2015 Kerrville Triathlon 70.3
Kerrville actually started for me back in 2013. It was my first trip out to the Texas hill country with Michael and the Powerhouse. At that time he was a TriDot athlete and Coach Malenie put together a plan that included Kerrville as his pre IMCOZ warm-up. It was a great trip despite being sick. You see just weeks before I had radiation therapy for thyroid cancer. My immune system was a bit sluggish and the likely change in temperature from hot and humid Houston to a much, much cooler and rainy day in hill country gave me a bit of a cold. There were just a few of us (Johnny, Andrea, Jim, Melanie, among maybe about 4 more athletes combined from Powerhouse and BAM). I remember saying that I could foresee doing the quarter distance sometime. Considering that I had many medical hurdles to overcome, 2013 tri season was awash. In 2014 Kerrville quarter was the icing on the cake for my race season as it was the longest distance I had ever competed in. We had a pretty big group in 2014 and that year I knew after I crossed the finish line I wanted Kerrville to be my first half-iron distance. I’ll get into race details in a bit.
Before you decide to sign up for a half-iron distance triathlon you have to have already established a “why”. Let’s face it- who signs up for a 70.3 just because? There are plenty (and less painful) things to do for four to seven plus hours right? So why do you tri? Why do you research, train, plan and hit ‘submit’? For me it was a test of my will and commitment to a plan. When I was growing up and things got too difficult or started to hurt, I easily backed out and went on to the next thing. I am also part of social media support groups for people who have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. If you know anything about the thyroid it plays a huge role in your metabolism as well as your energy levels. I hear women (and men) in these groups go on about what they can’t do because of cancer. My attitude was the opposite. I thought I’m going to do this IN SPITE OF….and so I did. It’s a testament to your will power over physical ability.
I have done sprints and then an Olympic. It got tougher and it started to hurt more but I held on and finished. The natural progression was a half-iron distance. I knew I could do each of those distances alone. The trick was going to be to stick to the training plan and put all three disciplines together. I was already on the right track working with Powerhouse Racing. The tracks were laid and the base was built. June rolled around and it was now time to start putting in the work and building. I like checking boxes and crossing things off of my lists so my plan with the Powerhouse worked well. Seeing all the green (completed workouts) in Training Peaks ™ kept my OCD in check! I rarely looked ahead in Training Peaks ™ to see what was coming, rather stayed on the task at hand. Each day I did the work, uploaded my data to Strava ™, Garmin Connect ® and Training Peaks ™ (see how that OCD thing works). I’ve never been a data person but it was good to see that as the planned volume increased the data that I was uploading were also meeting the marks. You’ve heard the saying, “Once you see results, you won’t want to quit”, that’s where I was. I felt like I was on a roll and I had the most support ever from friends and family from all over, my Powerhouse family and of course Michael. I felt good. I mean really good! I’ve been fortunate to not put on weight like so many people do after a thyroidectomy so I felt “light” and strong this entire season and (so far) injury-free! Those two words are golden!
Race weekend was here. I was a bit nervous that I wasn’t more nervous. I mean I’m about to propel my body for 70.3 miles. Shouldn’t I be pacing the halls, checking and re-checking my gear, questioning my training? I have never really been the nervous type. A mantra that gets me through many rough spots in life is “everything is as it should be” and that’s where I was at. I briefly thought back to my training. I put in the time and I did the work. I didn’t half-ass anything. So when asked, “Are you ready?” my only response was “yes”. We got to Kerrville on Friday afternoon. It has always been a fun ride up. We’ve got Electric Area blasting on SiruisXM and we’re pumped! We roll into town and meet Sandy and George at T2 to set up the Powerhouse tent. I got out of the car and realized that it was much warmer than the previous years have been. I brush it off knowing in Texas the weather can change in the blink of an eye. Mike and I get checked into our hotel and head to packet pick-up. There we meet up again with the Touchton’s and more Powerhouse athletes- Coach JZ, the Howard’s, the Sapora’s, Jason and the Navarro’s. Even though I see these faces on a regular basis it was comforting to see familiar faces out of town. We get our packets, fill up with goodies and head out to dinner. We made our way to Buzzie’s BBQ in town and meet up with more athletes- Gus and Jennifer, Travis and Russ. Again good to see familiar faces! (When you go to race Kerrville in 2016 make sure you get to this BBQ joint. It was amazing! It was just what we needed for race weekend.) After filling up and Brice and Mike comparing food babies (I will never be able to unsee this) we all head to the hotel bar for a nightcap. Note: don’t ask for a wine list. Just know they have beer, red wine, white wine, and bubbly wine. It wasn’t a rager. We were all tired from the long drive and trying to keep things calm before the storm. After one drink we all turned in for the night. Saturday morning the Powerhouse hit the water for a practice swim after breakfast. Make sure you don’t eat a heavy meal on race morning. You don’t want to revisit bacon and eggs as your wetsuit wraps your body like an anaconda (I can’t even believe I said that). We didn’t swim the race distance rather got a few last swim pointers from Coach Johnny and Brice. It was helpful to be in the water and to know what to expect. Coach Brice had a good point to not swim right in the middle of the pack as the swimmers would stir up all the river crud and make it even harder to see. Coach Brice pointed out a spot on the long stretch of the swim where the “interview process” should take place. This is where you find someone of your speed and just hang on (not literally of course). Let them do the work (lol).
