to pace me with his car. And, sorry Kristofor, I think he was flirting with me. He offered me a ride and said he would take me to the wine bar on Front street. I laughed. It made me feel good, because I felt and smelled horrible. So thanks Mr Officer! By mile 23, I knew I was less than a mile from Front street and the crowds and the cheering. I tried to gun it as much as I could. That all too familiar feeling had arrived. The one where nothing hurts because the adrenaline has started to kick in. I passed the "CYA :)" lady about mile 24. On Front St, a group of ladies asked me if I felt as good as I looked. I said "$&#* NO" very loudly! And before I knew it, down the hill I went and I was in the long winding path to the finisher chute. I saw Tosha taking pictures, and then Mike Reilly said "Lacy Healey, I know I've called you in before, You Are An IRONMAN!" and I smiled and pointed at him. I got my medal and for the first time, I hugged my new pajamas pants! I ate pizza like I hadn't eaten in my entire life, said a lot of F words to Jason. We took photos with my babies, MiLee and Jr. And It was over. Limping and done. The work was finished.
Here's looking at you Mike Reilly!
3rd time he's called my name!
Post Race
Went to dinner last night and caught up with Mark and Tosha! The babies got us candy and teddy bears. And I felt better than I usually do after a race like that. Likely because it wasn't so hot and I was missing 56 miles of the journey. I even stomached a beer! As I watched my husband carry sleeping MiLee down the street last night, my heart was happy.
MiLee and Kristofor after a long day of Ironman-ing
We packed up this morning and headed out of town after an epic brunch and a brief stop at finisher gear. **UPDATE...I'm editing from somewhere in Louisiana and we will be home by this evening**
And my foot hurts and I'm limping. Not sure what to do about that, likely will need to get it checked, but I'll see when I'm home. I'm making a very quick trip down to the Valley tomorrow and Kristofor is off to Chi-Town for a week, and I'm back to work Wednesday with 4 new clients starting.
So it's been a whirlwind! Course drama and all! We may have only done 56 miles on the bike, but it was brutally hard. It's like Jesus showed us "I'll teach you to second guess my decisions" with all the wind yesterday. And as I said in my post, nothing went as I had planned.
I can't tell you what would have happened with 56 more miles. Would I have run the same marathon? Not if I had to do 112 miles on no nutrition! No way to know. With my run and swim time, plus doubling the bike time and adding a half hour, I would I have PRed. Though it's doubtful it would have gone that way. Did I feel stronger? Yes! Do I wish I had more in me, absolutely.
I know with all the uncertainty this last week, my pre race plan really suffered. I got very extremely drunk on Wednesday. I was so overwhelmed with news from home, and the race being changed. But alas, it all is what it is! I had some great moments yesterday! I doubt I will ever top that swim time, and running with a 78 year old made my day. He was so seriously cool! I'll be happy, in my pajama pants with my 84.6 world championship medal around my neck. If I hadn't learned it before, I've definitely learned it now, that no matter what you do, unless training and doing Ironman is your job, it's always going to be a give and take and a push and pull. Life isn't ever going to stop so you can always get your bike rides and swims in. There's always going to be times when you have to say "I just can't today"...and I think learning to balance that is what in the end, makes you an Ironman. It's been said, Ironman is all about managing failures...that goes for training and on race day. It's about taking the times that are hard and making sure that you come out on the right side, and hopefully, across the finish line.
In closing, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Wilmington is the coolest town! We loved and adored it there. I could have stayed and eaten all week at all the restaurants, shopped at the shops and taken in the historical aspects of the city. It was so wonderful, the volunteers were wonderful, and it's probably my new favorite non Texas city! I would definitely go back to the town, not sure if to do an Ironman...but I've said that before!
Sooooo....
Cozumel is in 5 weeks....
I guess to be continued?! Maybe?! Time will tell...
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy
