IM 70.3 CDA Race Report 2019
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IM 70.3 CDA
June 30, 2019
I didn’t get to train like I would have liked for this race. On March 6th, I had plasma-rich platelets (PRP) injected into all the tendons and the joint of my right shoulder. I hadn’t really planned on the pain that I was going to be in for the next 2 weeks. Soon the pain in my shoulder was replaced with the feeling the joint was loose. However, finally 6 weeks post-procedure, I felt like I could begin rehab. In retrospect, I wish I would have started range of motion exercises much earlier. I was back on my tri-bike April 13thand back in the pool for the first time in 5 month on April 22nd, just over 2 months prior to CDA 70.3, but pain-free and thankful to Regenexx for a successful PRP procedure.
Training for this race felt great and my body was so glad to be back at it with improved sleep and HRV. I added strength training specific for my shoulder to my usual Tridot Training program. Both race rehearsals were uneventful, but my nutrition felt off. I didn’t eat prior to either race rehearsal and struggled to drink all my liquid nutrition on the bike.
CDA is a home race for me. My family lives about 30 minutes away in Southeast Spokane and I grew up playing in Lake CDA. I arrived at my parent’s house on Thursday evening to drop off Gavin, going on to the race venue Friday for race check in and to get settled into the AirBnB. I was pleased to find how close my accommodations were – just a few blocks and about 5 minutes from Independence Park (Transition). The feelings of imposter syndrome soon set in – I hadn’t done the work. Who did I think I was doing this race?
Saturday, I checked my bike in. I noticed that the rear break was rubbing as I rolled it in and just repositioning the wheel did not fix it. I stopped by the bike mechanic who quickly tuned it up. I have learned that asking for help with my bike is never a bad thing - I just always seem to need it.
Saturday evening Michael and I went to dinner at Beverly’s. It is on the 7th floor of the CDA resort. Beverly’s holds a special place for us because we were engaged here July 7th 20 years ago. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner – my usual steak and potatoes. Afterwards, we went for a walk and got some ice cream. It was a lovely evening.
Before heading to bed, I sat out all my stuff for transition with morning clothes and nutrition. I decided to only put 1 scoop of Tailwind in my bottles instead of my usual 2 to see if that helped me drink more. I also changed up my morning nutrition to include a Tailwind Rebuild and 500-calorie granola bar. Why did “Nothing new on race day” not apply to nutrition in my mind? Crazy dietitian, I was supposed to know better!
Race day was finally here. I did not sleep well the night before. I am usually a good sleeper but a combination of a husband not sleeping well and food too close to bedtime compromised my sleep. I got up at 4 am and drank an espresso cold brew and whole milk to get the bowels going then ate a banana and gathered up my stuff to head to transition.
I think they always pick the most spunky and motivating people to do the body marking at races. I had another fabulous body marker that said all the right things to get me pumped to race. I headed to my bike and filled my nutrition and set up my transition area. Then met up with Michael and walked down to the beach.
At the beach, I finished my breakfast – a bottle of Tailwind Rebuild, granola bar and a few bites of a second banana. I slowly eased into my wetsuit and head down to the water as soon as they opened the swim area. I always try to take lots of time to warm up and get use to the water. The water was warm at 67 degrees and felt fabulous. I went and got lined up with the 40 – 43 minute group and waited for my turn to get into the water. Michael was in the VIP area so I knew that I would get a hug before I entered the water. I was so thankful for the hug because the nerves had set in again. Then I was in the water and beginning my 70.3-mile journey.
The swim was rough from the start. The water was rougher than expected even though there was no wind but I was going for a swim with 2000 of my closest triathlon friends who were causing quite a few waves. Before the first buoy, I had a gentleman backstroke right over the top of me. I had never experienced that before. From there I struggled to find rhythm and needed to breath every other stroke instead of my usual every 4th. The water smoothed out as we got closer to the first turn buoy and continued until about halfway back to the beach. This is usually one of my favorite swims because of the clear water but on this day it was a tough one.
SWIM TIME: 45:00 TRIDOT PREDICTED TIME: 44:58
Taking off my wetsuit was one of my biggest concerns going into this race. I had been practicing wrestling wet sports bras but I knew the wetsuit was going to be my biggest challenge. Thank goodness for wetsuit strippers. My zipper got stuck so I couldn’t even unzip myself. Then it got stuck on my watch so I couldn’t get it off my arms – I was a mess. I think I need to think twice (or at least do a whole lot more practice) before I enter a race without wetsuit strippers.
TRANSITION 1 TIME: 5:08
I love this bike course! The views and hills are some of my favorites. I worked hard to follow my Tridot paces during the short out and back but when we hit the big hills on the 2ndout and back, I just wanted to see what I could do. It felt great and I enjoyed every minute of it. My parents and kids were out almost at the turn around and I got to see them twice and feed on their energy. My only complaint was the no passing zone that happened going down the 2 mile 6% grade. I got stuck behind a group that was riding their brakes and all I could think about was all that free speed that I was loosing. I also started to cramp in both my legs and in my hands. It was so frustrating. I did consume ¾ of my nutrition but it didn’t make up for the reduction in calories I made by making my bottles ½ strength.
BIKE TIME: 3:31:17 TRIDOT PREDICTED TIME: 3:52:43
When I got back to the transition area it felt like I was one of the last bikes coming back in. All the women racked around me were already out on the run and I got into my own head with thoughts of inadequacy. I took an extra minute and made sure all my stuff was in my transition bag [TIP: I set up my transition area on top of a 31 deluxe utility tote and then just pull up the sides and dump every thing back in it after the bike so that my Sherpa can pick it up while I’m on the run.] I hit the port-a-potties and started the run.
Transition 2 TIME: 4:35
As soon as I started running, I new it was going to be a long afternoon. My legs felt like bricks and I could not get my heart rate down. There was a lot of bargaining that went on in my head – run to the corner or aid station and then you can walk. Eventually, I just couldn’t get myself to run at all and I was resigned to walking. It was great seeing my SOAS teammates and giving high fives – definitely a highlight of the whole day. My family tried to pump me up when I saw them at the halfway point but I just had nothing else to give. I’m not sure if it was my lack of training or nutrition but my body did not enjoy that run. Running down the finish shoot was bittersweet. I had finished but was disappointed in the performance.
RUN TIME: 2:51:24 TRIDOT PREDICTED TIME: 2:19:54
It would be easy to dismiss this race but there are some very important things to learn.
1. Do not change up your nutrition on race day! Stick with what you have trained with and know works.
2. Follow you TRIDOT pacing even when you think you can push harder.
3. Get out of your head! This is about fun and seeing what your body can do and not comparing yourself to the others who are racing.
I am lucky that I was able to complete this race. I am lucky that I have a family that supports me in my crazy adventures. I am so thankful to everyone who willed me to the finish line!
TOTAL: 7:17:24 TRIDOT PREDICTED TIME: 6:57:35
