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Ironman Arizona:
November 2008

(Warning: This is a long babbling report)

As mentioned in my previous post, Hawaii 2007 was a big let down. Post race I told everyone I was done with Ironman. I wanted 2008 to be about finding the enjoy in racing again and being more available to those I coach. After 44 days in Ironman retirement, the WTC announced that Ironman Arizona was moving to November and the 2008 race was open for registration.

Signing up for Ironman is a big commitment. Did I really want to go through the process of training and risk having it turn out like Hawaii? Was my body and mind going to work together so I could be a competitor rather than just participate? I flipped back and forth about signing up. After some soul searching, I sent an email to some of my friends saying…Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am an Ironman addict…….I just signed up for Ironman Arizona, again.

My first experience at Arizona (April 2007) was pretty good so I knew the challenges the race could present. My goals for the day were to be strong, relaxed, focused and fueled regardless of what the day would deliver. My goal for every race is finish what you start but I knew if things came together I could set a new PR so just needed to come in under 10:55 to check that box.

Race Day

My day started with a 4 AM wake up and my usual prerace breakfast coffee, cream, English muffin + peanut butter and a pack of Nutter Butter cookies…..love em! David and I grabbed our gear and grabbed lil Karen (one of the athletes I coach and one of my very best dear friends) and walked the quarter mile to the transition area. After getting body marked and dumping off our special needs bags we suited up in our wetsuits to stay warm until we had to make our way to the swim start.

Swim

The swim is an in-the-water start. You have to hop off the seawall and swim what seemed like 200 yards to the start line and try to stay warm treading water. The course is a counter clockwise one-loop rectangle in Tempe Town Lake. The water was chilly and I was thankful the temperature had been higher than normal the days leading up to the race.

So the swim start…I HATE this part. Swimming is something I have always struggled with and I think this is due in part to a near drowning experience as I kid. My goal in any triathlon is to settle down as quickly as I can and just swim as best I can. Karen and I discussed our swim strategy. Karen breathes left and I breath to the right so we decided to create our own little “swim bubble” for as long as we could. David opted out of this plan so I kissed him goodbye and knew we would see each other out on the course.

So, the gun sounds and the thrashing begins. Karen and I worked pretty well together and stayed side by side for the first half of the swim out until I realized we were inside the buoys. I started to maneuver back over to the buoy line but the moment I lost sight of Karen was the moment our paths would widen. At that point I knew I was on my own and needed to stay relaxed and stay with the best line. In hindsight I would have to say this swim was one of my best experiences (it turned out to be my IM swim PR) Sighting was pretty easy and the congestion due to the narrow swim start thinned out about ¾ way on the swim out.

Exiting the swim my feet were numb but I opted to for go the wetsuit strippers and beeline it to the transition tent to prep for where the fun part of my day “usually” begins.

Bike

What can I say…I love to bike and I really loved this bike course. This course is 3 loops out and back. It’s mainly flat but there is a gradual rise in grade the last 5 or so miles of the bike before the turnaround. Combine that with headwind and shift in crosswinds made for a steady grind out and a sweet, fast ride back.

I felt good on the bike…really good. I set my black and hot pink Ordu up with 12-23 gearing (really wished I had my 11 though) with a 404 on the front and an 808 on the back. I typically like to push a big gear but stuck to my plan of using the SCR for headwind and the gradual inclines and hammering the big gears with the tailwind back to town.

I could not see my speed or riding time at all so I used the clock time to help guide my fueling plan. The first loop felt good but I knew the headwind on the 2 and 3rd loops could get worse. The second loop I scaled it back as some of the hip issues I had in Hawaii started to arise but instead of being stubborn I actually slowed and did quite a bit of on-the-bike stretching which worked! The third and final loop I focused on toping off the tank and getting ready for the run, not to mention making sure David did not catch me on the bike. I was lucky that I had David by a bit on the swim, which meant he would have to ride REALLY hard to catch me. Fortunately, he did not catch me and I am happy to say I now have the house IM bike PR……5:22, that was satisfying.

T2 & the Run

Coming off the bike I felt good. After a leisurely transition, applying sunscreen, lip balm, changing socks and last minute decision to go with run shorts (tri shorts were just too gross) I was off. I knew some pain and discomfort would be coming as much of the 3 loop run course is on concrete with a few tough inclines.

Coming out of transition, when I finally looked at my watch to see my race time I saw 6:38 and thought “oh good, I only have to do a 4:17 to PR”…I so can do that! The early part of the run was about settling into a nice light quick turnover and trying to just hold a 9 ish pace. The first few miles I was running faster than I wanted (8:15). so to stay with my plan I decided to walk for 30 seconds to slow my average pace. I did this not because I had to but I was hoping that would allow me to save something for the rough patches which tend to be miles 13-20. True to form, those were my most difficult and slower miles, as I did need to stop and stretch a number of times. The concrete running was taking its toll and I felt the lack of road running (did most of my longer runs inside on the treadmill for reasons too long to discuss in this post). The best part of the run though was the spectator support (thank you Suzanne and Charlotte for the Mexican Fiesta each time I came by) and seeing some familiar faces and getting words of encouragement.

I had no clue what my AG position was coming off the bike (post race I saw I was in 2nd starting the run) so when the two woman in my AG eventually ran by I really did not think much of it other than, dang, nice pace! Where can I get me some of that!!!!

Even though I had my Garmin on for the run I opted not look at my watch again until mile 20. At this mile marker is when I do take a hard look at my race time and give myself the “suck it up and suffer” talk and make every effort to finish the last 10K strong. When I saw my time (9:53), I knew if I wanted my PR I needed to pick it up. So with the mantra of “will not falter, will not fail” I recharged and felt as almost as good as I did when I started the run.

The last mile along Tempe Town Lake was incredible. I felt so good, so happy that the day just came together. The swim, bike and for the most part run (I know I can run much better) was what I had hoped for with the way the year went. My nutrition was once again spot on (can’t mess that up otherwise I might get my RD & Board Certification yanked).

I crossed the finish line happy!!!! 10:47:57. In that moment, I erased my last IM experience in Kona of being carried off on a stretcher and spending 1 ½ hour post race in the medical tent. IT WAS A GOOD DAY. I was FINALLY satisfied and was content to hang up the IM shoes.

I was delighted to finish 4th and I was relieved I did not earn one of the 3 Kona slots. I thought this is good… the decision was made for me. That was until I met a girl named Kelly (she was one of the girls who flew by me on the run and finished 3rd in my AG) tells me that there are FOUR Kona slots not three………

So…….a Kona slot is mine, if I want it. I know it may sound odd that I would even for a moment think about turning “it” down but I knew if I accepted it I was signing up for another year of some hard training. Was I really up for the challenge? Can I handle going back to the Big Island for the toughest race I have ever done?

Ultimately the answer was YES, I want the slot. I have caught some flack from those told I was done with Ironman after this race saying they KNEW I could not retire from Ironman yet. I think I would have caught even more flack had I turned the spot down.

I do believe everything happens for a reason so even though qualifying was not what I went to Arizona for, it happened and I am thankful. To me, this means I must have something left to prove to myself and it is a journey I am now looking forward to.