The Swim: "So, I went to a fight and a swim broke out."
Goal: Don't die in the washing machine. Swim ~1 hr 20 min - a steady, easy pace for me.
This was crazy. I didn't get to swim really until about a half mile in, at the 2nd buoy. There were just people EVERYWHERE. It wasn't horrible contact-wise (although I did get my goggles rearranged once and did have a girl latch onto my shoulder to push herself by), but there was just no room to actually swim my own pace. The first buoy was so bad that I literally sat up, treading water, and had a nice conversation with the lady next to me about why everyone was mooing (yes, I moo'd too), how it sounded like they were booing, and how booing would really be more appropriate since everyone was in the way! After the second buoy it cleared out though, and I was able to find clear pockets for a bit at a time. Had quite a few people swim across my path, but I just went around them. Stopped to check my watch after the first lap (I know, I know) and was at 41:20 (about a 2:04 pace). 2nd lap was 44:40 (about a 2:00 - math issue: 2nd lap was longer because the swim into shore) pace. Pulled up to the ramp and was just getting out of the water and I heard Mike say "Joshua Felt, from Madison" or something like that. Really, all I heard was "Joshua Felt" and thought, "*(&(*%&!!!! How is he ahead of me? WHAT THE JUNK?!??!" I was planning on beating him by a good 5 to 10 minutes. Of course, official results show that he beat me out of the water by 2 seconds. Son of a gun. This was a slow swim for me. I'm not good, but I shouldn't be this slow either.
Lap 1: 41:20, 155 HR (2:04/100y); Lap 2: 44:40, 149 HR (2:00/100y)
77/110 AG, 1:26:04, 2:16/100m
T1:
Had trouble getting my wetsuit over my watch for some reason, but the nice stripper lady grabbed it for me, then told me to lay down and ripped the whole wetsuit off in a jiffy. First time I'd used a wetsuit stripper, it was pretty nice!! Then I got to jog up the helix with Josh, which, although I was still a little peeved, I have to admit was nice. Had a volunteer all to myself in transition - this was also sort of nice, especially when she cleaned up all my junk for me and put it back in the bag, but flustered me a bit because I wasn't really prepared to have someone help me and didn't really know what to tell her right away about what I wanted or needed first. Anyway, downed a Gu and was off.
9:56
The Bike: "In which my kidneys decide to mutiny."
Goal: Go out easy. Keep the HR down. Save something for the run. Bike ~7:15:00 - steady, easy pace.
It was so, so, SO hard not to push it on the stem. I was getting chick'd, fatty'd, geezer'd, and fatty chick geezer'd. I kept checking my heart rate hoping it had gone down below 150 so I could go faster. Nope. Finally got to Verona and just said screw it. I don't really know exactly what my HR should be anyway (my zones are just estimates based off what I usually hit in training, never done an official test). So I just kept it feeling easy, and glanced at the HR occasionally just out of curiosity.
I hit my nutrition spot on the whole way - 10 oz Perform and 10 oz water an hour + 2/3 Clif Bar and 1 Thermolyte an hour. Not a ton of calories (225) but I'm not that big of a girl.
Felt great until Hwy 92, and then suddenly I had to pee like CRAZY. Now, I have never pee'd on my bike, and I think it is absolutely disgusting to pee on yourself. (I will admit I have done it once, but that was during a long run in a downpour/thunderstorm, and was really only in the spirit of science and experimentation. Plus I was already soaked, and was quickly washed thoroughly by the rain). Also, I do not particularly want to be urine-soaked for 6+ hours. So I stopped at the port-o-pot in Mt. Horeb. Beautiful release. Next up, the rollers into Cross Plains - one of my favorite sections of the course. And then the port-o-pot in Cross Plains. Seriously? I was only drinking about 20 oz of liquid an hour. But that was only two in what ended up being SIX stops on the bike course. Ridiculous. I kept drinking the 20 oz an hour, because I didn't want to get dehydrated, but looking back maybe I should have slowed up a bit on the fluid.
