IMTX RR - Kristen Olson
My goals for this race were 1) To finish, and have a good time doing it, 2) to hold off the inevitable migraine as long as possible, and 3) to finish faster than my IM Louisville time in 2007. I can happily say that I achieved all three!
Pre-race: Tabitha and I arrived in The Woodlands on Thursday. We attended the Endurance Nation team dinner that night and finally met some teammates in person. Friday was really relaxing - we drove down to the swim start to have a look around, and then came back for lunch. I got to meet Chrissie Wellington at her booksigning, and she is just totally cool! Then, it was legs up and resting from about 1:30 on. Mom and Dad drove into town Friday afternoon and I visited with them for a little while, and then it was dinner and lights out. It took me a little while to fall asleep but then I slept well.
Race morning:
The alarm went off at 4 am. I choked down a bagel with peanut butter and had a cup of coffee while slowly getting dressed. I was at transition by 5:30 and made it to the swim start by 6:15. Dropped off special needs bags and settled down to wait.
The swim: 1:18, predicted 1:30
I opted to wear a wetsuit and start with the 7:10 crowd. I was in no way going to be close to a Kona slot, and I'm always cold in the water anyway, so why not? I'm go glad I did! Even starting in the smaller wetsuit wave, it was so crowded. Other people who have done more IMs than me said the swim wasn't bad, but the only other IM I have done is Louisville, with the lovely staggered swim start, so this was quite unpleasant. It felt like full contact swimming. I ended up doing a lot of sighting just to find clear water. After about a mile I started passing lots of the slower non-wetsuit swimmers, and it got even more crowded. I was just happy to get out!
T1: 14:05. Time flies in there! I think I spent most of that time trying to put my DeSoto arm coolers on over wet skin!
The bike, 6:31, predicted 6:30-7:00
I had made a point this year to train on the bike course as much as possible, and I really think that helped me today. I actually had a lot of fun! I was one of the few people out there riding a road bike - no clip on aerobars, etc. The aero position really hurts my neck, and leads to migraines for me, and a road bike seems to be a good solution. It took me about 20 miles to bring my heart rate down from the crazy swim and from excitement - I felt like I was cruising along barely pedalling, yet I was moving fast and my heart rate was too high for this part of the day. I was taking in 1 bottle of Skratch labs drink mix (120 calories) and 1 bonk breaker bar (from the aid stations, about 120 calories) per hour, plus an additional bottle of water to drink at each aid station. I also squirted water on my arm coolers at every aid station, and took an S-cap about every hour. I peed four times, so I felt confident that I was well hydrated for the run. Road bike or no, I passed plenty of men and women all tricked out on their aero steeds! The hills were a little frustrating. I would patiently use the EN methods for hill climbing, and pass big guys killing themselves to get to the top, only to have them pass me on the downhills because they weigh more and gravity helps them fly down! The last 12 miles or so were mentally tough, but all of the Woodlands residents cheering us on helped immensely.
T2, 9:49. Wasted time pulling on compression socks this time.
The run, 5:15, predicted???
I had zero goals for the run except to stave off a migraine as long as possible. The first lap was great! I stuck to my super-slow prescribed pace (adjusted for the heat), and ran the entire lap except for walking the aid stations. At each station I would drink either a cup of Perform or a cup of water and then take a cup of ice to stuff in my arm coolers and under my hat. The spectators were great, especially along the waterway! My second lap was slower, and I allowed myself to walk the uphills. Seeing my family and friends all screaming for me was such an inspiration! I did start developing a migraine at about mile 11, but it wasn't too bad. The final lap was, of course, the hardest. Everything hurt at this point, and I just wanted to be finished. I alternated walking and running, and managed to speed it up the last two miles because of the energy of the crowd. That last mile was so exciting - everyone was screaming, and it was just a wall of noise. I must have slapped 50 hands.
Total time: 13:29! A PR by 30 minutes!
I crossed the finish line, and Chrissie Wellington was still there, giving out medals! She is a true champion. It was an honor to have her say "congratulations" and place a medal around my neck.
All in all, it was a wonderful day! I achieved all my goals, and feel like I executed to the best of my ability.
All I have to say is, Work Works! EN has taught me how to train, how to fuel, and how to race. Thank you Team EN!
Comments
I think the hardest part on the course is the turn for the 3rd lap of the run - so demoralizing!
I rode my first two IMs on a road bike and beat a lot of tricked out people too
Anyway, nice to meet you at the dinner. Hope you are off for some well deserved R&R
Gret work Kristen - nice way to execute on all of your goals and end up with a PR!!
I too, should have pre-donut-rolled my DS arm coolers, when I put them on for IMAZ. Took me a bit of time, and some frustration, to get them on wet arms. Lesson learned (for both of us, I hope)!
Congrats and enjoy some downtime!
Congrats...