The Spirit of Morgantown (Morgantown, WV) – June 29, 2008

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Race report:  My first ½ Ironman distance triathlon race.  One year ago, I couldn’t even imagine doing a ½ Ironman, I mean the international distance triathlon I found intimidating, so how could I even imagine doing a ½ Ironman?  Well, Coach Angela has such faith in me.  She said I could do it, and oh how right she was.

What a great day I had and such a fun experience.  I love the atmosphere of triathlon.  The athletes and their support they bring with them are all so friendly, encouraging and just such a nice group of people.  It is such a warm environment, that at this point, I don’t know how I could ever leave it.

Anyway, back to my race.  Mike and I drove down to Morgantown, West Virginia on Saturday morning.  Mike, too was signed up to race in Morgantown, but two weeks ago, he changed his mind and is now going to do Musselman instead.  Why?  Because he wanted to watch, cheer and take picture of me during my first ½ Ironman.  I was so glad he changed his mind.  I can’t express enough how nice it was to have him out there.  He brought a smile to my face every time I saw him.

We got to Morgantown quite early and I picked up my race packet at 12:20 p.m.  Packet pickup started at 12:00, so it was quite uneventful.  I did a quick 15 minute spin on my bike and then I headed over to transition to check in my bike.  All bikes had to be checked in on Saturday.  I was about the 10th bike to be checked in.  I had a beauty of a rack spot.  Not only did I like where my rack was (I was rack “R” and it was the first rack right when you came in from the swim and that was the same way you left for the run), but then I got the end position because I was the first one there – sweet!!  After dinner we drove the bike course which enabled me to see where I had to go, see the course and to check out all the rough spots (a lot).  This was a good thing to do because after going to Lake Placid camp and riding the LP course, this course was not intimidating at all.  I knew I could do it.

Race morning:  I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and had my coffee and breakfast.  I truly was quite calm.  I don’t think I’ve ever been this relaxed before a race and I’m not sure why.  The only nervousness I had was about getting a flat or something happening to my bike.  I went down to transition and set up my stuff.  Put my drinks and nutrition on my bike and organized everything and just gave a quick run-thru of the process.
The swim:  The swim is my least favorite part, but I was actually quite calm as I entered the water.  Maybe it was the one lady next to me who I talked to while waiting to enter the water who actually had applied lipstick, blush, eye liner, mascara – maybe this comical factor was what I needed to take my mind off everything else.  My swim started out a little rough.  The first 200 yards or so, I just couldn’t get a rhythm to my stroke.  I just hate all that thrashing about of everyone, getting my feet pulled, but finally I calmed myself down and found my stroke within me. 

I had a pretty good swim.  It was slow and methodical, but that’s how I swim and for me, the swimming part is:  get in the water and do it, and get out, then move on.  I even started humming while I was swimming the song “I’m Singing in the Rain,” which when I told Mike, he thought it was quite comical, but it calmed me down and it was rainy out!  I managed to get myself out on the dock.  Mike said the spectators were naming the different styles of the water exits onto the dock – mine was definitely the belly flop on the dock.

It was a long run to the transition, up the dock ramp and along the bike path.  I half jogged/ran while getting my wetsuit down to my waist.  Of course, I managed to get the wetsuit all bunched up around my wrist and had a hard time (Mike managed to get a picture of this as I was laughing – what a guy!). 

Transition went quite smoothly for me.  I didn’t try to rush because that only makes me go slower, so I was just methodical on my actions.  I even put on bike socks because my bike shoes fit better with socks – my damn small feet!
The bike went great.  I had to settle and calm down.  I went over the first bridge that spans the river and then you go onto a bumpy, badly maintained road that goes along the river.  It looked more like a driveway then a road.  I actually had to dodge about 15 water bottles that previous cyclists had lost.  I had driving rain come down during my first loop.  It was a bit unsettling, but I stayed within myself and just hoped it would stop soon, and it did. 

My actual goal on the bike was to at least average 15 mph.  With that thought, Mike said he’d start looking for me at the turnaround by transition where I’d start loop two after an hour and forty-five minutes or so.  Well, I came in a bit sooner and I didn’t see Mike.  I was quite disappointed too, but then just as I was ready to head back out after turning around, there he was on the corner and I just lit up.  Maybe some people are so within themselves that they don’t need that outside support, but for me it is just HUGE! 

