Austin 70.3 Race Report

Before I get into the nitty gritty of the race report, I have to say that this was by far the most challenging event I have ever done, both mentally and physically. I wasn’t under any delusions of grandeur of coming out on the other side with a PR because, let´s face it, I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been. With 5 of the past 8 weeks on the road, that really left only 2 weeks for heavier training and 1 taper week. I also didn’t have my head in the game as much as I normally do because the season was officially over at the end of this race, I am getting married in a week, I have a big week this week with work, and life sort of piled up. However, I could never have planned for what I experienced. This course humbled me in so many ways. Most of the mental issues were so minor that they normally wouldn’t have gotten to me, but after the day I was having every little thing was piling up. And that whole saying that you need to expect 5 things to go wrong in an ironman and check them off 1 by 1? I think in the future I will expect 10 things to go wrong for the half ironman distance. Luckily I wasn’t the only one who really suffered out there. I saw more pukers, walkers and people who were “quitting” triathlons for good out there than ever before.
For those (crazy) people who are thinking about this race in the future:
The good – great organization, great volunteers – they were dressed up on a lot of the aid stations, a great course to spectate (3 loop running course), the aid stations – I had aid station parties starting at mile 1 and they were great buffets at every stop; and a great city to visit.
The bad – I will caveat this with the fact that I am from Houston, so overpasses on the freeway are big mountains to me, but this was the hilliest course I have ever been on. I waited all day for a flat, and I don’t think I ever got one except for about 100 yards on the run. The wind sucked. I felt like I was riding in Kona and never had a tailwind. The heat – it was 115 the week before, so we got “lucky” with 90 (in October. Really?). The bike course was not sectioned off for a lot of the race, and was pretty dangerous. There were about 20 miles where you were so close to cars that passing was dangerous. The hills. I’m putting that twice, because they sucked that bad.
Pre – Race – we drove to Austin on Saturday morning early and as soon as I got in the car, I realized that I had forgotten my bike. I should have known then that it wasn’t going to be a good race. We got to Austin fairly quickly, found the expo, checked in and then I went back to the car to pack my transition bags. I got on my bike to do a quick check up and noticed some brake issues. So this meant an hour wait in line for mechanics. A first for me, so I wasn’t too bummed about it, but again, sign #2 that I should have packed it in and gone home. Next time I am following my gut. The rest of the day was spent at Whole Paycheck and shopping for Chris’s wedding present.
Race Day – No problem here. We were running a little bit late, and had to catch the shuttle, but I had about 15 minutes to get my bottles filled in T1, which was plenty of time. Then it was a waiting game for all of the other waves to start before us. 1:35 to be exact.
The swim –We had the biggest wave with 205 people, and it was a washing machine. I did manage to get a good line and follow about 6 other girls out in front. They went on ahead at the turnaround and I flew solo on the way back and came out in 8th. This was the best part of the day.
Sausage time


Getting into the water finally.

I think I am the one with really bad form.

The bike – This is where things got bad. A week ago someone told me not to fall because I didn’t want road rash to get puss and blood all over my wedding dress, and I think this went through my mind the entire time adding to my very fun day. I knew it would be rough when the first mile out of the transition had a huge climb. The first 10 miles I had two problems. The first one was going up a hill and my foot came off the pedal. I almost crashed and then realized that my clip was actually falling off my shoe. So I fixed it and started to walk my bike up the hill. As I was cursing myself for not finishing the season with the sprint the weekend before, I saw a dude haul by me and fly out of his pedal too. So we walked together and agreed that if the support vehicle came by we would drop out of the race together. No such luck. The second time I dropped my chain (apparently my bike is ready for an off season as well). Going uphill. I had to walk it up again and guess what – no sag wagon. I then decided that since I wouldn’t have to swim, bike or run for 2.5 weeks, I should just make this a really good last workout. I came into T2 with a PW bike at 3:33. I wasn’t the last one in even though it felt like I was.

Gotta love those tan lines


God bless the volunteers. Especially the ones who put on sunscreen. But as you might guess I have some nice hand prints all over my back now.


The Run – the best part of the run was watching a guy puke on a sign that said puke and rally. And he did just that. After I left T2 I realized my hair was flying in my face. I had started the race with two rubber bands and now had none. Good thing my visor was able to hold up my hair for the most part. Then I realized I forgot my nutrition. Which normally wouldn’t matter, but today it was enough to make me cry. The run was a fun game of trying to get from one aid station to the next. When I was running, I was running between 9 and 9:15, but then I would stop and chat at the aid stations knowing that when I left I would have to run again. At 1 point I started getting some bad IT pain so I started to shove ice down my shorts. Then the ice would move around and I looked like I had crapped my pants. There were lots of fun people to talk to on the course, which sort of made the last miles fly by. And then the end came and I couldn’t even muster enough strength to pick up the pace at the finish line.

