Tuesday. April 14th.
I went to Tribellas in Denver to leave my bike with Wes from Pro Bike Express. It was my first time racing a tri out of state, and the thought of boxing my bike was giving me a lot of anxiety so I was glad Wes was traveling. Nova (my bike) went out to New Orleans in style, fully assembled! And for extra comfort, he also took my transition bag, so I didn't have to carry any heavy gear and bulky items with me. A total win in my book. Plus, can you imagine dealing with TSA asking me about the white powder in the small ziplock bags (my Infinit nutrition for the race)?, best to avoid all the hassle when you have the "taper crazies" hehe.
Thursday. April 16th.
After hearing about torrential rain and the possibility of floods, etc. all week, and having two meltdowns about little things, and leaving my dog at home while I was in tears; I head out to New Orleans, and of course, in typical Denver fashion, the weather took a crap there too and I left the airport while it was snowing (so much fun to wait for your plane to be de-iced. Not).
Long, uneventful flight and I arrive in NoLa. No rain in sight.. Whew!
My cousin, who was racing as well, took me near the area where we would be running, which has a spot people use for a warmup swim. There was no rain so we stopped and checked the water temperature. It was surprisingly warm, and I felt good omens coming my way!
Friday. April 17th.
With the ever changing weather and weather predictions, we decided it was best to go to New Orleans early (I was staying in Covington) for the race briefing and to get our race packets. The sunshine was abundant and once again, I felt we could have a dry day... My biggest concern here was riding in rain, since that meant (for me) no speed at all since rain in wheels terrifies me.
We got to the race briefing and the race director gave us the news, bike check in was optional on Saturday afternoon instead of the regular mandatory check in; and another concern, the amount of bacteria in the water since the torrential rains had lasted for over a week and we weren't really in the clear as more rain was projected everywhere.. What a mess! My only thought was, I didn't come to NoLa to race 69.1 miles.. I came down for 70.3! The results would come in the afternoon, and they would post on the website about it.
Got our packets and of course, the "mandatory" IM New Orleans 70.3 gear...it's not every day you race out of state, and every big race needs to be celebrated somehow!
After leaving the expo, we stopped by the transition area since Wes would be parked there with his trailer and all our bikes. I said hi and mentioned the voluntary bike check in to which he immediately said that in that case, we needed not to worry as he would be ready at 2am on Sunday then, if we wanted to leave the bikes inside the trailer until then instead of hauling them around. SO AWESOME! Talk about VIP service!
I mentioned I needed to do a quick brick on Saturday and I would come back for a quick 10min ride to check gears on the bike etc. (even though Nova had a pre-race tune up and was ready to go). I grabbed my transition bag but left my bike and we left.
I left my sunglasses somewhere around the expo, arghhhh freak out moment... I didn't have a spare and of course, there was no way I was going to ride and run without sunglasses.
Around 8pm, I went to the store to get a new pair... Crisis adverted!
Saturday. April 18th.
Woke up around 2am, like every night. Tossed around a bit and back to sleep until 6am. Raining... Checked emails and Facebook for a minute and fell back asleep until 8:30am... Still raining and so dark..
After breakfast and coffee, which I found out was decaf (gasp) we went to NoLa for our brick, grabbed my wetsuit and change of clothes. Rain meant only a quick swim and run, no riding the bike in the rain.. No way! Not unless it was necessary..
We got to the swim practice area and it was still raining. There were some other people getting out of the water, and they mentioned the water was great. It sure was!! I got in, and like fish in water, immediately felt super comfy and swam about 350 meters. The water was so warm I didn't want to get out but.. I would have more of that later, so I did a quick transition and headed out for a quick .6 mile run. I didn't want to do more than a quick shakeout to make sure all systems were good to go. Humidity didn't seem to bother me, which was another good sign! By the time I was done with the quick swim and run it had stopped raining and the concrete was wet but not soaked.
