IM Lake Stevens 70.3 Report

IM Lake Stevens 70.3 costs only $199 if you register the first week. YES let’s go!  9 months have passed and here we are.  We had amazing accommodations at the Mansion Inn staying in their Presidential suite.  It faces the North Park cove where we would swim on race day. The drive to Lake Stevens from Seattle airport just sucked.  With an alternative route away from the 5, it still took 1:45 to drive 55 miles.  We checked in, went to the 1^st athlete briefing and then drove the run course.  Driving never feels like running  We decided the run wasn’t so bad after all.  (UMMM yes it is after 56 miles of cycling hills BTW).

The next day we ran 20 mins  before breakfast.  The road was damp and cool.  It was simply beautiful. We ate breakfast and then drove the bike course.  We took lots of pictures to remember just how lusciously green everything was and really paid attention to the technical turns on the course as there are many.  It seemed after every grueling up, there was an amazing down, which you had to feather brake due to the right hand immediate turn at the bottom so you could climb again.  Woods Creek was the first warning at mi 38 (plenty of baby pitching hills before that though).  The road was under construction so we could not preview it by car but we knew to be careful here as many cyclists have crashed here in the past.  We were lost a couple times while driving as the directions were horrible and streets were double named but we knew the second half would be difficult.  I had been told this race was a step up from Oceanside’s course but I didn’t feel it at the time.   

As we prepared to take a 30 minute bike ride, I checked my tires to see a nail in the rear… alas another rear tire issue but it was not flat.  We pulled the nail out, pumped it up, realizing I had orange gel sealant in the tube. We biked the end/beginning for about  30 minutes to get the legs loose and all was good.  Tire was solid.  We had to drop off our bikes overnight so I would know in the morning if it wouldn’t hold but it did.  We swam in Lake Stevens for 20 minutes to check out the entry/exit.  We noticed after buoy 7 on the return to ignore 8 and 9 because they were not in alignment with the swim exit arch.  It was a great observation before race day.  We drank our Osmo at night after dinner and took our nightaid pills and lights out by 8:30pm.  4:30am wakeup since we were the last waves at 7:20. I drank a lot of water probably because I was scarred by the heat at Vineman a few weeks earlier…although cool here, expected 80’s by the run.

Race morning, we had standard oatmeal, added a hard boiled egg and osmo and walked about a mile to the start line from our Mansion while eating ½ plain bagel.  Others had to go to Lake Stevens HS and be shuttled into the race due to lack of parking.  I drank another 16 oz of water waiting for my wave to start. I applied my capsaicin ointment to neck and shoulders preswim so I didn’t have to do it in T1.  Real estate on the bike racks was tight.  We were required NOT to bring tri bags as everything had to be UNDER the bike.  I felt calm waiting for my wave although I was anxious being in the last wave.  If I did have a bike issue, I could be fighting a cut off time.    
 

The swim was nice because it was an in water start.  We hopped off the dock and swam about 20 feet to line up.  The buoys are connected under water with a white rope.  I followed this line until I ran into a buoy and then swam on the inside.  I knew there were 9 buoys and as I looked up to see the # , A girl was heading straight TOWARDS me.  A kayaker was banging his paddle but she didn’t hear.  I paused upright and moved inside enough to hook her swinging arm to stop her motion and say: HEY YOU ARE SWIMMING THE WRONG DIRECTION!!!  I thought HOW is that even possible.. she must have turn completely around the corner! Hahaha crazy.  I made my red buoy corner turns and about midway felt disoriented, too quiet… and I couldn’t see the white rope..I was swimming in the middle , not straight at all.  I had just added distance to my swim AGAIN… my #1 problem always.  I cursed loudly and corrected.  I felt drag and dizziness as I continued to the arch.  I suddenly started to pee.  Never did that before in just a mile swim. As I stood at swim exit, I fell over.  I had no legs. I had to pause to be still and then got up again.  That has never happened either.  I saw my embarrassingly slow swim time and was bewildered to say the least.  Why am I taking swimming lessons??  I’m not teachable. This is my forever speed so accept it so you can stop being disappointed!   I ran to T1…peed again.. what the hell is going on with me?  Took Tylenol , dressed and took off down the ¼ mile trot to bike out.