The afternoon approaches and now it’s time to gather all the bags. Oy the bags! Morning clothes bag, bike bag, run bag… If you’ve never done a triathlon with two transitions there is a lot of logistics involved. Now I was actually getting a bit anxious because I did not want to forget anything. It’s almost a one shot deal. If you forget something…well that’s it. Mike helps me get my bags together with all my gear and nutrition with a little extra just in case. We walk my bike over to T1 and I thought it would be a good time to make sure the all the “stuff” was working. Per Murphy’s law my Garmin was not cooperating and not picking up any sensors. This is where I start to have a minor, internal temper tantrum. Lips tighten, teeth are clenched. It was just a matter of seconds before I launched the Garmin into the Guadalupe River. Mike knows me well and picks up on it (not to mention he probably felt the steam shooting out from my ears) and takes my Garmin to mess with it for a bit. I swear my electronics are conscious and they do things just to mess with me. Bike is checked in with a prime spot at the end of the rack and close to bike-out. Because I have an XS bike frame (short girl problems) my bike just dangles from the rack. Since it was open racking that spot at the end was prime, as my bike wouldn’t be blowing in the wind. It rested nicely on the legs of the rack itself. Also the last thing I wanted was to wander around looking for my bike. Time to head over to T2 to drop off my run bag. The day prior it was hot. It seems that it was even hotter now. I look at my watch and realize that it is also about the time that I’d be on the run course. Holy cow. If there was a patron saint of triathlon I was praying to him/her at this moment for decent weather. But you know, “everything is as it should be”.
After lunch and a trip to the grocers we meet up with the “PHO” (Powerhouse Ohana) poolside for pre-race dinner. We had eaten at the Cowboy Steakhouse the previous years but we had such a huge group. There’s no way we’d all be able to visit and sit down for a good meal. Poolside worked perfectly! (Previous years stats: 2013 there were six that I remember doing the half; 2014 there were about 9 or 10 doing the half; 2015 I think there were 20. TWENTY!) If you’re new to the Powerhouse know that you are surrounded by years and years of combined triathlon experience. If you have a question, there’s someone within arms reach with an answer. Everyone exchanged stories, discussed race strategy. It’s good to see everyone not in spandex, and swim goggles and even better to meet those who are there to support their athlete. This would almost not be possible without that support so thanks to all the patient family members! Time to hit the rack, put the feet up and get rested for race day.
So yeah, Texas weather…after a light breakfast we walk to transition to air up the tires and set up the bike (shoes, helmet, glasses, nutrition). It was in the low 60s, a stark difference from the day before. I was almost shivering. Almost. I had Mike body mark me because I never liked the way body marked wrote the numbers on my arms (OCD). He started to write and I said, “make sure you do it in your BEST writing!” Mike: “But have you seen the way I write my 4s?” Me: (crickets) “My number is 112”… Everything is set up and we meet up with PHO at bike out. Everyone is climbing into their wetsuits and grabbing some photos. Energy is high. We’re all amped. This is what we’ve been training for. The announcer calls for everyone to start gathering around swim start for the National Anthem. Sidebar: when the National Anthem is being played STAND STILL! No walking around, no finishing up with gear, no selfies, no photos, JUST. STAND. STILL. PERIOD. Pay just a minute or two of respect. The half distance and half distance relays go first followed by the quarter and quarter relays. It was happening and it was happening FAST! In just a matter of a few minutes I was in line with Kate at the swim start.
