Up until this moment, I had been debating in my head whether or not write a race report for this year. Well, I’ve decided to go ahead and try and express in words my experiences leading up to race day, the race itself and the post-race emotions. For no other reason I feel it needs to be documented so that I can re-read it whenever I encounter a situation in life that is difficult…I feel after completing this race anything is possible.
After last year’s race and the emotions of finishing my first IM, I decided to sign up again because I felt like I had some unfinished business left out on the run course. So, when registration opened for ’08, I was in. My goal for this year was to run the entire marathon. It was a pretty basic goal. Sure, I wanted to go faster, but I knew the weather could be unpredictable and I didn’t want to get my hopes up. As my training started winding down, I cranked the numbers and made my “if I have a perfect day” time goals. I kept that in the back of my head and didn’t vocalize it. My mom asked me to give her a time line so she could check in with Annette and keep tabs on me. I told her to just use last year’s race times as an indicator.
So, here we go…
Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Henderson were pretty laid back. Mostly I hung out with Bridget, Colleen and John at the house we rented. Wandered around Henderson with Annette and Emily (OYM coaches extraordinaire – here in after referred to as AnnEmily), our friend Lori (who came just to help, support and check things out for possibly signing up for next year – you picked a hell of a year to come “check things out”), Greg (who won the entry for the half) and Emily’s client, Brandy, who was doing her first half ironman race (she’s a stud!) I tried not to obsess about the weather. I stopped checking Saturday morning when the forecast called for low of mid 40’s, high mid-60’s and 10-20 mph winds. I thought OK, I can deal with that. A little chilly, the winds were not ideal, but doable. Saturday afternoon Colleen told me the forecast called for 30 mph gusts. OK – too much information…I didn’t need to know that!!!
Race Day
I woke up Sunday and went outside. The weather was awesome! It was warm, the winds were calm and it was cloudy. AnnEmily picked me up and we were off to the start. I futzed around with my bike, threw a base layer in my T1 bag (just in case) and then Annette stretched me out and got me loosened up. She told me to put on my wetsuit for a swim warm up. I said, “but I never warm up” and Annette said “you are today!” so I did a quick jaunt in the lake…it actually felt pretty good. Next thing I know the National Anthem is being sung and Frank (RD) says, “30 seconds to go folks!” The horn goes off and we start.
The Swim
I was feeling pretty good on the swim. I could see all the buoys and I was around other swimmers and it was fine; even drafted a little – nice! Got to the first turn, everything good, 2nd turn, still good. This is the point last year when I freaked out because I couldn’t see due to the sun. This year, it was cloudy and I could see the buoys. I was so happy! I could see other swimmers. Yay! I was more than half-way done with the swim and everything is fine. Well, that didn’t last much longer. I noticed it started getting a bit choppy. OK, no biggie. Then a bit more choppy…then “not fun” choppy. But, I could still see the buoys! Yay! I just couldn’t get to them. I thought to myself, “well Meredith you can’t have your cake and eat it too”. What do you want – see where you need to go or get to where you need to go. Anyway, I kept “swimming”…it was more like arms and legs flailing around to try and simulate a forward motion. I actually heard a few guys yell out exclamations such as “OH YEAH!” and “WHOOOOEEEEE”. I think they were having fun in the waves, but I just wanted to get the hell out of the water. I checked my watch…plenty of time to make the cut-off but I didn’t want to be in the water anymore…I could see the beach and changing tents…I dug in and pushed hard…just to get there. Finally I could see swimmers standing up…a few more strokes and I was done. Holy Sweet Jesus I was never so happy to be done with a swim in my short life of triathlon. I saw AnnEmily when I got out of the water and “ran” up to the strippers. Wetsuit off, T1 bag in hand I went into the tent. I dumped out my bag and saw Bridget. I was out of it… I think we grumbled a few words to each other but honestly don’t remember. I wasn’t really all that cold, so I went with the base layer and short sleeve jersey for the bike. A nice volunteer helped me out and I was off. I just wanted to get on my bike. I feel good on my bike. I love this bike course and I wanted to get out there.
Swim: 1:42:04
T1: 3:40
The Bike
It’s about a mile steady climb out of transition on the bike. It’s actually a great way to start the ride because if you’re at all cold, you warm up pretty fast. So, I’m riding…getting settled in…looking around…I notice it’s pretty ominous looking over to my left…very gray skies…looks like it’s raining…it was sunny over to my right. I didn’t really think too much of it. I got out of the harbor and turned onto the stretch of road that takes you about 11 miles before the turn onto the out and back portion of the ride. As I turn I notice the winds…and the rain…well, this is strange. I’m in the desert and it’s raining. About 5-6 miles into the ride it starts to get brutal. I don’t know how else to describe it. The cross-winds were terrible. I’m scared to be in my aero bars for fear of being blown off the road. I’m in the small chain ring on the only part of the course that is flat! I start to have negative thoughts…here is a synopsis of my thoughts on the first 12 miles of the ride
• What the hell is it doing raining in the desert?