I dont remember this. All I remember is that Chris had a nice huge bag of food waiting for me when I got in the car.


Although I will never do this race again, I am glad I did it because it probably will come in handy when I am doing IMTX. It was good training for what to do when you feel like ass and want to pull out of a race, but you cant because the only way back is to finish the race.
Now it is the off season. There will be another post about what I plan to do during this time. It will include a whole lot of eating, drinking and sleeping. Oh, and getting married!

Lots of things going on.

So apparently something is going on with my header image, and since I have been lame-o and not on here a lot, I don't know how long it has been like that. I will have to get my blog guru Chris to fix it. The past month has flown by. I thought we were still in September and then whoops, it was my birthday, and then an engagement party, and then Chris's birthday. Last time I thought about it our wedding was 3 months away and I could relax. Now it is less than three weeks away and unfortunately am still relaxing. It is too late to get to wedding weight (very similar to racing weight but without the back and shoulder bulk), so all i can hope for is that the swimming I have been doing 3x a week has kept my arms strong enough to paddle out in Sayulita. It will be our fist time on surfboards since moving from Hawaii, and really I think we are more excited about that then about the actual wedding. My mom is thankfully still going strong on the wedding planning or else there wouldn't be much else besides patron and food because let's get real, that is all I really need to have a good time.
Being back in town with friends and family has been amazing, but also busy. Gone are the days when I can just work and train and sleep and eat. Now I have to actually plan my training around other things. Like happy hours and day drinking for the football games. I have kept at the training and racing sporadically and am seeing some improvements on the bike and run, but I have to say I am really looking forward to that 2 week break that comes after next weekend's 70.3 in Austin. I am nowhere near the shape I was in for IMTX, but I think I can fake it through. After the break I start up again with Vegas 1/2 marathon in December and then it is full on IM training again. I have tried to make this trip for the past few years but work got in the way. I am hoping that this year will be the year I get on that plane. Chris has never been, so this can be like a post mini-moon, mini-moon as long as we aren't sick of each other.
Here are some photos of the past weekend since blogs without photos suck, even thought I do that often.

Pre-Race engagement party. We stayed until the margarita machine was out of juice. To make it last longer we mixed it with the beer from the Shiner keg. If it was anything like our wedding will be, my liver is in trouble.



There is no race report from the race because it ended before I really woke up that day, so I cant remember enough to write anything other than I was first out of the swim, got passed by 4 people in transition and on the bike, and never saw another person in my AG on the run, so I stopped paying attention and came in 5th. Here are some photos that I snagged from yoursportingimage.com.
The photog on the bike happened to get me right when my foot snapped out of place. I almost crashed into him. Could have been the alcohol from the party.


On the run - running for my post race beer and pizza. Maybe the often consumed pizza and beer is why I didnt get to wedding weight.



And just for fun - more pictures of my perfect neice. I get some almost every day and I am obsessed with her. Luckily they are heading to Austin this weekend so I will get some quality babysitting time.

I forgot how to blog

It has been ages since my last blog! I just realized that I have been a total blog stalker and have neglected my own blog. Not because there isnt anything going on right now, but because there is too much! August flew by and included the following:
1) Moving to Houston and settling into a house where the dogs can spend the days in the backyard learning to share.

2) The move from Mexico required us to have a car, so we bought a car! The first I have owned in over three years. Plenty of space for the dogs, bikes and my workout clothes for the week! Plus we have a little Hawaii in it with some wet Okole seats!


3) Visiting my new niece - she is the first grandchild of our side of the family and has greatly taken the pressure off of Chris and me for the time being. Im in love!


4) Visiting Columbia for the first time ever. It was an interesting experience. I was there for work so we had about an hour the entire time to sightsee, but the people are incredibly nice and the place is gorgeous. Plus it probably has the best security of any airport I have ever been in.
In front of what I can only assume is the Louvre of Columbia.



5) Reminding my body how to race again. There are races here just about every weekend and I have been jumping into quite a few of them. Because of the horrible drought we are having here, the swim has been cancelled more often than not. sucks for me, but as my coach reminds me, I am able to work on my weaknesses. I would never knowingly sign up for a duathlon that has two runs, but I have been doing a lot of them lately by default. I forgot to do race reports, so I forgot most about the races, but I do know that the last one I did I vowed never to race in Houston in August again. It was 102 when I started the run at 9AM (108 when I finished) and I saw 2 ambulances on the course picking up fallen racers. I would post photos, but I cant find any that dont suck, so next time I promise.

6) Praying for rain. And really praying for rain for the people in Austin.