Other than that, the ride was lots of fun. The support on the hills was great (this is my other favorite part of the course - I love pushing these and spinning past everyone). G and 92 were boring of course, but what can you do. Saw my family with some hilarious signs on the 2nd loop (Sign 1: "Felt" like doing an Ironman. Sign 2: "Felt" tired, thirsty, hungry. [Yes! This one!] Sign 3: "Felt" amazing at the finish line!) This time around the hills were really fun, because I was still feeling great but lots of people were walking their bikes up the hills. I really felt absolutely fine until about mile 105, and then it was just the balls of my feet and my crotch that were aching.
40mi, 2:26:14, 155 HR, 16.40 mph; 43mi, 2:41:53, 151 HR, 15.94 mph; 29mi, 1:51:52, 147 HR, 15.55 mph
58/110 AG, 6:59:59, 16.0 mph
T2:
Ran in, grabbed my bag from the volunteer and shouted "You guys are amazing!" and promptly started tearing up. I am such a crier, and it makes me mad. Didn't have a volunteer helping me this time, which I think I preferred, except that I had to pack up my own bag and dump it in the corner with the rest. Got sunblocked real quick (thank you volunteer for reminding me about my face!) and on my way.
5:36
Run: "Ah, ibuprofen."
Goal: Don't die. Just don't die. Run ~4:50:00, which is almost TOO easy of a pace, but what Daniel's tables (plus some b/c its a tri) say I should do.
The run started out just fine. I was keeping cool with sponges on my shoulders and ice down my bra. Nutrition was just Perform and water and whatever random food I wanted to eat. Originally, I was going to take a Gu every hour, but I didn't want to carry them and really don't like the taste of the PowerGels they had on course. Ate a few bananas and grapes on the first part, then the grapes got too sweet. The berry Perform was a welcome relief after that nasty lemon stuff on the bike. Had to stop to pee AGAIN!! (and then AGAIN later!) What in the world.
Just jogging along, I was feeling great until about mile 10, then I realized that my quads and IT bands were just ACHING. This is most likely due to my poor running form and the really freaking slow pace I was trying to stay under. My sole goal became to make it to my special needs bag and my ibuprofen. I kept hearing people yell my name (and I knew it was people I knew, because they were saying "Jacque" instead of the "Jacquelyn" on my bib), but I never could spot them when I turned around. Saw my family and some good friends right before and at the beginning of the Capitol Square, which was nice. FINALLY got to my special needs bag, nearly had a heart attack because I couldn't find my ibuprofen right away, but managed to locate it under my long sleeve. Then it was back out again. I honestly didn't even mind the turn around because I was so focused on getting that ibuprofen in me!! This time around I was really glad to get away from the crowds and just be on my own. I was hurting, and the encouragement was making me tear up, and it was just a waste of energy. I eventually started feeling better around mile 18 or so. It got dark, and the chicken broth appeared. I had been told that it would be the best thing I had ever tasted - so I tried it - and IT WAS!! Oh, it was money. Then someone offered me a cookie, and I discovered the most delicious combination on the planet Earth. Chocolate chips + chicken broth. Heaven.
I think at this point, I wasn't hurting that much (although its hard to remember), the run was just floating by really quickly. I wasn't thinking about pace at all, just sort of moving along. The thing I was thinking about was how I wanted to not walk at all (other than the aid stations but that doesn't count!) Now, I am NOT a runner (this is my running career in a nutshell: Spring 2009 - couch to half marathon. Summer/Fall 2009 - absolutely zero running, not even a mile. 2010 - train for an Ironman. Yeah, I'm not really the smartest...). But in my first half iron, I ran my first ever half marathon without walking, except the aid stations, and then in my second half iron, I only walked TWO aid stations, that's it! This made me ridiculously proud and weepy. Especially the first one. So I really, really wanted to do it again.
About mile 18 or so, I started passing people I knew, and this was really gratifying. Its one thing to pass a million walkers who I don't know from Adam, it is something entirely different to pass someone who I have trained with and who I know has done IM before. Huge. I finally got off the Lakeshore Path and into the last few miles. But my legs were starting to hurt again at this point. And, well, I let myself walk up a hill at mile 23. And then walked up another one about a mile later. Not cool. I just don't have the mental fortitude that I should. But, I did notice a girl running near me who also kept walking. She was in my age group. And I thought back to my first tri - back in June - and how I was ecstatic to come in top 10 in my age group, only to see updated results the next day that bumped me down to 11. I HATED losing that spot. So, buh-bye girl in my age group who is walking - I. Am. Not. And I passed her and never saw her again. Ha.