I remembered to wait 30 minutes before eating on the bike and then took in a GU.  I was so thirsty that I somehow drank all my 3 hours of 510 calories in 2 hours (28 oz).  I grabbed 20 oz water bottles twice on the course and 2 halves of bananas.  I drank a lot of water.  The first memorable hill is at 20.  Then they just keep coming.  They were never long but constant pitching up and down forever.  Maybe I was sea sick on the ride but I was thirsty and drinking and peeing on the bike. Mile 38 is when the real technical starts, where you are pitched down hill sharply to a 90 degree right turn to go straight up.  There must have been 15 walkers but I was screaming at myself to suck it up and I painfully made it to the top on the bike and my breathing was labored and my left quad almost cramped…so glad I used my inhaler at mile 20 in anticipation of this hill…OMG mi 43 is the same straight up  F***g hill!!!  Up again to talk to GOD…whew made it again.  The hills were endless, as were the swichbacks and the 90 degree turns always at the bottom ruining your momentum for the next up.  I knew another painful hill was at mi 50 after another turn…I thought I saw little green stars at that point…I knew early on that I would not make my bike goal because I couldn’t get going fast enough before the hills started and the rest of the ride was trying to make up speed on any downhill I could while braking around the corner.  I was frustrated and I was thirsty but I wasn’t hot so that was a plus over my last race.  My ride couldn’t get over fast enough.  I have saddle sores from Aquabike that feel like tacks in my groin on both sides so I was in constant pain trying to adjust on the seat. Nothing was comfortable except nearly falling forward on the nose of the seat.  I thought I had a solid bike because I passed so many riders on the course, male and female. Alas I was near the end of my age group though. My watts were just ok, but my MPH dropped from high 16’s to 15.5 by the end.  That was incredibly disappointing to see. I was 17.1 at Oceanside after an asthma attack!  I was 15-30 mins slower than I had set my goal. Seems to be a broken record right now. 

 I walked to T2 which was really close and prepared to run.  I tore my run bib hole so fumbled with that mess for a bit trying to connect to something so it didn’t flop around.  I peed jogging to run out ...Jesus how much fluid is in my bladder anyway? It had been an endless  river today.  Started slow on the run because that’s what I am supposed to do right?…well it just got slower damn it… 1 long hill and 2 short hills for the loop and then 1 long hill on the other side out and back.  I felt heavy and then the darkness came and the inner demons arrived. It wasn’t nice in my brain for a very long time.  I tried to jog up the hill and eventually bargained that if I jogged in the sun, I could walk in the shade.  I walked the aid stations grabbing ice and water.  I just knew I was not worthy of a finisher’s medal and started begging for a SAG car to agree with me.  My whole body hurt. My hamstrings and calves were so tight, up my spine, into the back of my head.  I had a terrible headache and felt I had no reason to feel this crappy.  AHHH salt , I have peed at least 5x now on the run alone!  I need my pills…nope left them in T2.  F**K I want to die.  I saw Marcus on the end of the first loop and was so happy to see his smiling face until he realized I wasn’t smiling.  He thought I was on my 2^nd loop,…yea that’s how bad I looked already.   I seriously did not think I had the strength to survive another loop.  I wanted to quit as I came to the 2^nd loop start.  I had made the 2 o’clock cut off. I wanted to end my day. Then Julie said repeat her final words to my brain:

