Ironman Maryland Race Report 2019 - The Before
Where do I begin?
The beginning... my first triathlon was in August 2002. The Elephant Walk Triathlon (now Sandestin Triathlon) was the start of my love affair with multi-sport. Had the post-race party been less lively, I may not be sitting here 17 years later still writing race reports. The day was S-L-O-W and H-O-T and I finished dead ass last. Why do I begin my Ironman race report with this little history lesson? Because after that, the idea of finishing in last place hasn't phased me, as long as I finish. I decided long ago that, if I could move forward I would move forward. That was the spirit I needed on 9/28/19.
The Preparation
I registered for IMMD on October 3, 2019 --- 360 days before the race. I had planned to sign up for my first Ironman for my 35th birthday. That didn't happen. Then my 40th... I blew out my back in 2014 and the thought of Ironman the following year was unbearable.
Finally I decided that my back was as good as it's going to get and I'm not getting any younger so... at the non-milestone age of 43 I was ALL IN. Flat course for the back, late September so I could train ALL summer, and a venue I knew I enjoyed.
2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run. 17 hour time limit.
In July, I started working with a coach for the final 3 month push. Best decision ever as he had me ride hundreds of miles and dial back the running. Running is my default - it's convenient, can be done indoor or out, rain or shine, day or night. The run portion I knew I could do. The key was finishing the bike early enough that I could take my time on the marathon. Over 1,000 miles of biking in those three months! Every week at 4:45 AM I got up, made a cup of coffee, grabbed my notebook and called coach Mark Wilson at 5 AM. We'd review the week past and plan the week ahead with my key training events peppered in.
The weeks flew by in a flurry of century rides, half marathons, and open water swims. I tested nutrition and clothing and made adjustments based on whatever discomfort I felt. One day I came home from a ride and tossed a pair of shorts in the trash... NOT EVEN SORRY.
Every time I turned on my Garmin I saw the countdown to race day. I was exhausted and excited and hungry all the time.
Finally race week came. I skipped my final bike ride for a glass of wine and packing (with coach's blessing) and on Thursday the 26th, I went to the lake for one last open water swim, ran a couple of miles to shake out my legs, loaded up the car, grabbed my dear friend Amanda, and we took off on an old-fashioned girls' weekend road trip!
We got to Easton, checked into the hotel, then went another 15 miles to Cambridge (where the races is held) and met Laurie - who became my riding buddy for the last month of training - for a quick beer. After that we raced to Salisbury airport to get Lauren, one of my oldest and dearest, from the airport. 2 out of my 3 support crew were in town! Moe would arrive the next evening and I knew had an amazing team ready to sherpa the hell out of my Maryland adventure.
The Day Before
I had ordered bib mailing which meant I was able to check in on Friday (well worth the money). We loaded up and went to the transition/race start area to complete the check-in process, get my bike on the rack and drop by bike and run gear bags.
I also had one additional goal... get in the water and get acquainted with the jellyfish that descended on the Choptank. They were literally EVERYWHERE. I'm not a stranger to jellies, but I do have a little PTSD from childhood. I was stung over the 4th of July in the gulf so I'm not completely freaked out. Until I saw them. These aren't gulf jellies. When the posts started popping up about the jellyfish sightings, I ordered Safe Sea online. I wanted to test my Safe Sea anti-jellyfish sunscreen before the main event. I went out for a 10 minute swim... no stings. Then Laurie joined me for a second swim... big whack across the face, among others. The only area that was spared (other than what was covered by wetsuit) was the tops of my feet where the sunscreen was still thick and white. Another athlete said she had no stings and she was covered in Desitin. So Amanda whipped out her phone and ordered a tub of Desitin (and vaseline) from Target for pickup later in the day!
We then headed to Gerry Boyle Park for the final Athlete briefing and a little shopping at the expo - I restocked my Tailwind since I didn't order another bag early enough - and then went back to the hotel to relax. We ordered Chinese (Moe arrived yay!), I sat in the Normatec leg compression for a while, the team made signs, I prepped my special needs bags, and then we tried to get some sleep before the big day.
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| Welcome Crabbies! |
The Preparation
I registered for IMMD on October 3, 2019 --- 360 days before the race. I had planned to sign up for my first Ironman for my 35th birthday. That didn't happen. Then my 40th... I blew out my back in 2014 and the thought of Ironman the following year was unbearable.
Finally I decided that my back was as good as it's going to get and I'm not getting any younger so... at the non-milestone age of 43 I was ALL IN. Flat course for the back, late September so I could train ALL summer, and a venue I knew I enjoyed.
2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run. 17 hour time limit.
In July, I started working with a coach for the final 3 month push. Best decision ever as he had me ride hundreds of miles and dial back the running. Running is my default - it's convenient, can be done indoor or out, rain or shine, day or night. The run portion I knew I could do. The key was finishing the bike early enough that I could take my time on the marathon. Over 1,000 miles of biking in those three months! Every week at 4:45 AM I got up, made a cup of coffee, grabbed my notebook and called coach Mark Wilson at 5 AM. We'd review the week past and plan the week ahead with my key training events peppered in.
The weeks flew by in a flurry of century rides, half marathons, and open water swims. I tested nutrition and clothing and made adjustments based on whatever discomfort I felt. One day I came home from a ride and tossed a pair of shorts in the trash... NOT EVEN SORRY.
Every time I turned on my Garmin I saw the countdown to race day. I was exhausted and excited and hungry all the time.
Finally race week came. I skipped my final bike ride for a glass of wine and packing (with coach's blessing) and on Thursday the 26th, I went to the lake for one last open water swim, ran a couple of miles to shake out my legs, loaded up the car, grabbed my dear friend Amanda, and we took off on an old-fashioned girls' weekend road trip!
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| Run and bike gear bags prep |
The Day Before
I had ordered bib mailing which meant I was able to check in on Friday (well worth the money). We loaded up and went to the transition/race start area to complete the check-in process, get my bike on the rack and drop by bike and run gear bags.
 |
| Bounce testing the gels on the race belt |
I also had one additional goal... get in the water and get acquainted with the jellyfish that descended on the Choptank. They were literally EVERYWHERE. I'm not a stranger to jellies, but I do have a little PTSD from childhood. I was stung over the 4th of July in the gulf so I'm not completely freaked out. Until I saw them. These aren't gulf jellies. When the posts started popping up about the jellyfish sightings, I ordered Safe Sea online. I wanted to test my Safe Sea anti-jellyfish sunscreen before the main event. I went out for a 10 minute swim... no stings. Then Laurie joined me for a second swim... big whack across the face, among others. The only area that was spared (other than what was covered by wetsuit) was the tops of my feet where the sunscreen was still thick and white. Another athlete said she had no stings and she was covered in Desitin. So Amanda whipped out her phone and ordered a tub of Desitin (and vaseline) from Target for pickup later in the day!
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| Just one of the bajillion jellies |
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| With Laurie before practice swim #2 |
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| Um.... |
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