My 70.3 Race Report … Finally
Eleven months later, I am finally writing about my half ironman race in Wilmington, North Carolina.
I signed up for this race expecting it to be easier than the first 70.3 I completed in Raleigh. By all accounts it should have been; my friends who raced it testified to this. The swim had a current that would help me along, the ride was flat albeit windy and the run would be in temperatures of October rather than the wicked heat of June.
Oh but races will throw you curveballs …
Swim
This was my very VERY first time swimming in a channel and while I had plenty of open water swimming under my belt, this freaked me out. Shortly after the race started, I was tempted to turn back and get on land …. so tempted. I resisted that urge. I reminded myself over and over that I could do this. The waves were rough and I swallowed a LOT of salt water but I made it the 1.2 mile swim at the other end, feeling quite beat up.
Bike
I had a huge smile on my face as I ran the 2 blocks toward the T1. This was not because I enjoyed the swim but because I conquered it. I was just SO happy to start that next leg! I trained well and I had high hopes for a strong bike ride.
Little did I know that just ahead I would face winds of 17-20 knots and 20-27 mph gusts for 40 miles. Who knew that headwinds on a flat road could be worse than hills??? Well, they were horrible. I went through all range of emotions during that long ride. For a frame or reference people in the race rode an average of 2 MPH slower than usual.
Run
My legs were shot. My body is not made for endurance and my legs felt it. For the first 6 miles I was able to run but after that my calves were NOT happy. They seized in cramps whenever I tried to pick up speed so I was forced to speed walk for the second half of the run course. It was extremely frustrating as I watched the time and saw my end goal slip away which each frustratingly slow step.
Finish
What a humbling experience. I went into the race expecting to do my personal best yet accomplished the exact opposite.
It took me a day to let the disappointment wash away and the pride set in.
This wasn’t the race I expected but honestly it was a mistake for me to go in with assumptions and expectations. Lesson learned!
Crazy how Mother Nature has her own plans right?
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fitness motivation, running, triathlon
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