Ironman Cozumel Race Report: Part Dos

 Part Uno described the days leading up to the race and the panic of potentially not getting my bike in time for the race.

The Swim

We left off at the mass swim start. This was unlike anything I have ever experienced in a triathlon ever. Normally they start the races in waves and the biggest start I have ever been a part of was at Eagleman 70.3 which was about 125 or so girls. This time there were 2,350 people- mostly men- all swimming in one direction.

I swam with strong strokes and tried to find clear water but there wasn't any. To my surprise, I was passing people. I was also being swam over, swam under, kicked, punched, and dunked. I wasn't totally innocent myself- I swam over at least 3 people (sorry!), kicked several people and elbowed a few more. After we made the first turn around we were going with the current and it felt glorious. Although, it was hard to sight because the buoys for half the course were orange and all of the men were in orange swim caps. Luckily, I was keeping up with the main pack so as long as I saw people around me, I didn't even have to sight. I finally found some clear water and enjoyed looking down at the divers beneath us. I tried to look for fish but I think the thousands of people stirring the water around scared them.

Just when I was getting into a grove I got stung by a jelly fish...in the face. Right on my lips actually. The stings to the legs and arms don't even make you flinch but taking a jelly to the face hurt! I screamed into the water and picked up the pace a little bit. The wrestling match continued on the straight away to the swim finish. Luckily, I made it out alive with no bruises or bloody noses.

Don't laugh- I had a hard time getting up the steps. I'm short! I had to hoist myself up on those bad boys. I did it little kid style- sit my butt on the steps and swing my feet around. I managed to keep my heart rate low during the swim and I exited the water feeling awesome.

I saw my family cheering as I got out of the water and then I saw the clock. 1 hour 16 minutes. I was ecstatic with that time. I honestly thought I would be much closer to the 1:30 mark even with the current and buoyancy of the salt water. Needless to say, I was pretty damn pumped about the swim. Jelly fish sting to the face and all.

The run from the from exit to the changing tent was quite a ways. I grabbed the bag with the sparkly blue bow and went into the women's changing tent. Unlike all of the reports that I have read where the volunteer basically dresses you, I had no help what so ever. I put a wet washcloth in a ziplock bag to quickly wipe the salt and sand off of my body before putting on bike shorts, sports bra, bike jersey and accessories. Let me just tell you how damn hard it is to put a sports bra on while wet. Maybe that is why T1 took me 12 minutes. Yes, I know that is a long transition time. No, I don't know how or why it took me that long. When Phil saw my transition time he said "What were you DOING in there?!" I don't know! I swear it felt like I was rushing! Anyway- after a 12 minute fiasco of trying to get my sports bra on I grabbed the Pink Lady and we headed off on our very long bike ride.

The Bike

The bike course is 3 loops around half of the island. Three very windy loops. As soon as I mounted my bike and made the right hand turn out of transition I was greeted with a nice head wind. I took a deep breath and kept my effort easy, letting my speed slow down in order to keep my heart rate low. I didn't know my speed which made it easy to keep a positive mind set. For now.

As the road curved to the left I was in awe of the pretty beaches. The scenery is amazing. Just as I was admiring the waves crashing into the rocks, a gust of wind blew so hard that my bike and I flew to the other side of the road. The head wind had changed to a side wind. A wind so hard that I was holding onto my aero bars for dear life using a ton of effort just to keep my bike going in a straight line. I used my arms so much to stabilize my bike that the day after the race my biceps were just as sore as my legs. At least it was pretty scenery!

The back stretch of the island was about 10 miles. 10 very slow and frustrating miles. I continued to keep my effort easy and my heart rate low. My team had a cheering station set up at the end of the windy stretch which really lifted my spirits! They were having a ton of fun and I looked forward to getting to them each loops because they were amazing and it also meant the end of the side wind!

Yes, that is my coach. Yes, he is in his underwear and a sombrero. The best way to make people laugh at an Ironman is to strip down to your undies.

The locals were out in force as you headed back into town. They made home made noise makers (rocks in soda bottles) and radios jammin'. They also loved that I was a girl, on a pink bike that says Quintana Roo down the side. Hearing "Vamonos, Chica!!" never got old. They cheered for everyone like they were winning. It was amazing.

My family managed to see me coming through town on the first loop but I didn't see them. However, I heard them scream my name as I was already past them.

Once you go through town you turn back onto the road with the head wind. When I looked at how long it took me to complete the first lap of the bike, I felt frustrated and down. I knew my speed was slow, but I didn't realize it was THAT slow.