Since we were so close to transition, we stopped by the Pro Bike Express trailer, but since I didn't have my helmet, I (once again) just said hi to Nova. Wes said he would be there at 2am, so I could get my bike at any time on race day. Got to see Katy Right before I left. It was great to have another familiar face from Colorado, and of course, I was excited to see how well she was going to do -She starts in the Pro field. That badass lady!.
We went back home, for food and "relaxing. No turning back now, no more worrying about weather (as it rained again at night), nothing I could do about that. I spent the time reading all the encouraging messages and notes on Facebook, and talked to my coach Khem. The plan had been laid out, and like Pete Alfino (from Mile High Multisport) said, I had to trust my training. I had spent 5 months working consistently and hard every week, worked on my nutrition, worked on every single thing I could control, so I just need to trust!
Got the kids some of the temporary tattoos I had for my race and we had a blast with them!
Setting all my gear to make sure I wasn't going to forget a thing!
Sunday. April 19th. RACE DAY!
2:30am came quickly, and of course, I didn't sleep well. My mind was all over the place, and well... I was ready to get "the show on the road". Had my decaf coffee again (no caffeine available so that had to be it), and made my race breakfast: 1 egg, sautéed spinach and 1/2 sweet potato with maple almond butter -1tablespoon). It was 74 degrees outside at 4am! I didn't need a jacket that early, amazing!
We arrived at transition at 5am, with plenty of time to spare!! I went to the PBE trailer and Wes already had my bike ready to go! While I was getting my nutrition ready (adding the infinit powder to the water bottles), plus placing my Bonk Breaker bar inside the bento box, Wes placed my race number on the bike. What service!!!
Walked into transition, and got body marked and from that moment, the compliments on my tri kit started! I felt like strawberry shortcake with all that pink, but the truth is, the kit is awesome looking and so bright!! I set up everything, and waited... And waited... Then the announcer said they were going to push the start 30 minutes since the roads were super congested and they wanted them clear for the swim to start. What a bummer. It had been so long since I had breakfast, and 30min delay meant about 50min delay until my start time, and a later run, with potentially more heat. Oh well, I tried not to let that bother me, but I was getting really anxious, I was ready to race!
Here we are, super excited and ready to start!
I had 1/4 bonk breaker bar before heading out of transition for a quick 55 cal. intake.
By 6:45am we started heading out towards the swim start. A bit of a long walk to be barefoot, but I knew that wasn't the way the exit was. It felt I waited forever! We got there, and the wind picked up, for the first time ever, I put my wetsuit on about 20min ahead of time to get some coverage from the wind.
Before the pros started, they said a prayer (what?!? I've never seen that before), sang the anthem and off they went! So cool to see Katy take off with the pros! And Andy Potts is insanely fast!
Finally, our turn to start! Felt like an eternity. The waves started lining up and at last! my wave was about to go. Since they had a rolling start by the dock with only 8 people jumping in the water every 10 seconds, I tried to be right in front to start right away.
Timing start goes, we go!
Swim:
I jumped in the water and started going. I was still so surprised to feel how warm the water is there. So different from Colorado! I quickly got in a groove and as per my race strategy, I would use the 1st length to warm up and then pick up speed as I went. My strokes felt comfy (even with the wetsuit) and in my thoughts I considered the insanity -for just a moment- of not having swam in open water at all until race day. Oh well.
Like every single open water swim, once I get in a groove, the time feels like it's flying. At the 1st turn I realized I had to start pushing, the next wave -men 45-49- was quickly approaching, and they were moving quickly. Only when we got very close to the boats, I felt the diesel smell surrounding me, I tried to ignore it and quick on going, the swim was going to be over soon.
The moment I saw the green buoy I knew I was getting so close! I started drafting off of one of those fast guys from the men's group and next thing you know, I was inches away from the stairs. kicked the legs, grabbed the arm of one of the volunteers and up the steps towards transition.
I got to the timing mat and saw my watch. WHAT?!. to my surprise, I had reached my first PR of the day, as I had exited the water in 37min. A great surprise.
There were some wetsuit strippers there, but I was in my groove and had my plan (I'm quick to get rid of the wetsuit), so I kept running (and had so much air in my lungs! haha) towards transition and my bike.
