Lindsay Blumenshein IMWI 2015 Race Report
Pre-race
I woke up at 3:45, took a shower, ate breakfast (English muffin with PB, 1.5 C applesauce, coffee) and did one last double check to make sure I had everything. We were out the door by 5. My parents dropped me off at Monona Terrace and they took my special needs bags to drop off. I felt like I had the perfect amount of time to get body marked, add nutrition to my bike and check on my bike & run bags before downing a banana and making my way to meet the team for a picture.
I got in the water at about 6:45 and made my way just to the right of the ski ramp.
Swim: 1:26:22
This was my first time doing a mass swim start with 2000+ people and oddly enough the only moment of panic I had was for about 30 seconds before the swim started where I felt like there were bodies everywhere and I didn’t have space to even tread water. I backed up a couple feet and found a little more space. There was a lot of contact in the first 5 minutes or so but I found a nice open space until the first turn buoy where things got crowded again. I took this as an opportunity to moo J There was minor crowding and a few hands and elbows here and there throughout the entire swim but for the most part I was really able to stay in my box. I counted strokes and before I knew it the swim was over. I had a lot of fun on the swim and really enjoyed breathing to the left to see the big crowd at the terrace.
T1: 10:50
Found a wetsuit stripper, they yanked it off for me and then I walked/jogged up the helix. Found my bag & had a volunteer help me put my swim stuff away as I put my helmet on. Stuffed shot bloks into my tri top, grabbed my shoes and ran out the door. I stopped at the sunscreen folks, they lathered me up (ouch! First indication of chaffing on the neck from my wetsuit) and then I made the long jog to my bike. EN was racked close to bike out which was really nice! Slowly spun down the helix which was crowded and made worse by some guys trying to pass people on it (you have 112 miles to pass me, why are you trying to do it at mile .002?)
Bike: DNF
From the helix up until Valley Rd all I was doing was checking in with myself and reminding myself to ride easy. I had these ridiculous leg warmers that I bought when I was in China years ago. The day before I left for Madison I thought that they might do the trick as arm warmers and they did! I tossed them at the aid station right after valley road. After Valley road I started to really focus on nutrition and staying in my aero bars as much as I could. For the 1st half of the bike my nutrition was on point – I was downing just over 1 bottle of GE/hour & a shot blok about ~15 minutes. More than anything, I had FUN on the first loop. The spectator support was AMAZING! And there was so much EN love on the course! I can’t recall which aid station, but I did stop and use the porta potty once on the first loop. I also stopped at SN to grab a honey stinger waffle and apply more chamois cream (which I am partially regretting now, but it probably wouldn’t have made a difference so I’m going to let it go). At SN it was 1:04PM, I wasn’t worried yet. On the 2nd loop, that false flat into Mt. Horeb ended up having a head wind, that at the time I just thought it was a little annoying, but looking back now realize it really slowed me down. The rest of the bike all blends together for me so I can’t exactly recall the details of where I was when certain things were happening other than that the last 2 hours were mostly panic. Everyone I saw was saying “I don’t know if we’re going to make it” or “we need to avg 16MPH the whole way (before the 3 hills) in order to make it” I did a horrible job of staying inside my own box and the doubt overwhelmed me. I tried pushing and made really poor decisions that I would have never made otherwise (like not eating or drinking anything for the last 2 hours because it would slow me down). Race officials would ride by, I would ask the time and they would say “we think you can make it, if we didn’t, we’d pull you, keep pushing” Within a matter of seconds my thoughts would bounce from “oh man, I hope I see someone I know so that I can just get in their car and put an end to this” to “move your ass! You got this! You’re going to be an Ironman!” I felt like I was cruising on the stick and I thought for sure I would make it. In the back of my mind I was thinking “you haven’t had any calories for 2 hours, even if you do make it, how are you going to run a marathon?” but then I would quickly remind myself to worry about that when the time came. I got to that final hill on the way back into Madison and I saw three people in front of me, all three of them were walking their bikes up the hill. That wasn’t going to be me. I powered up it and then really did hit the gas as hard as I possibly could through all the admin junk back to the helix. I’ve been at transition spectating at 5:30 and I know how crazy loud it can get. It was quiet and as I passed volunteers up the helix they weren’t saying anything. I saw my family & friends as I was spinning up and they gave me the biggest, best cheer I’ve ever heard. I crossed the line and saw the clock with the official race time that said 10:34:06. Missed the cutoff by 4 minutes and 6 seconds.