It was at this point that I took out a few little notes to read to get my spirits back up. (Thank you to all who wrote notes- I read all of them and they were all amazing!) The first note I read was from my friend Jenn who is finishing up PT school and it said "You put the Physical in Physical Therapist". It really made me smile and excited for the next few years of my life. The next one was from one of my best friends from college and it said "Remember when we would run a mile our senior year and almost die? Look how far you've come!" She was right. I've come a long ways. Who cares if the nasty wind is making my bike time slower than I would have wanted. I took those words with me for the rest of the bike ride. Thanks, Rach :)

I kept my heart rate low the entire time. I was spot on with my nutrition, salt and water intake. My stomach felt amazing. My legs felt fantastic and other than a few minutes of feeling sorry for myself on the second loop- my mental state was exactly where I wanted it to be. I was happy and grateful.

The last loop was the windiest as there was a storm that rolled in on the other side of the island. As I made my way back into town I was so excited to get off my bike and onto my own two feet to run my first marathon. I dismounted my bike, practically threw it to the volunteer, grabbed my second transition bag and headed for the changing tent. The bike portion of the race took me 7 hours and 47 minutes. Over an hour slower than what I was hoping for.

I began the run with a smile on my face, legs and stomach feeling great, and knowing that it would only be a few more hours until I was an Ironman.

Part 3 coming tomorrow!

Ironman Cozumel Race Report: Part Uno

Pre-Race:

The days leading up to the race were spent packing and repacking my bags to make sure I had everything I could have possibly needed for the race. My family and I left on Thanksgiving morning for Mexico. The flight from Dallas to Cozumel was packed with athletes. You could tell because everyone was either wearing compression socks, an Ironman jacket, a Garmin watch, or a combination of all of those things. I sat next to a woman who had already completed 8 Ironman races. When I told her this was my first one she said "Oh! You are so lucky! You only get one first Ironman- make sure you take the time to look around and really enjoy what you are doing. You've earned it." I smiled and told her that enjoying this experience and getting to the finish line was my goal.

When I arrived in Cozumel and checked into the hotel, Kate, Nick and myself went to pick up our packets. It all still felt surreal to me. In 2 days I would be taking my 140.6 mile journey.

 Ironman packet pickup is an experience. You can just feel the energy and excitement in the air. We also got some pretty sweet swag- a long sleeved zip up bike jersey!

After packet pickup we were supposed to go pick up our bikes but the Tri Sport Express guy sent an email saying the bikes would not be on the island until Friday morning due to some travel issues they were having.

Thursday concluded with finally being reunited with Phil. When I saw him I squealed like a 13 year old girl at a Justin Beiber concert. I ran up to him and hugged him. It was a great Thanksgiving!

Friday morning a bunch of teammates and I went to the swim start for the practice swim. They had half of the course open but I didn't want to swim that much so I cut it short and swam for about 15 minutes. Seeing the course before hand was really great. I was able to feel the current and knew where I would be swimming slower and where I would be flying. Feeling the jelly fish stings before hand was also good because I knew what to expect on race day. (they aren't bad)

After the practice swim we were supposed to go pick up our bikes but we got another email saying that the bike dude didn't get his passport stamped and was detained over night and that our bikes would be available for pick up on Saturday morning. ONE HOUR BEFORE HAVING TO RACK THEM. I slightly went into panic mode. When I say slightly I mean extremely. No bike meant no race. I told my mom that if I said the magic words she was to go and buy me a bike and the local Mega (like a Walmart) and I would attempt the Ironman on that.

In the mean time, I packed all of my gear bags while anxiously awaiting any news about Pink Lady. My mom made me blue sparkly bows for all of my gear bags so that I could spot them easily. Since you have to grab all of your own bags at this race, the blue bows really helped!

After a nightmare on Friday night about not getting my bike on time, I woke up frantic to check my email. Luckily, the bikes had arrived and were ready for pick up. We had time to get our bikes, ride them about about half an hour and bring them to bike check in. (No, I will never ever use the bike shipping service I used to Cozumel ever again. He cut it waaaay too close for comfort. My whole team would have been without bikes!)

I had a pretty sweet spot in the maze of a transition area. I dropped off Pink Lady and spent the rest of the day sitting in the shade with a bottle of water.

Race morning came quickly. Phil even woke up at 12:30 (we went to bed at like 8:30) ready to go and I had to tell him to try and go back to sleep for 3.5 more hours. We both popped out of bed anxious to get the show on the road. We met our families in the lobby of the hotel and patiently waited for the next bus to take us to the swim start.

Unfortunately that bus took forever and we arrived to the transition area with only 6 minutes to put our bottles on our bikes, apply sunscreen and drop off our special needs bag.

Phil and I rushed through the transition area and made it into the water with plenty of time to spare. He kissed me, told me he loved me and wished me well as he jumped off the dock into the water. I followed suit. Many people were treading water but I clung to one of the poles of the dock to conserve energy. When the announcer said "4 minutes till age group start" I looked behind me and realized there were at least 2,000 swimmers behind me.