Got my towel and quickly dried feet and put some body glide on. Socks, shoes, helmet, sunglasses and off I go!
Bike:
Everything started to quickly, I was feeling great and immediately felt at ease heading out on the bike, unlike the races before. It really makes a difference to have more experience riding.
I started having my nutrition as planned, 15min into my bike race. I was feeling good, and keeping my cadence high but steady. 5 miles into the race we got to the first bridge... compared to the elevations and the hills in Boulder I'd been riding, that was a piece of cake, but still, I went into it modestly, since I still had 41 miles to ride. got to the top and pushed on the downhill... so good! As I exit the bridge, I hear a crash behind me... ouch! I turned briefly and saw there were some police men already approaching so I kept on pushing. After the race, my cousin told me he saw the crash as it happen, but right in front of him, and after the lady had crashed, another man flew right on top of her and her bike. what a bummer, both had an abrupt end to their race so early.
I kept on riding and in the blink of an eye, I was an hour into my race, and averaging over 17mph. I couldn't believe it! wow! I was feeling great so I kept working on that same cadence.
The bike route takes you through some rural areas and swamps, and lots of lake water. I really enjoyed, although it is seriously isolated. One of those courses where you can't rely on crowd support for distraction, because there is none! That's where training all winter staring at a wall comes in handy! all those long rides at Inspired Training Center working on my endurance and speed paid off big time!
About half way into the race I saw a penalty box PACKED with people! WOW, I had never seen so many people waiting to "pay" for their penalty. Although many people were riding in packs (WTF) and side by side...I kept on pushing, making sure I wasn't drafting, and every time I passed, I completed the pass quickly and got the hell out (as in, far forward).
Throughout the race I saw many water bottles laying around (many were full, and they looked like they had nutrition too), and many lost bike numbers... crazy! The roads were super bumpy at points, specially on the old bridge.
Next thing you know, I'm at about 2hrs 30min into the race and I realized I had a chance in finishing the bike portion in 3hrs if I kept busting ass, and then... it happened... a wall of wind hit me... from that moment on, we had nothing but head wind the rest of the bike portion. It was relentless, and super annoying! The wind wasn't as brutal as Boulder, or maybe it was the lack of elevation that made it feel that way, but still... warm air kept pushing me back (felt like it) as I kept on moving slower and slower forward.
Once again, my tri kit was "all the rage" hahaha.. thanks to my Colorado flag on the back of the top and the "mile high multisport" many people cheered for Colorado, and one guy was calling me Mile High... hilarious! Also overhead: Yeah! I love Colorado! (me too buddy, me too!).
On our way back into New Orleans, we were all battling equally, and I kept paying attention to my nutrition intake. I had finished 1 bottle of infinit, and had 3 pieces of bonk breaker at that point. Suddenly, a guy in front of me slows down, grabs his bottle and.... drop! bottle comes right at me on the ground.. a quick swirl and I got lucky! I could have tripped with the dumb bottle big time... needless to say, I cursed and then, dropped that guy on a quick (and pissed off) pass.
My plan had been having enough cages on my bike to carry all my liquid nutrition and water and no having to stop, except for a quick grab and go water refill; so I had skipped all aid stations until I got to mile 50. At that point I only had 6 miles left and even though it felt like "only 6", I knew better... I stopped quickly and refilled my water, and I sure am glad I did. the next 6 miles were excruciating! The wind kept getting worse and the sun was officially out and about!
So far it had been nice and warm, but overcast, so the heat wasn't a factor yet, until the very end of the bike portion.
Pass the highway and into the bridge again... It sure looked bigger after 51 miles AND now with lots of sun and wind to battle with. I cursed at the wind a few times and kept on pushing! Looking at my watch.. no way I could do 3hrs.. but I could I at least finish in 3hrs 30min, that would still mean a good performance. I keep going at it.
