http://www.sunmultisportevents.com/Patriot_Triathlon.htmEVER cut your toenails the night before a race!!! I know this as though it were written law ... but I was worried about putting my nails through my brand new wetsuit ... so did it anyway ... My traveling companion and race support extraordinaire, Beth, returned to the blood. Yes, that's right, the blood. *sigh* The only thing I could hope for at that point is that it would take a couple of days for the nail to actually get sore. What an idiot.
I went into this race with some pretty lofty expectations because I knew how good I'd been feeling on my bike, how confident I'd been feeling during my open water swims, and how speedy I'd been feeling in the pool. My run was obviously a little bit up in the air, but even that didn't worry me as much because I hoped that adrenaline would carry me through the final hour of the run.
What I didn't plan on were 2 things ... a super hot day and my inability to eat much for fear of inducing stomach cramps. Just about every endurance event I've completed, I've fallen short on the solid food intake and suffered stomach cramps on the run because it's too empty.
So I know that I need to spend a lot of time working on eating during my ride. I can get liquid calories in without any problem, but when it comes to actually chewing solid food and getting it down, I struggle. I know what I need to do, it's just a matter of actually establishing a plan, i.e. I'm going to eat a bite of solid food every 15 mins and save the Gu for the run ... knowing that solid food is not my friend on the run. I also need to work on eating more on race morning so that I'm not starting the race hungry. I did that too at Patriot. So I was already down on calories before I even got to my bike. I had food, I just didn't have the desire to eat it.
And the heat ... well, the heat is just what it is. I tried very hard to conserve energy on the bike, even allowing my pace to slow slightly on the second loop until the end, knowing that when I got off the bike and into the run the heat was going to feel blistering. I was not wrong. It felt like my skin was being seared. And I'm not sure that there's really much that I could have done about that. \
All in all, I do not think that this event was without success. I think it was very successful. It's reminded me that I constantly have things that I should be working on. And it's reminded me that even the best laid plans have to have a plan B and a plan C. I think I went into this race more prepared than for any other half ironman I've ever done. I feel stronger, I feel like keeping up with the weight training has really really helped. I feel like the extra time on the bike is making a huge different. Frankly, I'd rather spend my time there at this point given how little fun running can be these days. I feel like I went into this race as organized as I've ever been for a race before. And that's just from experience. I've raced enough that I know what I need to bring, I don't over pack so that I'm having to sort through a bunch of stuff the night before to decide what I need , and my transition area easily comes together with no extras to get in the way. So, that's all good ... positive. But I am disappointed that I was not able to carry out my race plan as I'd hoped for ... but still thankful that I finished and maybe not finished with much extra to give. But I feel like I recovered quickly ... was itching to get back on the bike before the recovery week was over. And feel like I'm ready to start again. So for that ... this test was a success.
I need to work on food intake!
My foot is going to be a season long process ... I'm just going to have to deal with it. It's frustrating.
Looking ahead, toward Ironman Florida, and the hope of no oil.
All races are learning experiences .. it was a tough day with the heat. Little mentally defeating to get punched in the face
And, I certainly won't be clipping my toenails the night before anymore races