Moving Day

Chris and I spent the entire weekend (other than a few hours to train and eat) preparing for the movers. We didnt actually have to pack anything, but we did have to do some major purgeing and cleaning. When we moved to Hawaii, I was moved by my company so we pretty much just had everything moved. This time it is on our own dime, so we had to really limit what we took. We gave away about 15 bags of clothes, threw out/recycled about 20 bags of trash/old papers/etc, and still have another half a room full of stuff we are giving to the driver and maid. It took a long time, but I feel much better now that we went through everything we own and decided what stays and what goes.
The movers came in at 9AM today and we were up at 6 getting everything ready, which included bribing the valets to let the van park in front of our building. I feel bad that I am at work today while Chris is dealing with the movers, but not bad enough to take a vacation day and stay home to help. Moving sucks, moving internationally sucks even worse.

The bad -
- Having to bribe the valet at 6AM to let the moving truck park on the street
- Having to bribe our doorman to let the movers into the building and use the elevator
- Not having a bed for several weeks
- Having to pack a month's worth of clothes in 2 suitcases
- Chris losing his passport which contains his newly recieved Visa in it 15 minutes before the movers arrived.
- Not being able to cook at home for a while, and not being able to have any smoothies
- No bike training for a while and no pool until I get to Houston
- The dogs have no idea what is going on and are therefore completely freaked out

The good -
-The spring cleaning that goes along with the move
-I finally took apart my bike for the first time since moving here and it will be getting a major clean when I get it in Houston
- Chris finding his Passport in a book on the bookshelf before the movers packed it
- No food at home = lots more froyo!
- No TV which means more time to train, but it also means I will miss The Bachelorette and the last episode of Friday night lights.

T-4 days before we touch down in Houston!

More changes coming

I just realized it has been over a month since I blogged anything. Not that there hasnt been plenty to blog about, but it just means I have been extra busy. First for the big news. Chris and I are moving back to Houston! Which means Whole Foods, a house with a yard, biking outside, and most importantly friends and family nearby. WE CANT WAIT! We were home a week or so ago and found a house and signed a lease which happens to be 1 mile from memorial park (great place with running and biking trails and a swimming pool) and a block away from another long running/biking route.
Memorial Park loop - where I used to do 99% of my running before moving


I can finally start riding my bike regularly without having to get on a plane to bike outside. It also means that we can finally get good meat, natural peanut butter, lara bars, coconut water, and weekly triathlons and running races to choose from (it's the little things that get me excited!). Plus the dogs will be able to get treats and toys since all they have here is rawhide. Needless to say I have been busy getting ready for this big change since the movers come on Monday. Last night we put together the dog crates so that they could get used to them before being shoved in them for several scary hours. At first they were running away from us and freaking out, but after giving them treats inside, they both decided to take naps in them a little bit later. I also had to pack up my bags I would be living out of while we wait for our stuff to arrive. It is hard packing for an ironman, but this is way harder. I dont know what I am wearing to work tomorrow, much less a month from tomorrow. Hell, I wont even know what city I will be working from a month from tomorrow!

Enjoy the 4th! I am sitting in my office on a freezing, cloudy Mexico City morning wishing I were at the Floatilla in Waikiki today. But it is Nola's 6th birthday so we will be celebrating for her, we just wont have the usual fireworks, which Liko is very happy about.

Am I reading this correctly?

Vegas marathon is now a nighttime event? If so, sign me up!

Pool time

I am back at it this week. After a full recovery week of doing nothing but sitting on the couch and eating, I was very ready to get back into some sort of a routine. Dont get me wrong, I am not training 20 hours a week, but I am at least doing somthing. I think if I had to take any more time off I would go crazy. I promised Chris that I would be around more for the time being, and I am going to stick to my word. So no big races until October for the 70.3 in Austin, which is exactly 2 weeks before our wedding. I havent mentioned that part to Chris. Im sure he wont be terribly excited about it, but it was an easy way to stay in shape for the wedding! However after seeing my tan lines from the past few races I have done, I might have to rethink this.

I got up early today for the first time since May 21st to head to the Y for some easy swimming. Now i dont mind sharing lanes at all, but today it was very difficult. I had one person walking his laps, one person doing water aerobics in the middle of the lane so every time we swam by we had to go into the other side of the lane, a lady who was swimming so slow i finished 100m before she hit 15m, kickboards flying into our lane from the class that was going on, and exactly 4 lifeguards standing around not saying anything. It was very frustrating to say the least. The lady that was going so slow actually got mad at me for passing her and then for accidentally running into her. I had to tell her that she needs to swim like she drives. If she is going to stop suddenly in the middle of the lane, she should check behind her to see if anyone is coming up on her (me) that cant stop suddenly without hitting her. She didnt find that an acceptable answer, or maybe she is actually swimming like she drives. I was glad that I didnt have a set of timed 100s that I had to get through because I was stopped every length of the pool to go around someone or wait for someone to pass. At one point there were 10 of us in the only available lane. It is mornings like these when I cant wait to get back to the US. At least if I were spending the 170 USD a month that I am spending here I can find pool with more than one lane open at a time!

Here is a photo I snapped of my walking friend. He takes up most of the lane, but at least he was moving faster than the swimmer who got mad at me!