The next loop went quite well.  The last big hill was a bit harder to get up then the first time, so I started telling myself that there was a “gift” at the top – because, yes, you were gifted with a nice downhill after you crested.  I also chanted to myself the pointer Angela gave me on one of our rides -- “put your heel down.”  So that’s what I did, I had Angela in my head telling me to put my heel down with each pedal stroke, and low and behold I crested the hill.  From that point, I knew I was golden because I was almost done with the bike.

I got off my bike and ran into transition.  I had set out a new pair of socks with my running shoes, which I am so glad I did.  From the rain on the bike my socks were just soaked.  So I took the time to change socks and got myself into run mode.

What is it with me and running?  It’s not like I’m the fastest runner in the world, but I’m like the energizer bunny when it comes to running.  It took all of maybe ¼ mile before I had my legs under me and I felt great.  I had done everything Angela told me to.  I kept my HR down on the bike where she wanted it.  She said, “Everything you do is setting yourself up for your run.”  And boy did it!  I felt absolutely great on the run.  I also saw some familiar faces that offered encouragement because of the out and back design of the 2-loop run course.  I saw Eric (he was on his last loop of the run to a great finish).  I saw Aimee and Henk too.  At one point on the run we again had a huge down pour.  I loved it!  It was so refreshing.  The only bad part – it stopped and the sun peaked out and it got hot and humid.  But I was feeling so great when it was raining that I again started singing  “I’m Singing in the Rain.” 

So I was feeling great and then I came upon Devil’s Hill.  Angela said to “power walk it.”  Eric Gibb, who had done this race 2 years ago, said the same thing in his race report.  Okay, I’ll do that, so I turn the corner and see Devil’s Hill.  As I approach it and start my “power walk” I think to myself, “power walk?  Are you crazy?  Someone throw down a rope so I can scale the wall.”  Holy crap was it steep.  Somehow I managed to get up the hill to the water stop at the top of the hill which is offering tons of encouragement to the runners (well no one was running at this point). 

That was a hell of a climb and I only had to do it one more time! 

The only bad part about being toward the bottom of the finishers is at this point one guy at the water stop said, “you’re almost done now, the finish is not too far.”  Well, hello, I still had another loop to go.  The same thing happened at the turn where one lane goes to the finish and the other direction heads out for another loop of the run course and a fan on the course said “you’re almost there, just around the corner to the finish.”  I know they’re trying to help, but man you really have to pull yourself together and dig deep to get around that turn and head back out.  But I did. 
The second loop I was still feeling pretty good.  Devil’s Hill didn’t take too much out of me that first time, nor did the rolling hills after that.  But then, the last time I saw Mike when I had about 3 miles left to go (including Devil’s Hill) I was slowly starting to lose a little steam, but I knew I didn’t have much to go and I knew I could keep it together.  At this point, I also felt like I was overheating – you know, when you’re head starts to tingle – but I kept pouring water over myself at all the water stops and drinking water, so that helped. 

The second time up Devil’s Hill was harder – did it somehow become steeper?  It was all I could do to lift my leg high enough to take another step, but I got up it again – somehow.  And then on the downhill, the cramps hit.  First my left calf started cramping and freezing up.  I had just taken a couple salt tabs, but I must have been in need of salt/potassium, but I knew I just had a couple more miles to go.  I had been feeling so good on the run the whole way, that I had it in my head that after the 2nd time up Devil’s Hill, I was just going to “let it go.”  I had been following Angela’s HR maxes the whole run, but then I had the flexibility at the end to go as I felt.  And I felt I was going to just go for it.  So, the cramping really pissed me off, but I kept my pace moving along.  And then the right toes did the cramping bit that almost takes you out when it happens.  I was just like “please stop,” “I just took some salt, please kick in.”  And then I started my old mantra, “just 10 minutes, I can do anything for 10 minutes.”  And then there was the finish line.  I tried to run as hard as I could into that finish area with my left calf in spasms and my right toes cramping.  But even with that last bit of cramping and spasms in my muscles, it was a glorious feeling – I did it!  And I had a blast at the same time.

All in all, I had a great day.  I followed “the plan.”  Everything went smoothly for me.  And except for those last couple miles on the run, I felt amazingly great.  When I was on the bike, I forgot that I swam beforehand.  When I started the run, I forgot I had swam and biked beforehand.  That’s how good I felt.  So, with a few tweaks of nutrition, I think I can erase those cramps and have a better finish, so…. Now … Wisconsin here I come.