Sand, Sweat, and Tears: A Race Recap for the Lonestar Half Ironman Triathlon

After 5 long months of dedicated training, I can proudly say that Patrick and I completed our first Half Ironman (HIM) this past Sunday at the Lonestar Triathlon Festival. For anyone interested, the following is a recap of some of the highlights of the race. For anyone unfamiliar with the concept of a HIM, let me preface this recap by explaining that this is a multi-sport race combining 1.2 miles of open water swimming, 56 miles of road biking, and 13.1 miles of running. The course maps for each of these legs can be viewed here.

For this endeavor we elected to seek the help from a triathlon coach. David Gillen, a friend and co-worker of our brother-in-law, proved to be an invaluable asset as a coach and in the end a good friend as well. We learned so much about the technical aspects of training, both physically and mentally, that I would highly recommend other ambitious multi-sport athletes to seek the help of a coach. If you live in the North Texas area, David would be a good place to start.

On to the Race:

The Swim:
1.2 mi
Time: 45:50

The swim was a saltwater swim in the Offats Bayou and proved to be a bit daunting. Having never swum in saltwater aside from the romps I took as a kid at the beach, we opted for a short practice swim the day before. Being an early season, race the water temperature was cold enough to make wetsuits legal and we found out quickly the advantage wetsuits give you in salt water-you are buoyant you don't have to tread water!

The practice swim was a great warm-up for race day but still nothing can really prepare you for the onslaught that is a mass open water swim start. My wave was the second to last and as I lined up with the other women I was amazed at how similar we all looked; we were just a sea of black tight suits and pink caps. The swim start was actually about 50 yards away from the entry point so we all made our way to the two starter buoys after entering the chilly water which I'm told was about 64°. I was feeling remarkable confident and made my way to the front of the pack. Light jokes were made between strangers and we all laughed with one another. Little did I know they were all trying to lower my guard.

I'm still relatively calm even as the race announcer starts counting down from 5 for our start. The blow horn goes off, I start the timer on my watch, and I dive in and go. Immediately a barrage of arms, legs and what I can only assume are the Gladiator Q-tips start beating me down. I'm hit in the face and nose a number of times and worry I'll come out with a black eye or bloody nose. If you don't think swimmers are tough, you haven't tried your hand at these race starts. I finally make my way to the outskirts of the wave and settle in for my haul. Looking ahead, I see only a long line of red buoys with the heaven-sent triangular buoy, which marks a turn, seeming to be miles away. I devise a plan to just swim buoy to buoy and not worry about the vast span of open water in between me and the swim finish. Though my time was slower than I would have liked, my plan worked and I remained calm and collected throughout the entire swim. I exit the water feeling refreshed and accomplished. “I did it" I tell myself. One of my biggest mental challenges is behind me.

Yet the best part of the swim is what comes immediately afterward. I’m not talking about the crowds screaming and clanking cow-bells to mark your arrival and accomplishment. No what takes the cake are the STRIPPERS! And you thought triathletes were all work and no fun. Wrong-just before the transition area are a suite of well trained race volunteers who will rid you of the extra skin that is your wetsuit. All you need to do is strip yourself down to the waist, flop down in front of them and assume the position. They handle the rest.

The Bike:

56 miles;
3:29:33;
average: 15.6 mph

The ride was one of my highlights of the race. Fifty-six miles on a one and a half loop course with some amazing views of the coast. Though the beach and ocean were a beautiful sight, they were muted slightly by the still ever present destruction from Hurricane Ike. There were plenty of beach houses under construction and every few miles there were billboards, both professional and homemade from scrap wood, for various restoration construction services. One house in particular that stuck out on my ride was one where the entire back was removed, making it much like doll house you could peer into. Everything was still there; the disheveled bed, open dressers, a TV. I had assumed before I came to Galveston that the destruction would have been cleaned up by now, but what I realized is that many people probably could not afford to rebuild, or maybe, as I would like to think, they realized that the beach is probably not the best place to build a house.

Still one thing I should mention about the ride is that there were exactly 5 turns on the way out and 5 turns on the way back. The majority of the ride was spent on the long stretch of 3005. As we drove the course the day before, we noticed that the course is so straight that all you see is miles and miles ahead of you and a straight line of countless telephone poles that curve slightly with the road. Oddly enough, the redundancy of the route didn’t bother me. In fact, this was the longest straight-away I’ve ever ridden so I stayed in aerobars the majority of the time. Having very few turns and being in the most aerodynamic position for the majority of the time allowed me to get and keep my average mph up, however I learned there are unexpected advantages to the very different ever-changing terrain in which we trained. At home, I rarely stay in the same gear long. The rise and fall of the road require that I constantly adjust my gears for optimal pedaling power. What I didn’t realize or appreciate about my local training routes, is that the frequent changes in slope and thus my speed elicit the work of a variety of my leg muscles, with no one set of muscles or single muscle taking the brute force of the entire session. However, with the long straight-aways at the HIM, the majority of my ride was powered by my quads, which though it left the other parts of my legs refreshed, brought on a new type of fatigue I had not experienced in previous training rides. Despite this, I originally thought I was going to take nearly four hours to complete the route and I came just under 3:30' so I was stoked that I flew this fast. This stellar time was yet another highlight of my overall race.

The Run

13.1 miles
2:26:56
11:13 min/mile

At the very tail end of the ride the slight breeze that dusted me with sand and gnats picked up and hit me like a wall. For the last mile or so of my ride I struggled to keep my average mph up to 9 or 10. As I dismounted my bike I knew I was in for a treat on the run with the kick up in the wind. Luckily there were only a select few portions of the run course that battered me with this force. Unfortunately, this run course was a four loop course and as time went on my fatigue grew, the wind only seemed to grow stronger.

However, like so many training session, the wind doesn't dampen my spirits and I honestly had a great time on the run. The four loop design of the run course was pleasant and scattered with a variety of musicians, my favorite of which was the steel drum player at the top a slight hill, right before the portion of the run that followed along the paved path next to beach. I also enjoyed the humorous quotes and signs posted along one stretch of the run. My favorite signs read: “If love is blind, why is lingerie so expensive”, “Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets” and “If you’re going through hell, keep going”. But the best part of the run came at the end of each lap, where David was there to cheer me on. Then at the end of lap 3 Patrick was there with David and I was getting really excited to end the race and celebrate with them. Finally lap 4 came around and as I approached David near the tail end of the loop, he told me Patrick was at the end waiting for me; just as I expected. I finished the final lap; completing my first 70.3 and as I crossed the finish line, shortly thereafter was my biggest fan waiting for me. I feel into his arms, more out of exhaustion than due to a need for a bit of romance. We held one another and I knew we were both tearing up. It was a tender sweet moment, one that I will hold as one of the best memories of my first 70.3 experience.





After all was said and done, I must say this was one of my best experiences yet; by far one of the best races. Though I'm not adequately trained now for my upcoming Ironman (IM) race in St. George, Utah on May 1, 2010, I'm certain my coach David can get me ready. But what is equally important for a full length IM is the desire and mental strength to complete the race. After such an amazing experience that spanned 70.3 miles, I can honestly say I'm really excited to try my hand at the full 140.6.