Well I’m writing a race report so that means I survived! Not
only did I survive, but I very much enjoyed this race and distance. Because of work travel, I had to fly in from Baltimore, MD
late Thursday night. My husband drove my bike and all my gear down earlier on
Thursday and spent the rest of the day drinking beer by the pool, lucky! I got
in around 11pm Thursday night and headed straight to bed knowing I had a lot to
get ready for on Friday. I slept pretty good and got up around 6am and
immediately made my way to look at the ocean from the balcony. From there it
looked eerily calm which I was ecstatic about. Little did I know that height and across the
street view can be deceiving.
Around 8am, my
husband and I headed to the beach. You see, Coach AH said I had to do 15
min per discipline on Friday before checking my bike in and relaxing. I wiggled
into my oh so attractive wetsuit and swim cap and made my way into the ocean
blue. About 5 meters in, I turned around proclaiming I couldn’t do it and that
I quit. Thankfully my hubby is a 2x Ironman (one being IMFL in that same water)
assured me I could do it and to just calm down. Two more times I tried and two
more times I got further and further finally coming into shore saying maybe
this could work. Before I could change my mind I left the beach and headed to
hit my bike and run before relaxing! The quick bike and run showed no signs of despair
but rather running through gears and turning over feet to ensure that race day
would go smooth. Lunch, bike check and some relaxation time was next on the
agenda. Finally I headed to meet some of the IMFL group from Facebook which was
great! We all attended the athlete meeting together…glad I went by the way
because they had some information that wasn’t cascaded to the athletes prior! Post
athlete meeting it was time for dinner and bed by 9pm.
Pre Race
3:30am wakeup call although my body had been up since 2:45 but did as AH suggested and just laid there in a sort of meditative state. Finally it was time to get up and eat and start the body moving before getting suited up and heading to transition. Set up my transition spot, which shockingly had quite a bit of space, pretty quick. Pumped up the tires, went through the motions and double checked everything. Headed to meet Mike for the dawning of the wetsuit inside the pavilion where at least I could sit in air conditioning for a few minutes … that thing is hot! Finally it was time to head to the beach as I was in the first wave of swimmers to go off!
3:30am wakeup call although my body had been up since 2:45 but did as AH suggested and just laid there in a sort of meditative state. Finally it was time to get up and eat and start the body moving before getting suited up and heading to transition. Set up my transition spot, which shockingly had quite a bit of space, pretty quick. Pumped up the tires, went through the motions and double checked everything. Headed to meet Mike for the dawning of the wetsuit inside the pavilion where at least I could sit in air conditioning for a few minutes … that thing is hot! Finally it was time to head to the beach as I was in the first wave of swimmers to go off!
Swim
Knowing that Friday’s test run didn’t go as good as it could have, I was slightly nervous about this part of the race. I ate a GU about 8 minutes before the gun went off to ensure that my blood sugar would spike at the right time rather than too early causing my blood sugar to crash mid swim. I kissed Mike goodbye and said a prayer as the gun went off and it was go time. I waited for most of the group to enter the water then made my way to that chilly blue ocean. It seemed so big and the buoys seemed so far away. I swam with my
Knowing that Friday’s test run didn’t go as good as it could have, I was slightly nervous about this part of the race. I ate a GU about 8 minutes before the gun went off to ensure that my blood sugar would spike at the right time rather than too early causing my blood sugar to crash mid swim. I kissed Mike goodbye and said a prayer as the gun went off and it was go time. I waited for most of the group to enter the water then made my way to that chilly blue ocean. It seemed so big and the buoys seemed so far away. I swam with my
Bike
Once I got my feet cleaned off a bit and helmet secured, I headed out for 56 miles in hopes to cut my time by a few minutes from my training rides. The course, as expected, was pretty flat. The only real hill came pretty early on with a bridge. AH said no nutrition for the first 10 minutes to allow my stomach to settle from the sea water and that's exactly what I needed. Once I hit that 10 minute mark my Infinit nutrition plan
started. I had my bike stacked with 3 bottles (300 calories each) and knew I needed to consume at least 1 bottle every 1hr and 15min ... and that's just what I did! I settled into the ride pretty quick. I enjoy my bike and know I can deliver on this part of the race. In my training rides I averaged 15mph consistently so I was thrilled to see I was pushing a lot faster than that on this course. Of course, the overcast day and flat road helped as my final averaged honed in around 16.4mph which I was elated with. My right hamstring acted up around mile 15 and never really eased up until the run. I just kept telling myself to push and push and prayed for no flats! Around mile 20 the rain started. What started as a few drops lead to full downpour by mile 50. The last 6 miles were a struggle to see as my sunglasses were fogged and more hazard than good. I got out of aero around mile 54 and knew I needed to stretch my neck and back to get ready for the half marathon ahead. I pulled into T2 and hustled to my rack, which thankfully was right by bike in/bike out. Knowing the hardest part of the race was still ahead of me, I became focused on my transition and getting prepped for the run. Bike racked, helmet off, shoes on and loaded up on GU ... I was ready to go!
