I did it!
I think it was back in January when I decided to take on my first half-ironman. I also convinced a friend to do one as well. Ironically, I chose Lake Stevens over Troika since I thought I could train to be able to handle the hills and I didn’t want to race in the heat. Little did I know that I’d be racing the hilly course WITH the 97 degree heat as well. I don’t deal well with high heat so I knew it would be interesting to see if I could finish, feel OK, and make the 8-hr time limit.
My goal was simple: FINISH THE RACE!
So? I finished! I felt good and didn’t melt in the heat.
Total time: 7:21:02
Swim - 42:28 / T1 - 2:30 / Bike - 3:46:10 / T2 - 2:22 / RUN - 2:47:33
The details:
Sunday morning I woke up at 4:30am to prepare to head up to Lake Stevens. Loaded the car. Grabbed my PB&J sandwich and some Nuun in water to drink on the way up. Since my husband was driving I zoned out and even dozed a bit. Got to the race, set up in transition. Found out it was 77 degrees so wet-suit legal. Said hello to some SBR and ProClub folks and made my way to the starting area. Swim start was interesting – jump off the pier for an in-water start. Got last minute encouragement from my husband and some friends in my wave and then the announcer blew a whistle and we were off.
SWIM: (42:28 )
The swim was uneventful - it’s the one part of the race where I am calm – perhaps a bit too calm since I tend to race slower than I train. Less thrashing by far than Seafair. Only issue I had was the sun on the way back in – I couldn’t see any of the buoys so I lost some time trying to figure out where I was supposed to be going. Out of the water in 42 minutes.
T1 (2:30) uneventful. Wetsuit off. Socks/BikeShoes/Helmet/sunglasses/Camelbak on. Took 3 Endurolytes.
BIKE: (3:46:10 - avg 15mph; Max speed 39.1. Yikes!)
Then the fun began. I had been training all season to be ready for the hills of Lake Stevens. To set the stage for this, when I started training a “long” ride was about 25 miles – and the Hollywood Hills loop was very difficult for me. Fast forward to 2 weeks ago when we did the metric century Hills of Kirkland ride for the 3rd? time. Lots of progress since Feb.
Ride strategy: Finish within 4hrs.
We biked the course in May and then drove it earlier in the week so I had a plan and knew where the hills were and how much I could push it on the downhills while staying in control.
The first loop went well – I was in my aerobars for a good part of the ride. Actually passed people which is a very new thing for me. I think I like it! J Drank a few sips from my Camelbak every 15 min or more often when I thought I needed it. Dropped my chain at the end of the first loop as I made the turn onto the Machias Cutoff but 30 sec later it was back on and fine. Finished the first loop in ~1:45 – pace 16mph – fine with me.
When I started the 2nd loop I was tired – I pushed the first loop pretty hard and knew I needed to slow down a bit so I would have legs for the run. So I watched my HR more carefully and slowed my pace as well. Took a quick break to grab a HammerGel and kept going. I had a few songs in my head which kept me happy and motivated. Focused on cadence so I had a steady pedal stroke and didn’t “mash” esp on the uphills. I figured I ride a triple it’s fine to make good use of those small gears. J Realized I had to just push on the rollers to get as much speed as possible to carry me up the hills. I looked down at one point and was at 35. Max was actually 39.1 which is fast for me.
Somewhere around mile 40 I realized I was low on liquids – which was surprising since I had 64oz of Acelerade with Endurolytes powder in my Camelbak and 20oz of water with NUUN in a waterbottle. I decided to stop at the water tent at mile 42 to get water and stretch my quads. Got water into my water bottle and a nice volunteer poured water on my head and then I kept moving along. About then I realized I was going to make it with MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME TO RUN! So I was happy but tired and a bit worried about the rising temperature. Second loop time 2hrs.
T2 (2:22) Bike shoe/helmet /Camelbak off. Sneakers/visor/fuelbelt on. Took 3 E-caps. Saw my husband and said a quick hello as I headed out for the run.
Run: (2:47:33)
As I was starting the run I heard the announcer say Chris Tremonte had FINISHED the race. Wow. But I still had a half-marathon ahead of me. And the temperature was about 97 degrees. It was going to be a long haul. But I knew I had more than enough time so it would be fine. I decided it was like 4 – 5Ks. I have a default, slow running pace of 10:30-11min/mile on long runs and so I decided to try to keep that as much as I could. I started out running and my legs felt OK – not heavy like on some of my bricks. But it was hot. At the start of the run I saw Jill and she called out some encouragement which was nice to hear. Ran the first stretch then took a walking break and realized it was going to be more of run-walk kind of day than a run. My HR was going way too high for comfort and it didn’t feel like I was going the pace for it to be up that high. Did all sorts of calculations trying to be sure I had enough time for the ½ marathon – and realized I was way too hot and tired and I should just concentrate on running and keeping my HR at a reasonable level (<170 for me). Had some good songs in my head from my last training run and just tried to stay cool.
