So, if you don’t know, or don’t follow me on social media, on June 20th my friend Devin and I raced our first ever half Ironman. (If unfamiliar a Half Ironman or Ironman 70.3 is a triathlon).
The race order and distances are:
1.2 mile swim
56 mile bike
13.1 mile run.
It’s the baby of the well known Ironman, which is double the distance.
Anyway, last August I found myself unemployed, a bit lost, and in need of a long term goal to focus on. I’d been back on my cardio game since fall of 2019, so I thought, how about that half Ironman goal?
In a matter of minutes (when I decide something, I DECIDE) I made the decision to train for and race a half Ironman, after taking the last 8 years off of racing triathlons. I trained and raced from 2009-2012/2013, then ending up finding weight lifting and taking a little break from endurance cardio.
This goal isn’t new. It’s a decade old, in fact. I was registered to race the Ironman 70.3 in Muncie, Indiana on July 9, 2011, but had to withdraw in April of 2011 due to a stress fractured femur.
My dad raced that day, and kicked ass, while I was support and pit crew.
I went on to heal my femur and get back into training, running 3 half marathons in 2012 and 2013, and racing some Olympic and sprint triathlons, but never returning to the 70.3.
Last year when I decided to race I told myself it would be my redemption race.
Racing a month shy of my 29th birthday, my 28 year old body and mind are WAY different than they were at 18. I’m truly the strongest and healthiest I have ever been. And I know my body so well. For me this goal held a lot more weight than the actual race. It was a goal to accomplish for me. And me only.
I started what I fondly call “base building” last September (aka just making sure I was running and swimming and biking somewhat frequently in addition to my weightlifting). I kept this up throughout the winter, took almost 10 days off working out while we were in Hawaii (guide here) and then dove into training in mid February 2021.
The almost 5 months of training were… A LOT. In the midst of that we got our puppy Arlo, and I started a new full time job.
There were days and weeks I wanted nothing more than to withdraw from the race. And truthfully Devin and I debated it more than once (he also started a new job and adopted a puppy in the midst of our training).
But, after learning there were no deferments or refunds, and realizing that life doesn’t really ever slow down, we pushed through, doing our best to hit our training workouts but also giving ourselves grace.
Over Memorial Day weekend we raced an Olympic distance triathlon (.9 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 10k run) as a warm up and practice round. It was Devin’s first triathlon ever and my first in a LONG time and I’m so glad we did that. We were able to identity some issues, feel more prepared and work out kinks before the half iron.
Neither of us we’re thrilled with our performances, but it was beyond helpful to not have the half Ironman be our first race of the season.
Our race was in Des Moines, Iowa on June 20th. We arrived in Des Moines Friday, June 18th to explore the city and make sure we had PLENTY of prep time for the race (hello nerves!)
In my opinion Ironman does a great job putting on events. The excitement, the hype and the gear are unmatched. We scoped put the race areas Friday night, did our packet pickup, dropped off our bikes and visited Ironman village on Saturday, then race day Sunday.
Naturally the weather was great on Friday and Saturday, but starting Saturday night the city got hit with aggressive thunderstorms. They lasted into the morning, and after 3 separate delays we were finally able to start the race around 10am (for reference the original start was 6:45am for the pros!)
Due to the delay and the potential of evening storms, the race director made the decision to cut the bike course. So, instead of biking 56 miles our new route was 27 miles.
In the moment I was happy to hear this, as I was most nervous about the bike, but after the fact I’m definitely bummed.
The swim was great – well at least Devin and I thought so. We both came out of the water feeling amazing and happy with our performances. (After the race we learned that tons of people had issues with the swim due to the congestion of people, etc). You can see that in these two photos below.
I will say, the bike course was on some of the cleanest roads I’ve ridden on, which was awesome. The run, while a good flat route, was a 2 loop with no shade. The lack of shade made it challenging, coupled with the fact we ran from 12:30-3, so in the heat of the day. Overall the aid stations were great, and available to us every single mile on the run. Which we 100% used.
I underfed myself on the bike (never again), so I spent the first 4-5 miles of the run trying not to throw up. We can all thank Devin for mentally helping me get through that. But, once I got some nutrition in me, and more fluids, I felt better. So actually the second half of the run felt better- even though it was so hard.
Des Moines was hosting for the first time ever so naturally they have some kinks to work out in terms of course and set up, but I thought they did a good job for their first race.
While I did complete the race in Des Moines, I didn’t complete MY GOAL of the 70.3
BUT – I learned so much about the race and it was absolutely beneficial to have this trial run of sorts before our next. Because you know Devin and I will be back in 2022 for that complete 70.3.
We plan to continue racing half irons for a while before ideally conquering a full Ironman. ONE DAY…FAR AWAY. Realistically 10 years from now.
Anyway, I went into the race worried about running the entire 13.1 but was pleasantly surprised to learn that for majority of people- the run is a run/walk. After learning this I will now be training differently for the next; focusing heavily on the swim (would love to go 37 min) and the bike (average of 18 mph for all 56), knowing the run will be a combo of running and walking – especially depending on the heat when we race.
I every time I race a large event it’s so inspiring – there were truly people of all ages, shapes and sizes out there on the course – simply racing to complete it. The triathlon community is so unbelievably supportive and welcoming and I’m so glad Devin helped me get back into racing, because it’s an awesome sport.
Above all, I’m proud of us, for making a big ass commitment to our goal and showing up repeatedly even when we didn’t want to. For me this race was not so much about the actual race, but proving to myself that my goal from 2011 could absolutely be accomplished in 2021.
That’s all for today. I’d love to hear about if you’ve done any triathlons or if you’re working toward ANY big goal of your own.
Cheers,
Maddy
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