Run
The rain continued to pour down for all of the half marathon which not only helped to keep the temperature down but it also allowed for my body to not overheat which was a concern I had from the beginning knowing what the Florida sun can do. I started off the run with a strong jog to wake my legs back up but shortly was halted to a walk. My lower legs, mostly my shins and calves, were just smoked and I couldn't turn it over. I struggled to get a rhythm as AH and I agreed on 4x1 for the run and I was determined to make that happen. Saw Mike around mile 1 which was a great relief and I know he was happy to see I was still chugging along. Around mile 3, my legs finally regained their strength and I was able to push through with 4x1. Around that same time I ran into Mike's friend, Chris, who was on his way to the finish line who gave a
strong bout of encouragement which was much needed. By mile 5 I had to go to the bathroom ... a first for me during a race! Thankfully about that time there was a port-a-john to utilize! The aid stations on the run were plentiful and well stocked with Gatorade, Water, Coke, pretzels etc as well as SUPER friendly volunteers to make sure that I thanked as I passed. I stuck to GUs that I brought at mile 2, 6 and 9 along with water at every aid station and Coke at mile 3, 6 and 11. For me, this really worked out well! I was in a groove from mile 3 til mile 12.5 and that's when the wheels fell off. I struggled to push through the final half mile but knew I was so close. I was a little disappointed with my half marathon time BUT know that if I keep working on my brick workouts and improve my running, the struggle that I felt from mile 1-3 on this run hopefully will go away in my next Half Ironman in Sept and certainly in my IRONMAN in November.
OVERALL: 7hrs 25min
Swim: 49:39
T1 4:36
Bike: 03:24:57
T2: 3:29
Run: 03:02:43
Overall, thrilled with my performance at Gulf Coast 70.3. For my first half distance, I did pretty great in my opinion. I stuck to my nutrition plan, HR plan and mental plan set forth by AH and myself. I walked away with a positive experience and know I can finish IMFL in November for sure. I would highly recommend this race for anyone considering IRONMAN Florida or racing IRONMAN Florida for sure. Having a course preview before November was 110% worth it!
Once I got my feet cleaned off a bit and helmet secured, I headed out for 56 miles in hopes to cut my time by a few minutes from my training rides. The course, as expected, was pretty flat. The only real hill came pretty early on with a bridge. AH said no nutrition for the first 10 minutes to allow my stomach to settle from the sea water and that's exactly what I needed. Once I hit that 10 minute mark my Infinit nutrition plan
Run
The rain continued to pour down for all of the half marathon which not only helped to keep the temperature down but it also allowed for my body to not overheat which was a concern I had from the beginning knowing what the Florida sun can do. I started off the run with a strong jog to wake my legs back up but shortly was halted to a walk. My lower legs, mostly my shins and calves, were just smoked and I couldn't turn it over. I struggled to get a rhythm as AH and I agreed on 4x1 for the run and I was determined to make that happen. Saw Mike around mile 1 which was a great relief and I know he was happy to see I was still chugging along. Around mile 3, my legs finally regained their strength and I was able to push through with 4x1. Around that same time I ran into Mike's friend, Chris, who was on his way to the finish line who gave a
OVERALL: 7hrs 25min
Swim: 49:39
T1 4:36
Bike: 03:24:57
T2: 3:29
Run: 03:02:43
Overall, thrilled with my performance at Gulf Coast 70.3. For my first half distance, I did pretty great in my opinion. I stuck to my nutrition plan, HR plan and mental plan set forth by AH and myself. I walked away with a positive experience and know I can finish IMFL in November for sure. I would highly recommend this race for anyone considering IRONMAN Florida or racing IRONMAN Florida for sure. Having a course preview before November was 110% worth it!
