IMCDA Race Report- Vicki Owens (Better late than never!)
I’m just now getting a moment to write my race report. As many others have experienced, my race went nothing like I had planned! I knew my run might not go well because of nagging injuries. Turns out, my run was the best part of the race!
Swim:
I swam for 30 min on Friday so I thought I knew what to expect in the water. I wasn’t prepared for the kick-fest though! I can’t remember ever having such a rough swim! I couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm at all. I finished my first lap in 40:30…close to being on target for a 1:20 swim. The second lap is where it fell apart. I started getting cold and couldn’t use my hands to push the water. My strokes became slower and slower. I exited the water in 1:27:31
T1:
When I arrived in T1, the women’s change tent was packed so I sat on the ground outside the tent and attempted to put on my socks and shoes with fingers that just wouldn’t cooperate. After what seemed like hours, I got them on and attempted to put on my arm warmers. After fumbling with them for awhile, I saw a male volunteer standing nearby and asked for his assistance. My hands were limp as noodles and we couldn’t get them in the warmers. We struggled until finally he held my hand in his and stuffed it into the warmers. He helped fasten my helmet for me and I ran towards my bike….Oh crap! I forgot my sunglasses. I ran back, found the volunteer and we looked through the pile of bags for mine. Finally found it, put on my sunglasses and ran to my bike. T1 – 12:39
Bike:
Finally getting to my favorite part of the race! I started out easy, but after only a few minutes my hip flexors went into spasm, followed by my low back and glutes…most likely from being so cold. I coasted and stretched as often as I could. I started warming up after an hour or so but I couldn’t shake the back/glute spasms. My goal watts were 112, but I didn’t come close to that even though my perceived exertion was pretty high. The scenery was absolutely beautiful! A very nice distraction from my discomfort! It was great to see coach Rich out on the bike course! It gave me a little inspiration to get through the hilly sections. Here’s the data from my Joule:
Entire workout (96 watts)
Duration: 7:02:01 (7:06:29)
Work: 2492 kj
TSS: 276.8 (IF 0.628)
Norm Power: 104
VI: 109
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 312 96
Cadence: 31 218 84
Speed: 0 42.6 15.8
About 10 miles from the finish I caught up to my training partner and we entered T2 together.
T2
T2 was uneventful. Changed to running gear, sunscreen, porta potty…5:38
Run
The run is what all my pre-race anxiety stemmed from. I had taken 6 months off over the out season to try to recover from plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. It had resolved to a degree, but not completely. I started running the first week of April and ramped up to a 2.5 hour run by the first week of June. I wasn’t sure my tendons would hold up during a 26 mi run. While in T2 my training partner and I decided to run the race and finish together since we have similar running abilities. We saw Coach Rich early in the run and he kind of encouraged us to run our own race. We ran very slowly together for about 5 miles. We started taking extra walk breaks since my glutes and low back were still tight and painful and her stomach was not doing well. I had taken in only 150 calories/hour on the bike and my stomach was feeling great! In fact, I was really hungry for most of the run. However, my friend’s gut began to shut down and we walked more and more. At about mile 14, my tightness eased up a bit and I was in this dilemma. Do I stay with my best friend in her time of need or do I run my own race. She could tell I was getting antsy and told me to go on if I wanted to. I didn’t need to ask permission…what a relief! I started running and only stopped for 30 steps at each aid station. The last 1.2 mile I ran at a 10k effort and finished super strong! Run 6:04:13.
I finished in 14:56:30. One of my slowest times ever. However, I’m delighted to have finished feeling great! No GI issues and no injuries. I can’t tell you how nice it was to have coach Rich and all the EN folks out on the course! Can’t wait to do it again!!!
Comments
congrats, vicki! strong finish = well executed race plan. no pain during run = smart and effective rehab. best friend that lets you go ahead = true friend.
best of luck in future races.
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Even though it wasn't your best time, your attitude is great and we all need to keep in perspective that we do this for fun and to stay in shape - it's not our living, so completing your 7th IM is quite the accomplishment - not many people can say that!
All The Best and hope to race with you again soon....
Congratulatios on a great race. Sorry we just met at the last minute of the post race coffee meeting. Hope to race with you soon.
Vicki - I hear you about the joy (and relief) of finishing with a "slow" time, after not knowing if it was possible due to those injuries and training challenges.
I'll be in Colorado next to watch the Pro Racers come screaming down Independence Pass to finish in Aspen on August 24th. I might even follow them to Vail and Breckenridge the next two days; a close friend lives part-time in Vail, it might be neat to bike over there and back from Snowmass.