I did walk a section of the last bit of a hill around the Capitol, but wow, you sure get an energy boost coming down that shoot! I was searching for my family, and finally saw my dad right before the finish line. Reached out to give him a high five and he almost knocked me back a few feet! But I loved the look on his face - I think he was as excited and proud as I was. And then, I crossed that line, and well, Jacque Felt, you are an Ironman!!! :D
6.35mi, 1:08:33, 10:47; 6.65mi, 1:21:39, 12:16; 6.23mi, 1:14:19, 11:55; 6.97mi, 1:21:11, 11:56
Mile 1: 9:40, 164 HR; 2: 10:37, 163 HR; 3: 11:14, 161 HR; 4: 11:21, 161 HR; 5: 10:59, 161 HR; 6: 10:56, 163 HR; 7: 10:55, 163 HR; 8: 13:46, 154 HR (bathroom); 9-10: 24:37, 156 HR; 11: 11:27, 151 HR; 12-13: 23:30, 157 HR; 14: 12:17, 154 HR; 15: 12:20, 155 HR; 16: 12:22, 156 HR; 17: 11:45, 159 HR; 18: 11:54, 157 HR; 19: 12:15, 155 HR (bathroom); 20-21: 23:43, 154 HR; 22: 12:57, 150 HR; 23: 12:34, 151 HR; 24: 11:42, 153 HR; 25: 12:14, 151 HR; 26.2: 12:26, 153 HR (10:21)
49/110 AG, 5:07:43, 11:45/mile
TOTAL: 13:49:17, 50/110 AG, 1500/2500 starters, 2398 finishers
So, what next? Of course, a week later, I am DYING to do another one (ha, not what I was feeling the day after!) Probably not for a few years though, due to time and money constraints. Next year, though, I still want to do half irons as well as try some Xterras, and I want to get FAST. Being my first season this year, I just sort of took every race as it came, because I didn't know what to expect, pace wise. Now that I sort of have an idea, I want to learn how to push it. :)
-----
"Alice laughed. `There's no use trying,' she said 'one can't believe impossible things.' `I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. `When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!'"
Goal: Don't die in the washing machine. Swim ~1 hr 20 min - a steady, easy pace for me.
This was crazy. I didn't get to swim really until about a half mile in, at the 2nd buoy. There were just people EVERYWHERE. It wasn't horrible contact-wise (although I did get my goggles rearranged once and did have a girl latch onto my shoulder to push herself by), but there was just no room to actually swim my own pace. The first buoy was so bad that I literally sat up, treading water, and had a nice conversation with the lady next to me about why everyone was mooing (yes, I moo'd too), how it sounded like they were booing, and how booing would really be more appropriate since everyone was in the way! After the second buoy it cleared out though, and I was able to find clear pockets for a bit at a time. Had quite a few people swim across my path, but I just went around them. Stopped to check my watch after the first lap (I know, I know) and was at 41:20 (about a 2:04 pace). 2nd lap was 44:40 (about a 2:00 - math issue: 2nd lap was longer because the swim into shore) pace. Pulled up to the ramp and was just getting out of the water and I heard Mike say "Joshua Felt, from Madison" or something like that. Really, all I heard was "Joshua Felt" and thought, "*(&(*%&!!!! How is he ahead of me? WHAT THE JUNK?!??!" I was planning on beating him by a good 5 to 10 minutes. Of course, official results show that he beat me out of the water by 2 seconds. Son of a gun. This was a slow swim for me. I'm not good, but I shouldn't be this slow either.
Lap 1: 41:20, 155 HR (2:04/100y); Lap 2: 44:40, 149 HR (2:00/100y)
77/110 AG, 1:26:04, 2:16/100m
T1:
Had trouble getting my wetsuit over my watch for some reason, but the nice stripper lady grabbed it for me, then told me to lay down and ripped the whole wetsuit off in a jiffy. First time I'd used a wetsuit stripper, it was pretty nice!! Then I got to jog up the helix with Josh, which, although I was still a little peeved, I have to admit was nice. Had a volunteer all to myself in transition - this was also sort of nice, especially when she cleaned up all my junk for me and put it back in the bag, but flustered me a bit because I wasn't really prepared to have someone help me and didn't really know what to tell her right away about what I wanted or needed first. Anyway, downed a Gu and was off.
