I came into the race tired after a long season. I had never done so many long events in one year! Not only that, but the last 3 long races I had dealt with terrible stomach issues on the run. It had been very frustrating. I had tried everything; including going gluten and dairy free before Louisville...didn't work. So instead, this race I went back to basics. I trained with course nutrition for the weeks before and had a tip from an expert who had dealt with stomach issues. Take a Zantac 30 min before the start! I did!
My wife and I decided to stay down the road from the race hotel at The Wilmingtonian. This was a local and historic place. DOG friendly too! Chaco was happy about that. We loved it! An apartment set up with a kitchen is definitely the way to go! We got in late Thursday and grab from food and hit the bed. Friday morning I knocked out everything as fast possible. Dropped the bags off and bike and got away from the crowds! We went down to the beach for a bit before heading back to the room. The rest of Friday was spent laying around. Decided to cook ourselves and stay in Friday which was great. I was in bed nice and early and ready to go! This was my race! I had done this race 2 times prior and knew it backward and forward!
Alarm went off at 4am....had my morning coffee, 2 eggs, and grits. From experience, I had a sweatsuit and old shoes to wear to the start and donate. I walked the half a mile to the trolly that took us over to T1. Dang it was cold....39/40 degrees. Got the T1 and did the normal run through. Put 2 bottles on my bike, 1200 calories of food, and double check that I was in the right gear, checked tire pressure, and walk away:) Hopped the trolly to the start with wetsuit in hand. Lots of nervous chatter at the start so I went off on my own and laid down....1 hr out. 30 minutes out I took my Zantac and half a gel. I drank the rest of my water and put the wetsuit on. 15 minutes out I made my way to the beach and made my way to the front. Perfect! Music began to rock and the countdown started...10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-BOOM
THE SWIM
This swim had NO CURRENT this year. This would typically be a great advantage to me as a swimmer. The harder the swim the better! This year I have not been in the pool at all! I really slacked on it. I had been in the water 10 times since January probably...which included races....not smart. I felt good though for majority! I kept swimming wide though...I was not sighting well at all. This killed my time. Then with about a half mile to go CRAMP! This was a first for me. Left calf and quad locked up so bad I had to sit up and scream in pain. I had to use my hand to force my leg to bend...ouch. Made it to the end at 58:22. Not bad but 10 minutes slower than last year...I had work to do. I made the run over to T1 and it was COOOOOLD! I threw on arm warmers after struggling to get them over my wet arms. Wish I had put gloves in there.....oh well. Time to roll baby! Out of T1 in 5:03.
THE BIKE
The start of the bike was freaking cold! I was numb all over and could not get in a rhythm at all. I made some good passes and settled in. Because of the tough swim, I was in no mans land. It was lonely on the course. I did not see a soul for 50 miles!!! I felt great though and was taking it easy and making good time. Finally ran into someone at mile 50ish near the special needs. Also, saw the wife, brother, and sister in law and that gave me some good energy. The other guy seemed to be hurting so I made the pass and pushed on. Around mile 70, he passed me back. As I sat up to eat something real quick, one of the pads from the arrow bars stuck to my arm warmer and then dropped to the ground...great. Now my arm was resting on carbon. Oh well, at least there was only 35 miles left. I hung with him and passed back again near 80 miles in. Around mile 95, he went back by and pushed on hard. I let him go. I took it easy for the last 6 miles. I was having to weave to back end of the Half Iron group. I was feeling good and honestly had not pushed it at all. The headwinds were rough all day but I was hydrated thanks to using course nutrition. That was for sure a smart move! I think some of my past issues came from too much calculation on the bike and becoming dehydrated. I hit T2 knowing I was positioned for a PR and the run was all that mattered. Bike time was 5:20:04. I was in and out of T2 quick but managed to reset my watch in doing so. T2 was 2:17 and I hit the run course.
THE RUN
I was repeating to myself...slow down slow down slow down. I did and started out nice and easy. I finally got my watch working and got into the zone. I ditched the arm warmers, which were still on, at the 2nd aid station as I was finally heating up. Great to see so many familiar faces before heading out to the lonely out and back section. They had changed the course slightly which I really liked. It was absolutely gorgeous around the lake and though the woods. My first 13 were steady and I felt good! NO STOMACH ISSUES...THANK GOD!!! I finished the 13.1 in about 2:07 and was not dying. I made my way back and this part was brutal. You had to run right past the finish line...I mean right past and keep going about another mile before making your way back past the finish line and onto the last lap! I headed back out and onto the one hill before the crowd goes away. I pushed on. I was walking some of the aid stations depending on how I was feeling but overall feeling good. Once I made the final turn with 6 miles to go I started doing the math in my head...was I finally going to break 11. 5 to go....the math was looking even better. I got a light stomach cramp with about 5 to go and stopped drinking Heed just in case. I took at sip of coke and that seemed to really help. 3 miles to go and I put everything I had left. Ran through the aid stations and down to the final stretch on the cobblestones! I had finally done it. Almost an even split marathon with a 4:22:33! Most importantly, NO GI ISSUES! Wahoo. Also, a 10:48:01! PR by 19 minutes with a bad swim. I was happy and am still happy:)
I felt pretty nauseated from not drinking the last part of the run because I was so scared of a stomach issue popping up. I knew it was not smart but I wanted to break that 11! I got 3 bags in an IV and was good to go! I love the race and am blessed to have been able to race it 3 times. I will be back again and again. SETUP EVENTS puts on an amazing race! The town and people are great! I have had so much support from family and friends! All the equipment, tips, and advice from the experts at All3Sports has been crucial. It has been a long season but it feels so great to end on a PR! Thanks everyone for the support and a special thanks to my wife Mallory who does so so so so so much to make my goals become realities! God has blessed me so much and may He alone be glorified!
Congrats on a great year. You sacrificed a lot and achieved a lot
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