• What the hell am I doing out here?
• I trained all summer in Chicago in the rain and now I have to deal with this?
• My feet are soaking wet and I can’t feel them
• I think I actually started crying
• Thank God I found a base layer at REI and threw it in my bag and put it on
• Please Dear Lord don’t let me get blown off my bike
• Ok, I have to be at mile 92 on the bike 3:45 PM…I need to average 12.5 mph.
• I don’t want to be on my bike for 8 hours. Aaaaaaack!!!!!
• This SUCKS!
• Meredith, get these thoughts out of you head…NOW
• You didn’t train for 8 months to quit at mile 7 on the bike
• This weather can’t last all day…it’ll calm down…see – it’s sunny off in the distance and that’s where you’re headed
• It is really beautiful out here despite this crap weather
• It’s not like it’s raining and windy just on you…everyone out here is dealing with the same thing
Finally I got to the turn for the out / back portion of the ride. I saw Annette and Lori pulled off on the side of the road. As I bike by, Annette yells if I need anything. I yell back “I need the damn sun!” She says, “just have fun – that’s all you can do”. So, on I went. It did end up calming down a bit. I put my odometer on average speed and just did what I could. I was pushing too hard and I knew it so I put my watts on average also and tried to back off a bit. It was on / off sunny. The winds were variable…mostly cross and head…sometimes it felt like a tailwind. My feet never did dry off…but I was determined not to stop. I was eating and drinking…but my tummy was in a jumble – perhaps from swallowing too much lake water or just the nerve-wracking beginning of the ride. I don’t know. But throughout the ride I had to sit up because it didn’t feel good to be bent over in my bars. I also noticed that I was peeing constantly. I know this is gross…but I wasn’t sweating anything out and at the same time had to keep drinking. Anyway, I finally made it to the turn around and then to special needs. I didn’t even pack a special needs bag. I had everything I needed on my bike or in my jersey so I just kept riding. One of my “if I have a perfect day” time goals was to average 16.5 mph on the bike. I knew I could do it if the weather cooperated and as I passed the 85 mile marker, my average speed on my odometer actually said 16.5. I smiled a little and then got hit with a head wind. Well, I reached my goal and it lasted about 0.5 miles. I get to mile 92 (the first cut-off point) and I’m doing ok but my legs were tired, my mind was tired and I’m about to get on the bike path for the three sisters. Here we go. I’ve done the three sisters. I can get up ‘em…they’re a pain, but doable. I got up the first one, which is the easiest and I almost puked. OK, that was fun. On to #2…shifted to my easiest gear, got out of the saddle and had a conversation with my legs, “Just…Keep…Moving”. Ok, that was NOT fun. Onto the third…I think the longest… At this point I can’t even think. I start going up…I’m talking to myself…”get your butt up this hill”; “come on legs”; “you’re NOT quitting”; “you can see the top, JUST GET THERE”. Third one done…I feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest, but roll over the top and hear Annette in the back of my head, “KEEP RIDING”; “You don’t get to the top of a hill and stop, you keep going…” so I shifted to the big chain ring and kept going. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. It was a little sunny out and the wind wasn’t too bad. I flew through Henderson to get to T2. As I approach T2 I see Annette sitting on top of a rock in the median of the road, yelling my name. That was cool. And as I dismount…who do I see? Our beloved Tasha…tri goddess…out there volunteering. It was awesome. I wanted to give her a huge hug but I was covered in water, gu, rain, dirt and snot. I didn’t even want to hug myself…I get off my bike, take off my shoes (still have wet feet – yuk), grab my T2 bag and into the changing tent. A volunteer asked what I needed. I said, “I need to get out of these clothes!” Stripped, put on my running gear, dried off my feet, put on some nice new socks (I thought I had died and gone to heaven when those cushy socks hit my toes), grabbed my GU and drink and I was off.
