Two words can describe the race: hot, windy.
I knew that the wind may play a factor in the race. If I had only known how wicked it was going to be, I may have attached a rocket to my bike.
Pre-race: I arrived at the course (at 5:00 a.m.) with everything but the water and Gatorade bottles I purchased the night before. I use the 24 oz. squirt tops so that I don't have to toss my good bottles while on the bike but am not waiting for fluids after T1. Alli kindly went and picked up on of each while I set up both transitions. My wave did not begin until 7:10 so I had plenty of time to hang around the start and watch the pros come out of the water. To give you an idea, the pro men began at 6:30.
Swim: The 18-24 M and the 35-39 W were to leave together at 7:10. We got into the water at 7:06 and tread water until the horn sounded. I set up in the front but on the outside to avoid the buoy-hugging chaos. As expected, there was a sprint for the first 300 m. Once the wave spread out I was able to settle into a groove and figure out my stroke. Now this was not easy. Due to the high winds, the waves were white capping. The course also took us almost head on into the current. This lead to a slow swim time but I wanted to find a solid groove and just push through. At the turn I experienced some calf cramping which was partially due to fatigue but more to the people slamming down on my calves at the buoy. After the turn the current helped to push you in, but more worked in pushing you off course. The swim ended up being almost 10 mins slower than normal. TIME: 44:39, 2:14/100m
Transition 1: My transition was slower than normal because I had to put on sunscreen and calf compression sleeves. I put the sleeves on because I was worried with the swim cramps I would experience another bought on the bike. And to top it off, my bike show came off my pedal while mounting my bike which forced me to hop off and pick it up. TIME: 4:08
Bike: I always look forward to the bike. For me, it is normally a peaceful 2:30-3:00 hours of cruising. This was not going to be the case. I should have known when I had issues getting clipped into my bike. I rode out of the park at a solid effort, trying to orientate myself to being on the bike post-swim. As soon as I hit the Clinton Lake dam, my right aerobar elbow pad began to rotate away from me as I settled into an aero position. I thought it was just an loose elbow pad issue and I would adjust my weight slightly forward off of the elbow pad. 5 miles later, I realized the problem was that the clamp connecting the aerobar to road handle bars which meant that shifting my weight would do no good. The clamp became looser each mile I rode, eventually getting to the point where I could not ride in an aero position but was forced to ride like a normal road bike. To make problems worse, I did not have an Allen Wrench to fix the clamp. I would have to hope that when I got to the next aid station, someone would have a wrench.
I quickly learned that that riding upright was going to crush my legs due to the high winds and rolling hills of the course. I really began to hate on myself for missing that bolt while tightening the bike down. I eventually made it to the second aid station where one of the race directors had the proper wrench to fix my bike. From that point on, I pushed my pace up 23 mph to try and make up time. Unfortunately, this would be detrimental to my run. TIME: 3:26:36
Run: I knew the run was going to be difficult. I was not bothered by the heat and my knee felt great early on. It was a matter of being beaten down on the bike and the mental struggle that ensued for those 3+ hours. I was upset that my bike failed me and that I had ridden so far off pace but I knew I had to finished. With friends and family in the crowd, I was going to just push through.
I set out at a 9:00 min/mi pace for the first two miles but that pace quickly slowed down as the cramps crept into the legs. The way the run course was set up through the Clinton Lake camp grounds did make sure that the run was somewhat enjoyable, even with all the struggles. There were many friendly faces, positive encouragements and ice cold spray hoses. TIME: 2:36:43
RECAP: So in a nutshell, the race was a disaster. My swim time was 10 mins slower than goal, my bike time was 40 mins slower than pace, and the run was 40 mins slower than pace.
I was frustrated, upset and annoyed that the weight I had lose and increased fitness had not paid off in my finishing time. How could I take nearly 20 lbs off since my last race, yet add 45 mins?
However, I finished. I persevered. I realized that this race was not the main objective. I reminded myself that I have a goal farther down the road. That goal is completing Ironman Louisville; a 140.6 mile monster that is quickly approaching. Ironman Kansas 70.3 prepared for the heat and showed me that I can push away my physical and internal struggles.
I want the Ironman to know I am coming for it and that I will conquer it.
Happy training!
Drew
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