Swim (1:56/100 2188m): Don’t forget to start your Garmin. Sight as often as possible. Follow through on your stroke. Don’t panic. GET MOVING! Those were most of my thoughts as I entered the water. I swam about 15 feet lateral of the orange buoys until I got about 6 from the dorito. At that point it was time to fall in line. There weren’t too many people around me. One of the reasons I love the Kerrville tri- Time trial start allows for a few seconds in between each swimmer. You don’t feel like people are swimming on top of you. You’re heart rate doesn’t spike. You enter the water on your own terms. I like that! I made it to the first and then second turn. Now I was facing the longest stretch of the swim. So far I felt like I was on pace. I didn’t feel exhausted but it was definitely not a leisurely swim. Brice said it should be a little uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable especially because I felt the chaffing beginning on my inner arms. I went wider with my strokes and higher with my elbows which seemed to give some temporary relief. About half way through I met my new neighbor. She was eager to get to know me as she kept swimming into me. Because I was sighting I knew I was swimming in a fairly straight line, but she kept on swimming into me. I held my own, after all I was here first! If she wanted to get around she was going to have to swim faster. I don’t know what she decided because I lost her. During the swim I think I slowed down once because I was losing my cap and goggles other wise I just kept moving. Making the last turn buoy I start heading towards the swim-in. Still not too many people immediately around me I see a few swimmers as I sight off the big building. In just a few more yards I see the blue swim in flags. Was I happy to know that I could get out of the water soon! Jason F. said to swim right up onto the ramp. He cut his toe on a branch the day prior. I don’t need and owies heading into the ride. The volunteers pull me out and I hear Andrea cheering me on. Lap your Garmin. I looked to see what my time was (45:48). Not bad. I planned on a 1:56 avg. pace and about 41 minutes so I was ok with this. I meet up with the strippers, get the wetsuit off and I’m headed up the hill into T1.
T1: Monserrat it was nice to see your smiling face! She yells that Mike was just out of the water ahead of me. I knew he’d get out sooner than I would. He’s been killing his swims! We planned to meet in T1 to get some Salompas tape and Tiger Balm on my neck and back. On training rides I was having cramping and spasm issues with my neck and traps. This worked out perfect and got me through the ride. I sprayed sunscreen all over which quickly reminded me that I had two HUGE raw spots on my inner arms from the swim. That woke me right up. I made it out of T1 with no issues.
Bike (17.7mph avg. /3:09): I got on the bike and started pedaling. I remember last year Melanie said to just sit up and cruise until I got out of town. That was perfect. I got my first dose of UCAN in. Mike made me gel packs, which worked much better than bottles. On my way out I made sure to thank the volunteers and 5-0 that were out there directing traffic. I’m cruising and staying in my zones. I make the turn towards Center Point and know that it’s time to do work (oh and did I mention Texas chip seal?). The bike is my strongest event. I didn’t have too many worries aside from a few climbs. Really. Those hills were my bitches for the day! The first climb I went into full speed. There was another cyclist close by. She started slamming on her brakes as soon as we started to pick up speed in the downhill. I yelled, “just keep going”. With some work, I got to the top in no time (451w). We cruise a bit, some rollers, some down hills and some false flats. That chip seal made for some work. A few times I thought I had flatted. Not an easy part of the ride for sure. Hit the second hill with as much ease as the first. The third hill…well she actually made me get up out of the saddle for a bit and do work (500w). I paid no attention to the signs leading up to her, “Slow. Caution.” I charged up with as much speed and momentum and got about two-thirds of the way before taking it to standing. Got to the top and leveled off. I must have dropped down to about 10 mph to catch my breath and flush out my legs. Whooooweeeee!!!! I finish the first loop and make it back into town when I see Mike standing at the bridge. Man it was good to see him!! So far hydration, nutrition and race plan were all on point. I was doing this! The second loop went off pretty much like the first expect that I noticed a twinge of pain in my right IT band. About half way through the second lap I was cursing it. “(expletive) YOU IT BAND! I’m doing this race and you’re not going to stop me so shut the (expletive) UP!” He shut up long enough for me to finish my ride. Flying dismount into T2 and rack the bike.
T2: I took a minute to try and stretch the right side out. I also had to get socks and band-aids on some spots I knew would likely give me trouble. Took my last UCAN and more Endurolytes.