I positioned myself way too far forward. Before I could move back, the horn blew and there were legs and arms flailing all around me. This was it. Do or die. I said a prayer and I began to swim in what would turn out to be a non stop wrestling match with a few jelly fish stings.

To be continued! 

I am an Ironman

Yesterday, I completed a 2.4 mile swim in crystal clear blue water, a 112 mile bike ride on an extremely windy day, and a marathon through downtown Cozumel. It took me 14 hours and 56 minutes until I heard the words "Lauren Riley, from Arlington Virginia, for the first time in your life, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN"

The day was filled with ups, downs, doubts, and smiles. I'll give a full report with tons of pictures when I get back from vacation but for the next few days I will be nursing my sore muscles by sitting by the pool and drinking margaritas. Thanks again for all of the support- knowing people were tracking me gave me the boost to run the last chunk of the marathon.

See ya in Mexico!

My bags are packed, my Gu's are accounted for, my passport is in my purse, and I am ready to go!

why yes, that is peanut butter and jelly in my bag and 4 bottles of sunscreen





I'll try and check in later this week once I have picked up my bike and my race numbers. In case you missed any posts don't forget to read my goals for race day and how to track me during the race! See ya in Mexico!

The Ironman Cozumel Goals Post

Well, this is it. It feels very strange to be writing my goals for this race. The race that I signed up for a year ago. The race that when other races this season went to shit I would say "My biggest goal is Cozumel in November". So without further ado, this is what I hope my sometime-less-than-17-hour (17 hours is the time cut off) day looks like.

Overall

Let me just say that my biggest goal for the day is to get my booty across that finish line come hell or high water. I have no time goals except for making the cut-off of 17 hours. I promise that no matter what situations may arise, and during such a long race I'm sure they will, I will keep moving forward. I will also take the time to look around me and say "wow...I'm doing a %$#^ Ironman" and smile. And just in case you had any doubts, I plan to cheese it up to the cameras as much as possible to keep my streak of awesome race photos going. I'm actually hoping for some pretty epic pictures...I have a few ideas in mind ;)

The Swim

Swimming- which I once thought was my weakest leg considering this time last year I couldn't cross the length of a pool without struggling, has pleasantly surprised me throughout the season. I have done 5 swims of 4500 meters in the past month which is longer than the Ironman swim. The last 2 or so of these swims felt close to effortless and that is what I hope for come race day.

The swim takes place in Chankanaab park. The water will be about 84 degrees, so no wetsuit! The water visibility will be 100% and the swim is a single loop with the longest stretch of the loop being with the current. Apparently it is one of the fastest Ironman swims out there. My plan is to position myself where I always do and swim strong and steady. And by that I mean swim easy, enjoy the fishies, and not get kicked in the face, Rumpus and Bumpas style. I estimate my swim time to be between 1:18 and 1:30.

There is also apparently a large, stone, statue of Jesus as you are making your way back to the dock. That might be a great time to say a little prayer for the rest of my day. It also may scare the crap out of me to see Jesus during an Ironman...

The Bike

The bike is a 3 loop course that loops around the island. I never realized how small Cozumel was until I saw this bike course. While at first I thought the idea of loops sucked, I have come to realize that it will be awesome. I get to pass my special needs bag 3 times, and me and Phil's awesome support crew 3 times. Downside? I also get to deal with the wind 3 times.

One of my friends and teammates who has done this race before and is a strong athlete warned us that the bike splits on this course get slower and slower each lap (so if you are tracking me, don't be surprised to see this!). He also warned us that many athletes blow up (thats tri talk for expending too much energy and then paying for it dearly) because they look down at their speedometer during the first stretch of the bike course and see a great speed (tailwind) and then when their speed drops due to crosswinds and headwinds they push and push and set themselves up for an awful run. Taking Damon's advice to heart and knowing that I would not be happy if I saw 8mph on my bike computer, I decided to ride without knowing my speed. Yup, thats right. My garmin will be displaying my heart rate zone, time of day, and distance traveled. This will allow me to solely focus on the effort I am expending so that I can set myself up to be able to jog the marathon. I don't want a repeat of Eagleman where I had to walk the whole entire run.

I also plan to take a salt pill once an hour, and 2 Powerbar gels an hour. I'll also have granola bars, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and other snacks to keep me fueled. I'll also be drinking water like it's going out of style. I plan to keep my effort easy, sing to myself, cheer for those who pass me, and enjoy the ocean view. I expect the bike will take me between 6:45 and 7:15 but that could be totally off depending on what the day brings. The Pink Lady  is ready to rock and roll.

