My First triathlon in two years
Go Big Or Go Home
Looking back now, with shortened training and taking two years off from racing with the pandemic, I should have done an Olympic! 😂
That’s a saying that some live by and while I’ve lived by it also, I might have bitten off more than I could chew with my first triathlon in two years. Especially with it being a 70.3 Half IRONMAN race.
If you aren’t aware, this 70.3-mile race consists of a 1.2-mile open water swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run. Not an easy task for someone completely healthy and even harder for a Spoonie with multiple chronic illnesses.
Still, a 70.3 mile half IRONMAN might be my favorite distance. It’s a true challenge both mentally and physically, but where my fitness and health is right now, not completely stupid either.
You might be saying, “Yes Brian, that’s still stupid” and while I agree, after doing double all of these distances for a 140.6 mile full IRONMAN, it’s a doable distance for me and one that pushes me to my limits.
But like I said, looking back this one might have been a little too
Registration
Let’s start at the very beginning. My previous race was 734 days before the 2021 Atlantic City half IRONMAN. Quite a while between races and especially without mixing in any short distance races too.
But, it has been so long since I combined swimming, biking, and running that my eyes were wide at the opportunity to race again. With what might be a break in the pandemic and it being safe enough to race, I wanted to do what I’ve missed so badly.
So I signed up for a 70.3 mile race about 8 weeks before I had to wake up at 4 am to get to the start line. Knowing that I was already in decent shape, but would still need to cram in four plus months of training into 7 weeks. Super smart, right?
Sick Right Before:
Of course, when I’m taking on this awesome challenge for the first time in two years I get sick right before the race. I mean that only makes sense as a Spoonie right?
First, my wife brought home a stomach bug from work, and it only took 48 hours to make its way into my system. Quickly, I started to get dehydrated, my ostomy dumping and only getting worse by the hour.
I quickly decided to drive myself to the hospital at 11 PM to get IV fluids and hopefully catch up on my hydration so I could stave off a flare and being admitted to the hospital. It helped a little bit it took me a number of days to feel “okay.”
Then, my daughter started day-care on September 1st. Knowing that I don’t have an immune system, I had a feeling I would be exposed to germs and get sick. Guess what? I did.
So I got sick again, this time it was a head cold that wouldn’t go away. Lingering for days and building up into a mild cought. When I should have been completing my training and getting ready to taper, I felt great…NOT.
Going Solo:
We’ve already gone through a few hurdles to get to the race on September 12th. But there are more. My wife and I decided for a variety of reasons that I would travel down to Atlantic City alone for this one.
NOTE TO SELF - NEVER GO TO ATLANTIC CITY ALONE…EVER!
With the weather being questionable, the Delta variant which we wanted to limit exposure to, our baby Julia’s schedule just falling into place, and us not being away with her yet, we figured on a day when I have to wake up at 4 AM it’s probably not best.
Now I’ve raced alone before. I actually don’t mind it at times. It allows me to focus on everything I need to do and get into a mindset of finishing the race strong because I need to be well enough to take care of myself after.
But having the support of a loved one throughout the day and crossing the finish line to get into their arms is something special. And I can’t wait to pick up Julia after a race one day.
Race Day:
It was 4 AM right when I wanted to wake up. And I’ve already been up for about 30 minutes. This always happens, but I guess it’s better to wake up naturally than get woken up by an alarm. At least it is for me.
As a Spoonie, the most important part of racing for me is being prepared, and I didn’t pack as perfectly as I wanted to for this race. Still, I woke up early to make sure that I got all my hydration and nutrition for the day ready, with time to spare.
The last thing I need is to get to the race area late and be stressed before taking on 70.3 miles of exercise. That’s not a good way to start a challenge both mentally and physically.
Getting Ready:
I got to the transition area with my slot on the racks being right next to a porta potty. I mean, I didn’t even ask for this. It’s odd how things work out perfectly sometimes. 😂
I get my bike ready, my running gear prepared, and my swimsuit on. Make a quick FaceTime call to my wife, who has been holding Julia since she woke up around AM, and say “I love you!” Now it’s time to get ready to race.
They tell all the athletes to get ready and then something I truly missed began to happen again. Being mixed up with so many other triathletes, I get to meet and make friends to discuss the upcoming day and share war stories with.