9:56
The Bike: "In which my kidneys decide to mutiny."
Goal: Go out easy. Keep the HR down. Save something for the run. Bike ~7:15:00 - steady, easy pace.
It was so, so, SO hard not to push it on the stem. I was getting chick'd, fatty'd, geezer'd, and fatty chick geezer'd. I kept checking my heart rate hoping it had gone down below 150 so I could go faster. Nope. Finally got to Verona and just said screw it. I don't really know exactly what my HR should be anyway (my zones are just estimates based off what I usually hit in training, never done an official test). So I just kept it feeling easy, and glanced at the HR occasionally just out of curiosity.
I hit my nutrition spot on the whole way - 10 oz Perform and 10 oz water an hour + 2/3 Clif Bar and 1 Thermolyte an hour. Not a ton of calories (225) but I'm not that big of a girl.
Felt great until Hwy 92, and then suddenly I had to pee like CRAZY. Now, I have never pee'd on my bike, and I think it is absolutely disgusting to pee on yourself. (I will admit I have done it once, but that was during a long run in a downpour/thunderstorm, and was really only in the spirit of science and experimentation. Plus I was already soaked, and was quickly washed thoroughly by the rain). Also, I do not particularly want to be urine-soaked for 6+ hours. So I stopped at the port-o-pot in Mt. Horeb. Beautiful release. Next up, the rollers into Cross Plains - one of my favorite sections of the course. And then the port-o-pot in Cross Plains. Seriously? I was only drinking about 20 oz of liquid an hour. But that was only two in what ended up being SIX stops on the bike course. Ridiculous. I kept drinking the 20 oz an hour, because I didn't want to get dehydrated, but looking back maybe I should have slowed up a bit on the fluid.
Other than that, the ride was lots of fun. The support on the hills was great (this is my other favorite part of the course - I love pushing these and spinning past everyone). G and 92 were boring of course, but what can you do. Saw my family with some hilarious signs on the 2nd loop (Sign 1: "Felt" like doing an Ironman. Sign 2: "Felt" tired, thirsty, hungry. [Yes! This one!] Sign 3: "Felt" amazing at the finish line!) This time around the hills were really fun, because I was still feeling great but lots of people were walking their bikes up the hills. I really felt absolutely fine until about mile 105, and then it was just the balls of my feet and my crotch that were aching.
40mi, 2:26:14, 155 HR, 16.40 mph; 43mi, 2:41:53, 151 HR, 15.94 mph; 29mi, 1:51:52, 147 HR, 15.55 mph
58/110 AG, 6:59:59, 16.0 mph
T2:
Ran in, grabbed my bag from the volunteer and shouted "You guys are amazing!" and promptly started tearing up. I am such a crier, and it makes me mad. Didn't have a volunteer helping me this time, which I think I preferred, except that I had to pack up my own bag and dump it in the corner with the rest. Got sunblocked real quick (thank you volunteer for reminding me about my face!) and on my way.
5:36
Run: "Ah, ibuprofen."
Goal: Don't die. Just don't die. Run ~4:50:00, which is almost TOO easy of a pace, but what Daniel's tables (plus some b/c its a tri) say I should do.
The run started out just fine. I was keeping cool with sponges on my shoulders and ice down my bra. Nutrition was just Perform and water and whatever random food I wanted to eat. Originally, I was going to take a Gu every hour, but I didn't want to carry them and really don't like the taste of the PowerGels they had on course. Ate a few bananas and grapes on the first part, then the grapes got too sweet. The berry Perform was a welcome relief after that nasty lemon stuff on the bike. Had to stop to pee AGAIN!! (and then AGAIN later!) What in the world.
