Great Illini Half Iron RR

The best thing about finished a half-ironman is I feel absolutely no guilt eating the following (which I have eaten in the past 24 hours): taco bell, a fudge round, cheetos, and a good waffle for breakfast this morning.

I had a great time this weekend, especially hanging with the girls. Deb, Lisa, and I shared a hotel room together and mainly complained about how we are gaining weight with IM training...with cookies in our mouths. We just don't understand. :) (Leslie was in on this too- I know she understands!)

On to the race-
We get there just one hour before the race- NOT ENOUGH TIME. Not enough at all. From now on I will be there the minute transition opens. The siren rang for the swim start and I didn't even have my wet suit on. So, I started the race forgetting to do a million things, including putting on sunscreen and body glide. No stretching or warming up for me. Nope! No pre-race bathroom break. At least I remembered to get my chip, which I almost forgot as well.

Swim: Deb asks me if I am nervous and I have not even thought about it...we are running so late we didn't even have time to line up. I was way on the outside and I always start on the inside. Oh well! Here we go! The swim was truly uneventful. I drafted when I could, but I get so annoyed when people swim all over the place. It was an easy course to sight and stay on track, I thought. So, I am still learning how to draft and I swam mostly on my own. I did see Deb about 1/2 of the way through the swim and swam near her to the finish since we are the same pace. I had the funniest thought as we were running up to the mat- I was just right behind her and I thought about passing her at the mat just for giggles so my time would be a second faster than hers. Ha ha! But, then I thought that may be really annoying. I love that I started the race with such a good sense of humor, though. I passed the mat at 34:23.

T1: I know you are not supposed to talk in T1, but Deb and I were right there together. "How was your swim? Can you do that for Florida? etc..." I said, "The swim was good but I will probably slow down for Florida. What are you wearing on the bike, blah blah?" Okay- so we get our stuff on and Deb gets out of transition probably 20 sec or so faster than me because I decide I do want arm warmers and my long socks (I normally don't wear socks). It was not cool at the race but it was windy. My friends know I get cold very easily, so better to have some coverage that I can take off. Okay- out on the course- bathing suit, compression socks, and arm warmers. What a sight!

Bike: Corn fields!!!! This is seriously the entire scenery!

I thought of Mel the whole time- I mean there is nothing but corn fields! I started off slow- that is my MO. Not as slow as I did at Rock N Roll half, but slow none-the- less. A girl passes me in a red tank top. I was pretty sure I would pass her again- and I did at mile 10. I love my decisions to start slower- I think they really pay off in the longer races.

I don't know what to say about the bike. It was harder than Rock N Roll, even though technically the course was easier on paper. I didn't feel as good. My back was killing me from mile 15 on (I have a brand new seat and need a new fitting I am sure). I took 3 tylenol or so on the bike, and I am sure that is not healthy but my back and left hamstring were in a lot of pain.

The course was not as flat as people led me to believe. It was not hilly, but mmm...not completely flat either. It was windy the whole time- think drafty fields with no blockage. I was prepared for this as I had been warned- but it doesn't make it easier. Riding in the wind feels like riding on a false flat the whole time without getting a downhill or break. I was a little annoyed because I know my riding is way better now- I thought I would kill the course. When I realized it was not my day I tried to stay steady and make the most of it and make sure I had some reserves for the run. There were about 6 out and backs which was really annoying, but I saw that Deb was staying the same 1 minute ahead of me so I wasn't losing time on the field. Later Deb said she thought the ride was harder than expected also- just hard to get a rhythm and get rolling with the wind. Finish time 2:49. Hmmm, I just expected to be faster. But, oh well...I let go of that- time to run!

T2: I see Deb leaving transition so I know she is still a minute ahead maybe. I put on sunscreen finally, but it is too late. Better to have something than nothing though! Here I go! oh, and I forgot body glide again- shoot! This is hurting me today.

Run: This may have been the best part of the day for me. I wasn't fast, but my first and second half were almost completely even splits which means I have some strength. Plus, this race had the nicest competitors- I am not kidding. I can't tell you how many people said good job to me as I was running. Everyone was completely awesome and supportive. I got passed by a girl at mile 1 that was moving, but she was clearly going to either be a better runner than I OR she was going to die at the end. Turned out she was a much stronger runner so I am glad I did not burn my remaining matches trying to keep up. And, of course we talked for a moment and cheered each other on every chance we saw each other. I did not get passed by any other females.

The course was an out an back- and then you had to do that again. It was a pretty miserable course in that regard. And, you guessed it- running in corn fields! NO shade- not a single bit. It was dern hot by the end of the run, but I fortunately did not have any body breakdowns this time around. I had salt all over my body, but I kept up with the electrolytes. The only bad part about the out and back is that by the second loop, I couldn't tell which girls were on their first or second loops.

I am sorry to say that I peed behind a bush in someone's yard. I did not pee on myself. I had new shoes on and did not want pee shoes for ironman. I apologize for the disappointment and promise to make up for it in Florida.

At the 2nd turn around- mile 7ish- I saw Deb was pretty close to me. She yelled to me that she was struggling and I told her to get some nutrition asap. I think I got up to her around mile 8-9 and we talked through it. You know how hard those last couple of miles can be when you feel bad or your body is not responding. She was having some hamstring trouble. We ran together for about a mile and talked out some strategy for her. About mile 10-11ish I ran in front and went ahead to the finish. Run time 1:50. Not a fast half marathon by any means, but it was a very steady one for me. No bonking or slowing down. I am getting much better at the nutrition part of these races too.

Total Time 5:17. So, I did PR by about 23 minutes. I think this was the result of experience and a little more confidence. Every event was a little faster, and you know, the more you race the better you know your body and your ability to push it.


<-Deb and I post race. I hesitate to post this picture. Deb said her family teases that she has developed man legs, so Deb's new nickname in Man Legs. However, by the looks of this picture, I am the one with man legs, or thunder thighs, or whatever you want to call them. Dave started laughing when he saw the picture- thanks hubby- what a confidence booster. He tried to make it better by saying they were soccer legs. But, let's be honest. They are cookie legs. Not sexy at all. But, I guess if I were to post only good angle pictures of me I wouldn't have enough pictures to post. I had a great time with the girls (Lisa and Deb) and my team Thunder had 12 people racing this event. So, it was a fantastic and enjoyable weekend. I'll post some race pics soon. Thanks for all of the well wishes, and I am happy to have survived another step in the IM journey. Now I guess I have at least 6 butt kicking weeks ahead of me.