At each water station I took 2 cups of water – one over my head and one to drink. Ran as much as I could then when my HR got too high took a walking break to get it back into a reasonable range. Had a HammerGel too and sipped some of the hot Accelerade in my fuelbelt. Realized that hot Accelerade is pretty awful. But I started feeling much better so the calories were a good thing. I wished I could tolerate Gatorade since it was cold but I know from experience that it doesn’t agree with my stomach – so warm Accelerade was my drink of the day. (Note to self: Remembering the cold pack for my transition bag would have been a good thing.)
At ~3.5 miles, Danielle passed me and said I was looking good which was nice to hear. She runs a much faster pace so I wished her well and kept on my way. Saw Jessica on her way back within the loop a few minutes later and she looked strong. Settled into a pace of running a while then walking the water stations and also when I got too hot. Thanks to the residents who had hoses to spray the runners – that was really helpful.
Finished loop 1 and started loop 2. Said hi to my husband, Eric, who was out there taking photos all day. I really appreciate his support - it’s got to be really boring to watch a multi-hour race for a glimpse of your spouse once every hour or two. Since I’ve finished a marathon last fall and now a ½ IM I think he’s officially out of the race photography gig.
I knew the loops by now so it was just a question of running as much as I could and staying hydrated. Same drill as on loop 1 – take walking breaks on uphills, where there’s no shade and/or if I REALLY need one but try to run as much as possible – Remind myself that it is a race and I know I can run way more than a ½ marathon. Passed a few people - I kept my eyes on the next person and though t – hey I could catch up to him if I tried. I should go for it. And so on.
I thought I would take the Endurolytes I had with me but couldn’t open the little pill case – I guess dexterity lags when you’re hot and tired. Figured I was OK with my NUUN and remaining Accelerade. At mile 10 I decided I needed more calories since I was starting to see spots and feel woozy – decided to try a PowerGel at the aide station. Well hot PowerGel is even worse than hot Accelerade. But hey I wasn’t in a position to be choosy. Washed it down with more water. Got sprayed by the hose at the aide station. And sipped my Nuun/Water from my fuelbelt to be sure I was getting enough electrolytes. Just one more 5-K to go I kept thinking.
Started the last leg of the race – just one more 5-K to go I kept thinking. And anyone can make it through a 5-K. So just kept going along. I didn’t want to walk anymore but did for a bit up the hill since I wanted to be 100% sure I’d finish and be OK. Took more water and poured most of it on me. A bit short of the final turn I saw Danielle again and we high-5-ed each other. She looked good and was on her way to the finish. 2 more miles for me and I’d be there too. Made it down the final stretch with one last walking break and then turned on what I had left for the final stretch. Turned the corner and sprinted for the finish. Heard Danielle and Jessica shouting – go Wendy as I neared the finish line. Saw Eric, my husband, there too – and sprinted hard for the timing mats. Heard the announcer call out my name and sprinted hard for the timing mats. Finished in 7:21:06. Also heard the announcer say I looked too fresh and perhaps I should do it again. J Somehow that was not what I was thinking!
Nutrition stats:
Bike:
· 64oz water with 5.5 scoops Accelerade and 15 tiny scoops Endurolyte Powder (660 CAL)
· 20 oz water with NUUN;
· 16oz plain water
· 1 HammerGel (90 cal)
Run:
· 12oz water with 1 scoop Accelerade/3 scoops Endurolyte powder (120 cal)
· 12oz water with NUUN
· 1 HammerGel / 1 Gu / 1 very hot AppleCinnamon PowerGel (300 cal)
· 3-4oz water at each rest stop (~36oz water)
Thanks:
· To my husband Eric who supports me in my crazy athletic endeavors. No, there’s not a plan for a full Ironman anytime soon. And yes, you can be done with the sports photography now.
· To the gals I bike and run with – Jessica, Danielle, Kathy, Su, Liz, & Sandra – who made training a lot more fun. Who knew when Jessica said that on that day’s Lakemont climb we’d stop at Starbucks to turn around she meant when I got there she’d be sipping a latte! I couldn’t figure out why I hadn’t seen her descending yet. Or when Su suggested going up to Newcastle Golf Club that we’d be biking all the way up there from Lake Samm. Or that Sandra would humor me as I stopped to say hello to a friend who conveniently was outside her house just as Winery Hill levels out a bit.
· To Jill Fry – she offered to take some of us out biking in Feb and I think some of us were a bit less experienced than she had bargained for. We forgot to clip out at stops and toppled over. We dropped chains, flatted etc. And she was so patient with us. She answered all my very basic biking questions and had tons of tips and tricks to help me become a better rider. She also showed us bike routes on the east side (like the Hills of Jill ride) and got me out of the rut of the BG/Samm trail to Lake Samm loop. I am so appreciative of her support.
· To Josh Fitchitt – He helped me translate Mitch’s CPC training plan to something more manageable including while I was traveling for a week or two at a time. And encouraged me during many early morning boot camp sessions.