FINALLY! back towards the parking area and transition is visible! I get to the dismount line at last, and run to get the last leg going. I finished this leg in 3hrs 25min. WOW! even with wind, another PR. woohoo!
Run:
My legs quickly adapted to the change, as usual. I got my hat, water (infinit) bottle, and 3/4 of a bonk breaker bar as well, race belt and shoes, and off I went!
I saw my cousin Adriana with her kids Ignacio, Victoria & Victor waving and cheering, that was awesome! They were there, and now they knew I was on the final leg of the race.
I made a point of starting slowly, even slower than I thought/felt appropriate. 13 miles become a long way if you go out too fast; I experienced that last year at Harvest Moon so I didn't want to make the same mistake.
Knowing there would be aid stations every mile, I decided to run slowly until mile 1, once there I grabbed water and ice, and stop by a port-a-potty. I could see the huge bridge we would have to climb (twice) on the out and back, so I decided to walk it to the top, since there was no reason to battle at mile 1 when I could pay for that big time at mile 12..
Got to the top and starting running again. It felt slow, but I figured it was ok. Long ways to go, and I could pick up slowly. I wanted to make sure my legs were truly warmed up for the run since it takes me a while on a stand alone running race, and now, with legs semi beat up from the ride, I wanted to 'check' everything was "cool."
I kept checking the miles quickly, and the sun was beating down pretty good.. Got to mile 3.1 and the timing mat, and thought to myself... everyone tracking me, I made it here!. Had a piece of bonk breaker. Next thing, I was at mile 5. I grabbed some wet sponges and placed one on my chest and one on my back. Kept taking ice and water trying to stay as hydrated and cool as possible. Had another piece of bonk breaker. Checking the HR (Heart Rate) and making sure I wasn't going to spike too soon.
The course had an intense set of rolling hills, about 1 per mile plus the huge bridge at the beginning of the race. My plan is to always negative split a race (Thanks Bart Yasso for that unforgettable tip), so I didn't want to worry about speed until the turn around point...
Mile 6.1, holy crap it is HOT!.. where is that damn turn around cone?? I was desperate to see it, second timing mat. BEEP.. I'm here, I'm still moving! I kept on sipping the infinit formula I had on my water bottle every time I was getting close to an aid station, that way I could "flush it down" with water.
I saw a girl running who seemed to have a good pace, like mine. I had slowly started to pick up the pace so I asked her if I could run with her side by side; she said ok and we started running together.
Turn around cone is finally within sight. We turned around. I told her I wouldn't talk too much (I hate chatter during a race, I mean, come on! we are racing, not strolling along in the park) but keeping her pace would keep me engaged and she agreed, we could push each other...
Those next 3 miles flew by, even though we kept walking through the aid stations for water and ice, and the uphills. Mile 9.1, timing mat once again. We kept moving a bit faster and by mile 10 she told me she couldn't keep up anymore so I pressed forward and ran the rest of it alone. I don't know her name, only that she is from Pensacola, FL. I'm grateful I was able to have a "pacer" for those few miles because I really got in a groove.
After I left her I knew it was time... time to push and not leave anything! this time, I was running the uphills, and people who were walking the course were cheering me on (heard on course: "You Go Girl!" haha), I was pushing hard! Running is still my favorite part of a triathlon and my legs were grooving! Mile 11 came by so quick! I kept on pushing, with blinders on! I passed so many people, people I saw flying by me on the bike were now walking slowly. The heat was brutal, and now (of course) there was no wind. The course had no shade at all, so we were completely exposed to the elements.
My feet/socks/shoes were totally soaked from dumping so much water and ice on myself to keep cool. I was so thankful to be wearing bamboo socks (I need to get more of those for sure), and kept crossing my fingers for no blisters (I applied body glide on my feet after the swim, but wasn't too sure how that was holding up since it was 'such a long time ago").
Mile 12, there's that damn bridge again! Mind you, this bridge is one of those that opens up for ships, so it is steep quickly. I powered walked to the top and then... all bets were off! I was flying on the downhill and this time I grabbed water and ice on the go. No stopping now! I looked at my watch and saw I had a chance to finish in less than 2hrs 20min so I took it! That would mean another PR for this leg.
