Cristi's 1st Half Racine Race Report
Signed up for Racine as a trial run before Wisc IM. Talked my 21 yo son into doing it with me thinking he would be a good training partner for long swims and rides. We swam together once and rode twice. Needless to say he wasn’t much of a training partner but it was nice to have him there and know he was on the course with me. I started about 1 hr 15 minutes before him and he joked that he would pass me at some point. That was a nice motivating factor.
The week before I was pretty nervous but tried to use my EN info to my advantage. I made my lists and reread as much info as I could and searched the forum for new info to keep me focused. I also touched base with my fitness support group in town who pumped me up! I was able to get a full week of great sleep and good nutrition. My husband and I headed off to Racine Saturday morning and got to check-in about 9am. Lines were short and we got through in no time. Sat in a race talk and was a bit nervous about the drafting rules but figured if I received a penalty, I would just deal with it. Met some very nice people including a few people who had done Wisc IM and asked some questions and learned a bit. Also, got my bike checked in aok and met 3 EN members. Was nice to finally see members in person. Checked out the swim start and drove through a bit of the run course. Headed back to the hotel and started a book I had brought. Kept me busy for a few hours so I am glad I packed it. Family arrived later afternoon and we headed out for an early dinner. Saw a TON of racers at dinner. Headed to bed about 9pm.
Race morning: Didn’t really sleep much. Maybe about 2 hours between 11 and 1. Officially got up at 3:30 am and ate and packed up to go to body marking.
Swim: Knew the water would be freezing as I had done an open water swim in Chicago the week before. Officially the water temp was 60. Very happy that I had the opportunity to get in the water before my wave went off. Just did some bobs in the water and a few strokes but that really helped. My wave was the fifth wave to go off and the family gave me their hugs and then I headed off. Lined up in the second row over to the side but really looked like I had a straight shot at the first turn bouy. Goal for the first few minutes of the swim was just to keep my heart rate down. I did have a heart rate monitor on but wasn’t planning on starting it until the bike as I was afraid it wouldn’t last the whole race. Was able to get a nice lane and just kept swimming. Once we reached the turn, there were some waves and I was a bit worried about feeling a bit of motion sickness (as I had the weekend before) but just pushed it out of my mind and kept going. It was annoying that you could smell/taste some gas fumes from the surrounding boats but I guess that is to be expected. Made the last turn and felt good. Kept plugging away and then started to see people stand up and start walking but the swim end was quite a bit away. Swam as far as I could and then started to walk. Saw one of my sons who said I was doing great and looked down at my watch and was happy to see 45:09 … goal for the swim was between 45 and 50 minutes.
Time: 45:09
T1: Headed toward T1. I knew there was a small run before I got there. Did the best to control my breathing. Saw wet suit strippers. Yeah! They had said in the race talk that there might not be any and I was dreading getting my wet suit off by myself. Wet suit came off in nothing flat and found my bike and stuff quickly. Changed and was on my way.
Bike: Right at the bike mount line, a hill starts. Glad I was given the advice of starting my bike in a low gear. Got up the hill in nothing flat. My husband said he saw a few people start up the hill, fail, and walk up … glad I was not one of those bikers. Knew I was going to try to push it on the bike and did my best to hold back a little. Very aware of the bumpy roads but that might have been because that is all I heard about the Racine course was how bumpy it was. Had to pee pretty quickly on the bike. Was so tempted to just go but I had socks on and didn’t have any desire to bike in wet socks. Guess I need to stop wearing socks. Hit the first aid station and stopped quickly. After that I was good and just kept going. Kept my heart rate in my target zone but still felt like I was pushing it. Kept seeing higher miles per hour numbers then I am used to. But then about 1/3 of the way through the course I hit a cross wind and slowed down a bit. Wind was back and forth for the rest of the bike. I did my best to use the small downhills to my advantage and just stay as smooth as possible the rest of the time. My son gave me a yell when he was at mile 20 and I was around mile 35. Was a nice surprise and I ended up using the next 5 minutes figuring out what his swim time must have been and did he make up any time on me. Was a good distraction. I feel like I did a good job with my nutrition and stuck to gels and one power bar. Definitely feeling hot by the end but dumped water on my head at the last aid station and felt better. Came to the end feeling hydrated and fueled with no penalties … yeah. Goal on the bike 3:30. Happy with my time but still feel like I pushed a little more then I should have.
Time: 3:31:94
T2: Changed quickly and got on my way. Was worried about my bike time … was it too fast. Kept hearing "Ride the bike you should" but kept pushing. Over now so not much I can do.
Run: Was hot right off the bat but put it in gear and plugged forward. Saw the family and they had big smiles on their faces. I think they were surprised with my times so far. Didn’t want to disappoint them or my training self. Had made up my mind before the race started that I would walk the few hills and not waste that energy. First mile, had two hills but a water station was at the end and that was nice. I grabbed two sponges right away and stuffed them in my sports bra. Did a lot of dumping ice in my sports bra which helped a lot. The Racine community was great and had sprinklers and hoses out and going. I had learned my lesson from previous marathons that soaked socks were not worth the 15 seconds of cool. So, I tried to stay away from being squirted with a hose or big sprinklers. Of course, dumping water and ice on your head has about the same affect but I tried not to think of that. Ran as much as I could. Sometimes even counting steps before I would let myself walk. When I did walk I tried to stick to 30 steps rest and then I had to run again. Sometimes that turned out to be just another 30 steps but I kept plugging away. Saw my son three times on the run but also knew he was getting tired. Last lap, I saw my family at the turn and they pumped me up. Also, saw a woman in a EN jersey as I was coming up a hill and yelled for whoever it was. She looked like she was running strong. Saw my son at mile 10 for the last time and knew he was a bit closer but he just yelled "Mom, go get them and finish strong." And I knew he had slowed down was not going to catch me. Came to the last mile and found a suck buddy. We did a little talking and he is also doing Wisc. So, we talked a bit and then before I knew it we had only a bit to go and I saw my family who yelled that I could get under 7:30 if I kept pushing. Turned it on and ran hard through the end.
Time: 3:03:07
Final thoughts: Although my run was not exactly what I was hoping for, it could have been worse but defiantly something I need to work on these last few weeks. I definitely saw a lot of people walking at the end and was happy I kept running even if it was in spirts. I felt great at the end and was so happy to cross that line and join the half ironman family! Am happy with my time but also have some things to work on, too. Overall, my first half was a success.
Total: 7:28:36
As a side note, my son did finish with a time of 6:22:30. He basically trained by swimming twice, biking twice, and running a few times a week. Must be nice to be 21! He was hurting after the race though!
Comments
Good report and nice pics too
Big congrats! Your family must be proud! Excited to watch you build for IMWI!
Thanks, Don and Kim, I did have a great time. Wonderful first half experience!
Well, Rachel, it is nice to know who I yelled at! I think I overbiked because I felt like I was pushing it the whole time. I never felt comfortable but I was in the right zone so maybe it was just a race thing. And at the middle of the run when I was walking a bit more then I had hoped, I did set goals of 100 steps and then 75 which worked well. But toward the end the goal was low 50 or 30.
And yes, family is proud and now my 2nd son wants to join in and try a tri, too!
Also, will you be putting aerobars on your bike? That could help you "rest" a bit more when riding and to avoid the winds on race day (free speed, assuming you can handle the position). They make ones where the pads flip up when you aren't in them so you can still put your hands on the top bar, etc...just a thought.
Any other changes you are considering pre IMWI?