Then I heard my daughter say.  “MOM we are not QUITTERS”…. My eyes watered and I leaned forward a little more… little baby steps..  I will keep moving forward because I must respect my SWIMBIKEMOM mantra.  Deep Breath...I will power walk this mother or I will black out… or the SAG will get me…please Mr. SAG hurry up!  I just kept  trotting…and peeing…slosh slosh… double layered socks hold a lot of pee by the way! poor HOKAs.  KARMA!!! UREKA someone dropped a salt pill!!  I have no water... I DON’T CARE IF ITS FILTHY!... I had a GU in my belt so I squeezed it all in my mouth with the dirty salt pill .  I kept moving forward and speed walked up and jogged down until finally on the last out and back, I saw Marcus again.  He assured me I would finish.  I felt the SAG car was on my heels.  I felt like a total fat loser.   But George was not convinced:

 I kept going and saw  the last Mother F**G hill.  Up and down to the turn around.  I grabbed pretzels….I hate pretzels at a race.  Grabbed the largest water cup and ate them like soggy bird food as I power walked up again.  The girl behind me said I was speed walking faster than she was running!  That made me smile. I tried hard to make this hell end.   Finally at the top I started to jog again begging to walk in the shady spots… then I saw mile 12.  I dropped another tear and started trotting a little faster.  Slosh slosh went the socks. (FYI when you pee this much…there is no smell.. it’s just water in and water out)  I could finally hear the crowds.  More tears and people called out my name and I was in so much pain but they all pulled me around the corner and then up .. REALLLLY? YES.. a little incline to the finisher’s arch.  My beloved Marcus was there smiling for me to drape over him  with a 7:20 finish.  That damn SAG car was 1:10 away!  I swore I could hear it behind me all the time!  I couldn’t move once I crossed the finish line.  My whole body was stinging.  I just wanted salt.  I ate a bag of chips and just sat on the table for a long time to take the pressure off my legs.  All food looked like crap. I couldn’t drink anything.

Finally Marcus encouraged me to walk to transition and I lay on the pavement trying to relax my entire back side.  I found my salt/Tylenol baggy and took a handful.  I totally underestimated this course.  It was harder than Oceanside.  BUT, these races don’t get easier, you just learn to push harder… a quote from one of the 75 inspirational signs on the course by coachlesley.com  I loved those signs and was so thankful to see them on the course.  They kept interrupting my dark thoughts along the way.  The police only made her take down the ones on the light poles (75 signs every couple miles) but the others remained in the ground.  She may have been my life saver… and that dirty salt pill too!  A shout out to the previous owner!! 

We dropped off our bikes for transport and walked a very long mile back to the mansion.  No more speed walking for me. I was sporting some pretty chubby cankles upon arrival. I used our Jacuzzi tub for an ice cold bath to slow the swelling in my body and a quick rinse of wetsuits and peed on items.  Then a warm shower and I died in bed.  Marcus brought me some chicken and an ice cream drumstick and then I was still for the next 12 hours. 

 I don’t really know what happened to me on the race.  The biggest shocker was how often I peed.  I usually go once after the bike on a 70 race.  I lost count at this race.  My GI was not distressed.  Maybe I was over-hydrated and had no electrolytes in my body to help me through the race.  My food intake was normal.  I never felt over heated to consider a loss of salt either.  I know I have not ridden that many hills back to back with a 13 mile run afterwards.  I know I need to drop weight and I will give that issue more emphasis over the next 90 days because IMAZ is coming like a freight train and I want to  carry as little baggage as possible to survive that one. Or Maybe the last month was too much for these tired old legs and they just didn’t recover as fast as expected?  or was it that I wasn't prepared for the ADDITIONAL 1500 feet of climbing that was not shown on the bike elevation profile on the race website?

 

 

 In the last month I have completed:  

7/26 Aquabike 112miles;

8/2 100 mile ride;

8/10 Chula Vista Challenge hilly 25+6;

 8/17 Lake Stevens hilly 56+13

 

Well, whatever,  it’s not over until Nov 16!!!  I will keep giving all my heart and so I will know I have given it all I have to finish my journey to be called an Ironman.  Next up…surviving 105 miles of cycling with 10,000 ft of climbing including Mt Palomar on Sept 7.  Woohoo!  I am praying for an amazing tail wind!  I . AM . A .FINISHER.