People I will likely never see again, but we’re still so connected due to what’s ahead.
We talk about the race itself, the conditions, where we’ve had challenges before, where we’ve had successes, and pass the time, all while we have the same nerves about racing well and sticking to a plan we have in mind to get each mile done.
This is one of my favorite parts. Instantly bonding with people for a short period of time, all to keep each other calm before we take on everything ahead.
The Swim - 1.2 Miles:
This was my first open water swim in over two years since my last race, so it took a little while to find my rhythm and sighting the buoys. About a 1/4 a mile in I started to find my breath and got into a flow.
Then something weird happened for the first time on a swim, it was an extremely low tide and my hands started to hit the bottom. It was gross. Before I knew it, people were standing and even walking a bit.
This was a nice break for a second, but then my legs started to get tired and I wanted to save them for the bike/run. I tried to get back into a rhythm but it was tough. The water was black from everyone kicking it up. By far the most disgusting swim I’ve had.
In the end, I didn’t make a bad time, though, and I wonder if I would have broken 40 min without the mud being a factor. I didn’t know this until I got back to my hotel room also, but I had cut my big toe on the swim exit or maybe when I was walking in the mud. Not sure. My time was 42 minutes.
Transition 1 - Swim to Bike:
Quick check of my ostomy and hoped on the bike. There was mile bike ride until we hit the actual course which was a little weird also. But makes sense as the last time I did this race my bike was around 58 miles if I remember correctly.
The Bike - 56 Miles:
The bike started off well as I was in a good mood getting out of the water. BUT right away I had PAIN on my right big toe. I figured it was a blister or something forming, so I decided to just push through.
The first loop went fairly well overall despite the pain, but then the wind starting to hit hard in the exposed areas of the course. Biking into 30 mph winds as brutal. You can hear how strong it was in the short Insta story I shared as a video.
The pain was real from my toe and my body started to hurt as most of my training was indoors due to the extreme heat we had here at the end of the summer. The longest ride I was able to get done was 42 miles.
I had thought 56 flat miles would be easily doable, but that WIND made it so much HARDER. I quickly realized I rather do a hilly course I could prepare for and have the correct mindset for than be crushed by winds. I finished in 3:10.
Transition 2 - Bike to run:
This one took a little longer as I needed to get some nutrition in me, go to the bathroom which had a line, and just needed some time to gather myself. I was happy to be off the bike and hoped for a decent run.
The Run - 13.1 Miles
I started out with a decent pace running for the first 1.5 miles at about 9:45. My spirits were high and thought I could have a good run. Slowly though I realized that wasn’t going to happen.
My big toe continued to hurt and at this point I still thought it was a blister. I got to the boardwalk where most of the run is and the first few miles were directly into the wind. On top of my toe hurting and my moral hurting also with the wind, my back began to lock up a bit and my stomach became a little queasy.
Then, my body began to have an inflammatory reaction. I can always tell this by looking at my wedding band, and it looked like it was strangling my finger. I decided to walk for a while until the wind was at my back. Eventually I started to walk .25 miles and jog .5 miles. Slowly trying to piece the miles together.
I was hurting though. I finally got to the last turn around which meant the last two miles were back into the wind. I knew my time wasn’t going to be anywhere close to the 6:27 I finished at in 2017, so I made the smart decision to not push it and just walk the rest of the way in.
The pain was real and I just wanted to be done. I finished in 2:59.
Finish - 70.3 Miles Done:
My total time was 7:12 which while I was hoping would be less, I’m perfectly happy with. When I consider the shortened training period, illness right before the race, disgusting swim conditions, cutting my big toe, a windy bike and run, and my body just not behaving overall, I’m thrilled that I had the mental strength to not give up, put one foot in front of the other, and finish all the miles for another 70.3.
And I get to add yet another medal to my rack which is always a fun thing to do.
So that’s the story of my first triathlon in 734 days. My first 70.3 in over two years. And the first time I challenged myself in such a way in longer than I like.
You can hear the crazy amount of wind I had to deal with all day.
I learned a lot this time around. What I should do if I only have a short amount of time but want to race. How to prepare for a race more, especially if I’m solo. And that no matter what, there will bu obstacles but if I cross the finish line in under 8.5 hours, I’ve done something incredible.