My ONLY thought and mantra was: DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING LEFT IN THE TANK!
I was pushing so hard, my garmin was ticking about 8:30min/mi.. didn't matter... I needed to go faster... I needed to see the finish line chute!
I kept getting closer and could see so many cars from finishers leaving.. that's the absolute worse! they're done, they're leaving and you're still out pushing... the heat, the fumes, the noise... everything gets magnified. People were cheering from their cars but it was so hot everywhere, heat emanating from the concrete, from the cars... I was trying to focus as hard as I could. I shouldn't dare slow down now, not now!
Finally! I see it!... the blue chute and carpet.. I kept picking up the pace and smiling, I did it! It is a great feeling of relief for sure.
The timing clock had the total race time, which showed 7hr 05min so I wasn't even sure of my total time. I saw my cousin and the kids cheering. Finally! I was there! I crossed the finish line and everything came to a full stop. I leaned over near a trash can and they handed me a bottle of water which I quickly poured over me. It was so cold! I must say they get a big thumbs up for that! the water in ALL the stations was COLD, super cold! and it felt great to dump it on yourself for a quick cool off.
My little cousin Victor Andres ran alongside the chute and met me on the other side of the finish line with a big hug, such awesome kids! He took me where my cousin had "camped" with chairs and a blanket. I was so happy to see them all and sit down! hahaha
I sat down briefly and then went for some popeye's chicken (my 1st time ever eating that) and what I had dreamed about for the past 5 months.. One COLD Abita Amber beer. It tasted like glory!
My cousin Adriana had been tracking us, but she told me my finish time and last split wasn't uploaded yet. It didn't matter. I was done!
I ate my chicken and drank my beer (and the buzz was immediate), and Ignacio went with me to get my bike and bag from transition to take it back to the trailer.
What a great day!
Took my stuff back to the trailer and was ever so grateful Wes was taking care of everything, I gave him my bike, and my bag and my wetsuit. he emptied all the bottles, and took care of the wetsuit. So cool! seriously, I'm not going anywhere out of state to race without him, no way!
He had an area inside the trailer where I was able to change into dry clothes and I went back to my family. After we hung out for a while and the kids cheered for everyone crossing the finish line, we went for a celebratory meal.
From the adrenaline rush came the exhaustion of a long and hard and incredible day! So happy I got to experience this. Thankful I got to the starting line healthy, and I crossed the finish line strong!
Of course, the short term memory has already kicked in, and I'm excited to head to the starting line of the next adventure, Boulder 70.3 in June! Hoping for a great performance like the one in New Orleans, or better! since I'll be back training in 5 days!
NOW. This portion is all about DATA. Because I love it, and because numbers let me see where I can/need to improve.
NUTRITION:
I consumed a TOTAL of 825 calories during THE WHOLE RACE.
breakdown:
*pre-swim:
1/4 bonk breaker bar (pb&j): 55 calories
TOTAL: 55 calories
*bike:
1 bottle infinit: 220 calories
Bonk breaker 3/4 bar: 165
1/4 bottle infinit: 55 calories
TOTAL: 440 calories
*run:
1 bottle infinit: 220 calories
2/4 bonk breaker bar: 110
TOTAL: 330
OFFICIAL TIME SPLITS:
MY WATCH TIME SPLITS:
*BIKE (BROKEN DOWN IN 10 MILE SEGMENTS):
10- 35min (17.1mph)
10- 32:18 (18.6mph)
10- 34:40 (17.3mph)
10- 36:53 (16.3mph)
10- 41:05 (14.6mph)
6- 25:34 (13.5mph)
*RUN (AVG. PER MILE)
1- 11:53
2- 12:05 (bridge)
3- 11:20
4- 10:57
5- 11:10
6- 10:43
7- 10:15
8- 9:55
9- 10:51
10- 10:51
11- 10:36
12- 10:18 (bridge)
13- 8:28
0.1- 8:05