Just jogging along, I was feeling great until about mile 10, then I realized that my quads and IT bands were just ACHING. This is most likely due to my poor running form and the really freaking slow pace I was trying to stay under. My sole goal became to make it to my special needs bag and my ibuprofen. I kept hearing people yell my name (and I knew it was people I knew, because they were saying "Jacque" instead of the "Jacquelyn" on my bib), but I never could spot them when I turned around. Saw my family and some good friends right before and at the beginning of the Capitol Square, which was nice. FINALLY got to my special needs bag, nearly had a heart attack because I couldn't find my ibuprofen right away, but managed to locate it under my long sleeve. Then it was back out again. I honestly didn't even mind the turn around because I was so focused on getting that ibuprofen in me!! This time around I was really glad to get away from the crowds and just be on my own. I was hurting, and the encouragement was making me tear up, and it was just a waste of energy. I eventually started feeling better around mile 18 or so. It got dark, and the chicken broth appeared. I had been told that it would be the best thing I had ever tasted - so I tried it - and IT WAS!! Oh, it was money. Then someone offered me a cookie, and I discovered the most delicious combination on the planet Earth. Chocolate chips + chicken broth. Heaven.
I think at this point, I wasn't hurting that much (although its hard to remember), the run was just floating by really quickly. I wasn't thinking about pace at all, just sort of moving along. The thing I was thinking about was how I wanted to not walk at all (other than the aid stations but that doesn't count!) Now, I am NOT a runner (this is my running career in a nutshell: Spring 2009 - couch to half marathon. Summer/Fall 2009 - absolutely zero running, not even a mile. 2010 - train for an Ironman. Yeah, I'm not really the smartest...). But in my first half iron, I ran my first ever half marathon without walking, except the aid stations, and then in my second half iron, I only walked TWO aid stations, that's it! This made me ridiculously proud and weepy. Especially the first one. So I really, really wanted to do it again.
About mile 18 or so, I started passing people I knew, and this was really gratifying. Its one thing to pass a million walkers who I don't know from Adam, it is something entirely different to pass someone who I have trained with and who I know has done IM before. Huge. I finally got off the Lakeshore Path and into the last few miles. But my legs were starting to hurt again at this point. And, well, I let myself walk up a hill at mile 23. And then walked up another one about a mile later. Not cool. I just don't have the mental fortitude that I should. But, I did notice a girl running near me who also kept walking. She was in my age group. And I thought back to my first tri - back in June - and how I was ecstatic to come in top 10 in my age group, only to see updated results the next day that bumped me down to 11. I HATED losing that spot. So, buh-bye girl in my age group who is walking - I. Am. Not. And I passed her and never saw her again. Ha.
I did walk a section of the last bit of a hill around the Capitol, but wow, you sure get an energy boost coming down that shoot! I was searching for my family, and finally saw my dad right before the finish line. Reached out to give him a high five and he almost knocked me back a few feet! But I loved the look on his face - I think he was as excited and proud as I was. And then, I crossed that line, and well, Jacque Felt, you are an Ironman!!! :D
6.35mi, 1:08:33, 10:47; 6.65mi, 1:21:39, 12:16; 6.23mi, 1:14:19, 11:55; 6.97mi, 1:21:11, 11:56
Mile 1: 9:40, 164 HR; 2: 10:37, 163 HR; 3: 11:14, 161 HR; 4: 11:21, 161 HR; 5: 10:59, 161 HR; 6: 10:56, 163 HR; 7: 10:55, 163 HR; 8: 13:46, 154 HR (bathroom); 9-10: 24:37, 156 HR; 11: 11:27, 151 HR; 12-13: 23:30, 157 HR; 14: 12:17, 154 HR; 15: 12:20, 155 HR; 16: 12:22, 156 HR; 17: 11:45, 159 HR; 18: 11:54, 157 HR; 19: 12:15, 155 HR (bathroom); 20-21: 23:43, 154 HR; 22: 12:57, 150 HR; 23: 12:34, 151 HR; 24: 11:42, 153 HR; 25: 12:14, 151 HR; 26.2: 12:26, 153 HR (10:21)
49/110 AG, 5:07:43, 11:45/mile
TOTAL: 13:49:17, 50/110 AG, 1500/2500 starters, 2398 finishers
So, what next? Of course, a week later, I am DYING to do another one (ha, not what I was feeling the day after!) Probably not for a few years though, due to time and money constraints. Next year, though, I still want to do half irons as well as try some Xterras, and I want to get FAST. Being my first season this year, I just sort of took every race as it came, because I didn't know what to expect, pace wise. Now that I sort of have an idea, I want to learn how to push it. :)
-----
"Alice laughed. `There's no use trying,' she said 'one can't believe impossible things.' `I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. `When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!'"
Last edited by:
FeltLikeTriing: Sep 19, 10 20:18