My wife sent a PM race report to Tribodyboarder. It was her first 70.3 so decided to post it.
Hi Jay,
Thanks! At least I finished. It was a hot day ~ 90 while I was suppose to be running. My time was 8:08:56. I have lots of room for improvement on each leg and transitions! The swim in the river was the easiest open water swim I’ve ever done. The water was calm and warm, no waves. The river is narrow and shallow so it was easy to sight, stay on track and you could stand up and walk if you needed a break. All those conditions helped me feel more comfortable. We went for a practice swim on Friday so that helped also.
The bike ride was very technical at least for me. Lots of rolling hills through the vineyards. The roads were twisty and turny, up and down and lots of traffic sharing the road. Cars were going very fast and were way too close for me. A truck pulling a boat on a trailer going 60 MPH almost blew me over! It made me very nervous so I wasn’t in the aero position as much as I should have been. I was holding on trying to be stable. Riding more hills during training would have helped me physically and would have helped me know which gear to be in at the right time. Something to work on. The intersections of the roads were well supported by race management and the police so getting lost or dealing with traffic was not an issue. The road conditions were pretty good but there were areas where the pavement was rough so you had to be careful. Also, the trees along the road provided some shade but it made it difficult to see popping in and out of the sun. So I was cautious to say the least!
The run was a real challenge for me. I drank a lot of liquids, water and Gatorade, on the bike and ate the gels but I think I was still dehydrated. The race provided liquids, food, and sprays of water to cool people down. Of course that helped but I think most people were probably dehydrated. I’ve been having a lot of pain in my hips during training to the point that it is uncomfortable to sit. Ouch! I think the dehydration intensified my condition to the point I had to walk to relieve the pain and stretch out. I got really tight. My legs didn’t want to move. Walk a lot, run a little got me to the finish line. There are some hills on the run that I should have prepared better for also. All in all, the race was well managed and the course was beautiful. The next day, the temperature dropped twenty degrees. It would have been a different race if it was on Sunday. I felt sorry for the Ironmen on the course. They really had a lot to endure. Even though they were just as miserable, they had encouraging things to say. I was impressed with their strength and attitude. They were awesome!
Despite the hip and back pain I’m still feeling, I felt pretty good on Sunday. I’ve felt worse after multiple days of training than I did after the event. Doing all three legs on the same day was unimaginable a year ago. Now at least I know I can get the job done. I have plenty to work on for the next one. A work in progress!
Bob just went to the beach to check out the surf. He may actually get his board out and go surfing. Tri training has stifled his surfing. Too many things to do and so little time!
Bob is doing the sprint at Camp P this Saturday. Are you?
Have a great day!
Stacy