Run: I had forgotten about the chaffed arms until I started to run. Next to the IT band pain this was enough pain to bring me to my knees. I saw Scott, George and Sandy as I made my way onto the course. They asked if I needed anything. Thank God! They’d get word to Mike who covered me later. Meanwhile I stopped at the 1mi aide station. They had band-aids and I taped up. It lasted for about a minute. Whatever. I just kept runn…err…moving forward. Melanie was hanging out on the course and she asked me how I was doing. She gave me a few pointers that helped TREMENDOUSLY: Smaller, shorter strides and quicker turnover. Thank you Melanie! I walked the aide stations taking on water, more Endurolytes and bananas (thanks Gwen Stefani). My run/walk started becoming just a walk as I was in a lot of pain. I saw my Powerhouse big bros cheering me on. Jason Fisher came running at me after I turned around (he was on his last loop). I’ve never been so happy to see a man coming at me with a tongue depressor and lube! HAHAHA!!!! He courrier’d it to me for Mike to alleviate the chafing. I knew that God was looking out for me! John Mayfield stopped and walked with me a bit. Thanks guys!! I saw Andrea and Kate out there just moving! I knew that the heat was getting to everyone so I just tried to keep it together and find a comfortable spot in my pain cave. I came around to my finish my first loop, which passed the Powerhouse tent. It was like I was on a long deployment and just seeing loved ones for the first time in a long time. I hated running away from everyone. More lube and one more loop. By this time the clouds had rolled in and it was nice. Still warm but at least the sun wasn’t beating down on me. I felt a little better and started to run a bit more. That didn’t last long as I started to cramp up around mile 9. I stopped to stretch a little and then back to walk/run. The run course had really thinned out by now. I hoped to be done in 6:30 and now I was hovering around 7:00. You know I wasn’t even sure what the cut off was and where I was at in that regard. I just wanted to finish on my feet and not carried off by medical or because I didn’t make the cut-off. I said my thank you’s and good byes to the volunteer staff since I wouldn’t be seeing them again. I mustered my resolve and began a slow, painful, and heavy trod. One more time past the Powerhouse tent. One of the benefits of being slower is that everyone was at the tent cheering me on!!!! I had to keep it together. My body said to stop but my mind said “(expletive) YOU! Keep your ass MOVING!” As I kept moving Mike said, “I’m proud of you. You’re doing this. I love you.” That was when I perked up, got a bit taller, stuck my chest out and pounded it out. I crossed the finish line in 7:26, an hour longer than I wanted to be out there, but I MADE IT!!! I am a Kerrville half-iron distance tri person!
My take away:
Do the training. Period. Our coaches put together a great plan for us. We have the added benefit of knowing our coaches personally so our plans are almost custom. You can pay a pretty penny for that.
Say f*** it and face the fear a little bit at a time. I hear all the time I’m afraid I can’t go fast. In order to be a good leader you have to be a good follower. It’s ok to wheel suck for a minute. That’s how we learn. On long rides don’t be afraid to jump on in with the boys (but have at least the basic knowledge of riding etiquette). Once you get on a Heise, Yarzy, Zepeda, Howard, McGehee, Barker, or Giles wheel and you know how it feels to go fast you’ll blood lust for more. Just know that you might be riding back alone! Lol!! It’s ok to do it once in a while otherwise stick to your plan and stay in your zones.
Fancy gear doesn’t matter. Looking good is one thing. Racing well is another. Do the work.
ALL DISTANCES are legit!
Keep the voices in your head in check. To me it’s kind of like dogs in a pack. Who is the alpha, am I or is it the voice inside my head? “Me, B****! You betta recognize!” Once you let self-doubt creep in, it’ll rip a gaping hole in your plan. Don’t even start.
Take the distance in small manageable bites. 70.3 is A LOT. Don’t get so locked just on the goal. Learn to trust, embrace and enjoy the process. In the swim I just reminded myself to get from buoy to buoy. I wasn’t thinking of the doritos or how much further I had to swim. One buoy at a time. Same on the bike. Push and pull. Nice even pedal strokes. How is your form? How is your nutrition? Stay in your zones. On the run it was just one foot in front of the other. No stopping until you’re done.
I look forward to “off season” with the Powerhouse as I’ve enjoyed training with such a great group! Thanks to the Powerhouse coaches for putting together a plan that works for me and thanks everyone for cheering me on and for sticking around at the finish line! Thanks to the docs that kept me straight- Fabio and Natalie. You kept Humpty Dumpty together! Aloha & mahalo!