The Run

I am hoping that with an easy effort and focused nutrition on the bike, I set myself up for a good run. When I say good run please know that I do not mean fast. Nothing about next Sunday is going to be fast. I more so mean feeling ok, not sick to my stomach, and in good spirits.

From the very start of the marathon leg I plan to implement a run/walk strategy. I am going to walk the aid stations. I feel that taking walking breaks from the very beginning is a better idea than trying to run the first 12 or so miles and then be forced to walk the rest of the way due to stomach issues.

The run course is also 3 loops. Which is great because I will get to see my friends, teammates and the love of my life (who will be hours ahead of me, I assure you) on the course a few times. It also means I will have to see and hear the finish line 2 times before I am able to cross it. This is when I will have to be mentally tough, perhaps read some love notes you all have sent me and just keep pushing forward to the finish line. If all goes well, I expect the marathon to take me between 5:00 and 5:30. Again, these times are all estimates because you never know what the day will bring.

The Finish

Once I get my butt to the finish line chute, I have a very strict rule: NO WALKING. Music will be blaring, people will be lined up cheering, and the announcer will say "Lauren Riley, usted es un Ironman!". You can't walk for that! I'm sure my adrenaline will give me enough energy to pump my fists up and down and execute the perfect finish line dance. Yes, there is a finish line dance. I've thought long and hard about it. It will be the perfect way to end a long day of somewhere between 14 and 17 hours.

I think that about sums it up! My plan is to go slow, enjoy the day, stay mentally strong, and make constant forward progress towards the finish line. holy crap, I can't believe it's finally here!

How to Track me During Ironman!

On Sunday, November 27th, while you are all still in your post-Thanksgiving food coma, I will be exploring the island of Cozumel for many, many hours. If you would like to cheer me on from the comfort of your own home, with beer in hand, there are several ways you can do that.

1. You can follow me on Twitter for real-time updates on where I am on the course. Not only will automatic messages be coming through to my Twitter account with my times/pace/location, but my big sister will be taking over my account and sending tweets when she sees me on the course. This will most likely be the most entertaining way to track me especially as time goes on because my sister plans to be partaking in margaritas throughout the day and the tweets could become quite ridiculous. This is also a good way to track Phil, too!
2. You can join this Google group to get real-time updates emailed to you through out the day. The emails will say something like "IM Cozumel Update: Lauren just finished the swim with a time of 1:19:32" or "IM Cozumel Update: Phil just finished the race in 12:02:03" or something like that. With this option you are not glued to your couch pressing refresh on the Ironman site- especially if you have a smart phone where you get your email!  Updates will be sent for Phil as well.
3. Lastly, you can use the Ironman Live site and enter in my bib number (137!) or my last name (Riley) and see my splits. With this option though, there is the risk that the site will crash or be super late in putting up my splits. You can also utilize this option for the live video stream to watch me actually cross the finish line if you decide to stay up past your bed time. I promise my finish line dance will make you laugh. To track Phil on this site, his bib number is 195.

I know the race is still almost 2 weeks away, but I leave early next week. Don't worry, I'm sure I will remind you of how to track me next week so it is fresh in your mind :)

Race with Gratitude

With Ironman less than 2 weeks away (!!!) I have been doing a lot of thinking about my goals for race day. I have spent time reflecting on the past year and how much I have grown as an athlete and as an individual. You'll have to wait until later this week to hear what my goals for the race are, but there is one thought that kept coming to mind as I was brainstorming and I felt it needed it own post: race with gratitude.

I am so unbelievably thankful for all of the wonderful and supportive people I have in my life that have made this experience not only possible but enjoyable. It is overwhelming, in a wonderful way, to know that on race day Phil and I will have those we love most cheering on the side lines, as well as many others cheering remotely.

I have been blessed with a supportive family that hasn't questioned why I chose to do this- but instead, memorized the Ironman distances, booked flights to Cozumel, and ordered matching shirts in preparation to cheer me and Phil on.

and Phil. From the very beginning he pushed me when I needed it, listened to all my frustrations, and was by my side always. I am very lucky to have someone so wonderful in my life who makes me happy every single day. It is nice seeing him at the finish line even if he gets there hours before me.

and lastly I have the best friends in the world. My non triathlete friends have forgiven me for missing birthdays, law school graduations, and nights out due to early morning training sessions. My triathlete friends have made this adventure enjoyable as we pushed each other to reach our goals this season. The bonding that people have while riding 115 miles together is pretty impressive. I've made amazing friends training for this race.

So for that, I am grateful. No matter what that race throws at me on November 27th, I will find strength by remembering the journey and racing with gratitude for my health and the wonderful people I am surrounded by. Sometimes we get caught up with our pace, heart rate, and things that may not be going our way on race day- but it is important to remember how lucky we are to be able to have this experience.

I promise my goals post wont be as sappy :)