Heather's Race Report from Florida 70.3

I have very few memories of my youth, but the ones I do have are very vivid. There is one in particular that comes to mind more often than I'd like. I don't know how old I was - likely 6 or 7. I was with my family, visiting a neighbour. They had a pool. I jumped in and realized right at that moment that some time over the Winter I had forgotten how to swim. I was in a complete panic, flailing and screaming. Then my brother jumped in and saved me.
I wrote in my journal the next Fall in school, that he was my hero.

This feeling of panic was with me for the first 10 minutes of my swim in Florida. The water is so warm that wet suits are banned due to health and safety reasons. From the moment the water became deep enough to swim, I had an awful feeling like I was sinking. My chest became tight, I couldn't breathe, and my heart rate monitor chest strap felt like it was 3 sizes too small. I did the breast stroke, and blew bubbles, trying to calm myself down, but every time I tried to get into a front crawl, I would start to panic and finally I decided I needed to pull myself out and find the nearest life guard. I b-lined it for a girl on a surf board. She threw out a buoy to me, which I grabbed a hold of, feeling relieved for the first time.
I did not know the rules and at that time, I thought I had just called it quits on my race. I told her how I was feeling and she said, "Just rest here as long as you need to". Those were magic words to me. Rest. I could rest. I didn't have to quit - I could just wait, and rest, and collect myself. And that's what I did. When I was ready, I told her thanks and she said "No worries. There are plenty of us out here so you can rest again if you need to". That reassurance was all I needed. I finished the swim, not strong, but controlled. And to keep myself entertained, I started counting the reasons why running is better than swimming. I would love to switch disciplines with Kiza for just one race - she give me her swim, I give her my run - I'd love to know the feeling of what it's like to feel comfortable and strong in the water and not exit the swim DFL, or very close to it.
Swim Time: 54:18 (106 AG, 1803 overall)

I ran into transition happy to still be racing. I quickly glance to Brian's rack - I had fully expected that he would have passed me in the water - but I saw that his Blue was still racked. There was another girl getting ready for the run on my rack and we looked at each other and just shook our heads. I told her the race starts now, wished her luck and set off with my Blue. T1 Time: 4:00 The run with your bike from transition to the mount line is long and narrow, and gets quite congested. Even with the best intentions, you're slowed to a walk due to the people ahead of you taking their time. This is just a tad frustrating, but slightly welcomed as it's a great excuse to relax and slow down your heart rate.
I loved the bike!
The course is a little different from last year. A little more hilly, a little more technical. They added some out and backs and coming back from the first one, I saw Brian. He was only 6 or 7 minutes behind me which meant he had a fantastic swim since his wave started 12 minutes after mine. We shouted out to each other, and that would be the last time I saw him until the run. I felt strong on the bike. I was constantly passing people, including a few guys from Brian's AG who were riding some pretty expensive bikes. It felt good to pass the boys on the bike who had started after me in the swim, and I hoped a few of them were the ones that had clubbed me in the back of the head in the water (one of the reasons why running is better than swimming - no punching\clawing allowed). Dark clouds formed about halfway through the bike, and we got poured on for 20 minutes or so. A guy riding near me commented that we should hope the rain lasts into the run or the humidity will be killer. Hmm. Hadn't thought about that.

At one point, I passed a guy and he shouted out "Hey Tri The World!". Then he raced to catch up with me and asked me how my husband was doing. I chuckled at that one. He was a guy we had met in line at the Expo on Saturday, and he and Brian were T-C brothers. Seeing someone we just met show excitement for us and what we're doing is an absolute thrill.
According to results on Ironman's site, I finished the bike 48th in my AG which means I picked up close to 60 places since the swim. No wonder the bike went by so fast.

Bike time: 2:51:45 (25 AG, 1007 overall)

The run back into transition is similar to the run out with the bike. Narrow and congested. Again, it was bitter sweet for me as I was anxious to get to the run, but I also welcomed the opportunity to take my time.
T2 time: 1:56
The rain had stopped. The temps were high. The humidity was almost unbearable PLUS the first aid station did not have coke! I knew I was in for a rough run. This is a 3 loop run course which alters between pavement and grass, and after the first loop, I decided I like 2 loops or 4 loops much better than 3. With 4 loops (5k), it doesn't take as long to get around, and you feel like you're accomplishing things more quickly. With 2 loops or 10k at least when you're done the first, you only have 1 left to do. 7k is a funny distance, and mentally, I found it to be a challenge. I had revisited my race plan during my swim and while I had intended for this to be an A race, I decided based on how things unfolded in the water, I would be happy to just get it done. All I could do was to do the best I could with what the day delivered, and that's what I did.

On the 2nd loop Brian and I happened upon each other (he on the back and me on the out) and I ran to catch up with him. Then we ran together for a little, shuffled for a little, walked for a little. He shared his water with me and I was happy for that time together. It was a boost for both of us. I stayed with him until the next aid station, then we parted ways and I ran ahead to finish my run. I saw him one more time - this time he was with his new buddy Tom.
Awesome.
I did have one personal goal in this venture which I have kept to date (I don't want to say it out loud for fear that I might jinx it), but what it equates to is that I never give up. There is some kind of saying - you can take the girl out of the competition, but you can't take the competition out of the girl....well, as long as I'm able, you can't do either with me - and don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying this is necessarily a good thing - I know there is some controversy over us "competitive" types. Anyway, despite feeling completely spent with over 1 mile to go, I kept my focus and continued to pick off girls in my AG. I must have passed 3 or 4 in those final minutes of the race, and I finished the race, happy to have it done, and pretty sure I never wanted to see that run course again.
Brian's says I should give it time before I make that decision...

Run time: 2:03:38 (24 AG, 511 overall)

Overall, I'm satisfied with my race. There were highlights and there were lowlights, but I think that will be true with most races. I did what my coach always preaches - I did the best I could on that particular day. I don't think there was anything I could have to done to change my results. Plus, I got to run a bit with my BFF.

Final numbers: 5:55:30 28/119 AG 800/1995 overall
Heather