Thoughts:
Despite the result, I had a hell of a fun time. I think I was smiling for the entire 114.4 miles. I am going to be back. I love this sport! At the end of the day, the machine I built to execute this thing just wasn’t strong or sharp enough yet. When I registered for this race last October I weighed close to 220 lbs. I had to take walk breaks during a 5k, and I had never ridden my bike for more than 30 miles. It was a lot of progress to make in less than a year, and it could have been done, but I needed to give it more than I did.
I’ve been playing the following quotes over and over in my head the last two days:
“The course doesn't care what you say you've done. It only gives you what you've earned”
“Don’t let success get to your head or let failure get to your heart”
Up Next:
I told myself that I wouldn’t make any decisions about races for next year for at least 2 weeks (Yesterday I was all “I shouldn’t register for IMWI next year” today I’m all “I NEED to register for next year&rdquo
. So, I’m going to take that time to reflect and transition out of ironman training mode (with that being said, it’s taking everything in me to not hop on my bike and start sharpening this machine right now).
I feel like this experience gives me more insight into what it takes to get it done. I’m looking forward to getting stronger. I have a lot of work to do in terms of body comp which will help tremendously and since I don’t think I’ll be breaking up with this sport anytime soon I am going to allow myself to start playing with the big kid toys – get a power meter, a tri bike, and get in tune with my body and training data over the next year.
Also, thank you, thank you, thank you! I don’t have enough words to express my gratitude for EN. I have learned so much from so many of you and I think this community is a huge part of why this sport is so much fun for me.
Comments
In terms of the toys, try out virtual power with trainer road! Very cheap alternative if you need some time to save for a real power meter and unfortunately, we will be indoors in Chicago soon, though I guess you'll be moving to better climates! For tri bikes, I did my first IMWI on a road bike but now have a Cervelo P2 that I LOVE!
Nice work lady!
Can't wait to follow your progress. Resiliency is an incredible trait. Recover well and turn the page.
Lindsay,
WOW! What a journey in just a year. You are a total rockstar. I loved your quote about not letting it get to your heart. Thank you.
I too DNF my A race this weekend. The response from our team mates in support of both of us is tear jerking. It just reaffirms why I chose EN and not one of the other teams. Our team and coaches exemplify the ethos, " It's not whether you win or lose it's HOW you play the game." You and I are going to have a lot of fun making lemonade this winter.
Have a great day rock'n it EN style! With CLASS!!!!
Tough day, no doubt. However, you are awesome anyway. Most people wouldn't even think to tackle an Ironman - you did and kudos for that! Probably like most of us, you learn more from your failures than your successes. You'll be an Ironman sooner than you think. You rock!
Lindsey...Sorry you missed reaching your goal this time. Don't give up! This adversity can only make reaching that finish line all the more sweet.I'll be racing Moo next year and would love to see you in the finish chute!
It was great to get to finally meet you in Wisconsin. You are truly a Rock Star. You have made bigger gains in a year than most people on this team and certainly more than most people in the entire world could even dream of. Now your starting point for future gains is at a much different level than where you were a yr ago. Maybe I'll fire up another challenge so you can continue your considerable body comp gains as well. I agree with something like TrainerRoad for immediate virtual power while you're on your trainer for the next many months. Let me know if you want help finding a cheap Powermeter or used Tri bike. I love looking for toys... It's gonna be awesome watching you finish next year!
"...last October I weighed close to 220 lbs. I had to take walk breaks during a 5k, and I had never ridden my bike for more than 30 miles..." From there to where you got on Sunday is a harder and more rewarding journey than I can even imagine. You deserve all the accolades you've been getting in this thread.