Bike: 7:09:52
T2: 2:57
The Run
As I mentioned earlier, my goal was to run the entire marathon. After that ride, I had some serious doubts. My legs were trashed. My average watts didn’t indicate that, but my legs felt it and I really needed to use the port-a-potty. I saw Annette as I got out of transition and she asked how the legs felt. I said, “not good, but they’ll loosen up”. She said she’d see me out there. I really needed to go to the bathroom so I focused on just getting to Mile 1. I got to the first aid station and as I approached someone hopped in the port-a-potty…damn. I waited for a few minutes (well, it felt like a few minutes, but it was probably 20 seconds). Decided I couldn’t wait, ran up the road a little bit and behind a bush. And that’s how it went for the first 10 miles. Run to the aid station, hop in the port-a-potty (or behind a bush) and try and get my stomach to calm down. I was managing to drink and eat the GU’s, but my stomach was not happy. Despite that, the legs did loosen up and I felt decent on the first loop…ran the entire thing (except when stopped at the aid stations). I saw Annette around mile 12 and she said I was looking great, but I told her I wasn’t doing so good. I saw her again around mile 14 and she ran next to me for a bit. We had a discussion:
Annette: are you eating?
Me: I was, but my stomach won’t calm down
Me: I went too hard on the swim and bike…but there was no “easy” out there. I didn’t eat enough on the bike to compensate for working harder and my stomach hurts
Annette: you need to eat or else you’re never going to make it
Me: I don’t know what to eat
Annette: alternate aid stations – chicken broth with gel + water
Me: Ok.
So it went for the next loop. Chicken broth at one station…gel + water at the next. At least I had a plan. My problem was that I would get to an aid station and it was like a buffet and I didn’t know what my body needed. So, I’m forever grateful to Annette for just telling me what to do. I didn’t want to think…I didn’t want to stop…I just wanted to run. Annette said they were going to follow me around and I said OK – just don’t tell me where you are going to be at. My goal was to run…if I knew where my friends were going to be I could give myself the “out” of walking and then “running” when I got to them. If I didn’t know where they were going to be, I had to run because they could be anywhere! I ran up Horizon Ridge…I ran up Carnegie…Bridget said “hi” to me on Carnegie and I couldn’t muster a response – sorry Bridget!!! Ran up Green Valley, turned around, ran down Carnegie where I saw AnnEmily, Brandy (who had completed her half and was out there supporting me) and Lori. At this point, it was all “down hill” except for a slight incline between mile 25 and mile 26. I told Annette she better be on that hill, that I needed her on that hill. She said she’d be there. So, I got to the mile 24 aid station and ate my last gel…got to mile 25 and there she was. She ran behind me. I didn’t care if it was considered “outside help”, but I got my ass up that hill and onto the path that leads you to the finish. My promise I made to myself was that if I didn’t run this entire course that I would have to come back and do this again next year. I wasn’t about to stop. I love this race but I didn’t want to do it again in ’09. So, I ran to the finish and that’s that.
Run (Shuffle): 5:16:30
Finish: 14:15:02
AG: 3 / 6
Female: 7 / 30
Overall: 69 / 143 (205 registered…)
At the awards breakfast, Dave Scott used the words “mental tenacity”. I looked up the word “tenacity” in the dictionary.
“holding together, cohesive, not easily pulled asunder, tough”
That pretty much sums up the day.
Post Race thoughts:
• Despite the conditions, my bike split was 83 seconds slower than last year and I had the fastest bike split in my AG. Forget triathlon…I’m switching to cycling…just kidding
• My run was slower than last year, but I “ran” the whole thing
• The thing about triathlon whether it’s a sprint race or an ironman…we all step up to the start line and deal with the conditions of the day…Sure we have desires to go faster, set PR’s, compare times, win awards, but sometimes the physical aspect of the sport isn’t enough and the mental part has to kick in
• I wonder what I could do at this race on a “good weather day”…
• Big thank you to Annette…you are my inspiration and Emily…you crack me up! Thanks to Matt and Saj at GAG for taking care of my bike. Thanks to Greer for the massages and helping me get through life this year and for the flowers waiting for me when I got home. Nice! Thanks to my mom for putting up with my lack of family involvement.
• I don’t feel good, which is awesome. I gave it my all and didn’t hold back. There was no sprinting to the finish line, nothing left in the tank, I left it all on the course.
• No Silverman for me in ’09, but I will be there volunteering, sherpa-ing and cheering.
What I learned after the race:
• The half almost got cancelled; they started an hour late due to the weather
• The winds got up to 50 mph at one point with a dust storm approaching
• The timing clock at the swim got blown over and crashed
• It was hailing out on the bike course
• The leader got blown off his bike…twice
• Colleen was volunteering out on the run course and cheering me on; I was too out of it to recognize her or say “thank you”…so Thanks Colleen 
• It was 70 and sunny on Monday with no wind. Figures…
• Frank stayed out at the finish line ‘til 2 AM waiting for the last participant to finish. You are allowed to go past midnight, just won’t get an “official” time. The fact that Frank stayed out there…in the cold…under one heat lamp…waiting for those guys to finish speaks volumes about the quality of this race.