Lessons Learned from Ironman Boulder

Thank you for all the Facebook pre and post-race messages. My buddy Jennifer Garcia said, “You know you have awesome friends when you wake up this morning and your news feed is filled with Ironman stories!” In my case, my timeline was full of congratulations messages and race photos of me.

It means so much to read everyone’s comments. I like to spend the morning post-Ironman sharing stories. Reading your comments is part of my motivation to continue doing what I love. My husband posted my quote, “Sometimes you win, sometimes you finish.” Comments like “Finishers are winners” help keep my perspective when my mind goes elsewhere.

Pre-Race Preparation

My number one goal when I get to the start line of a race is knowing I have done the mental and physical preparation to achieve my performance goal. To focus on what I can control and evaluate the “things” that can happen that I can’t control. I felt 100% mentally and physically prepared, so I was pretty relaxed on race morning. I still did my Plank A Day routine.

IM Boulder 2015 is probably my favorite course. The warm swim with no current, the fairly fast bike course with a couple of hills, and the marathon on the beautiful Boulder Creek path with lots of out-and-back sections made for an excellent race environment. The community is awesome!

Lessons Learned

1. Proper Pre-Race Preparation is Crucial I tapered off my training and maintained a high level of calorie and carbohydrate intake, as well as hydration, a couple of weeks out and especially the week leading up to the event. I hit my “key workouts” and was very confident about my power on the bike and my pace on the run. I aimed to finish under 10:30 in Boulder.
2. Control What You Can During the Race
   • Swim: I was thrilled with the 78-degree water temperature. My swim training was almost non-existent this year, so my plan was to maintain a controlled pace. I caught a draft behind three other guys, making the swim feel relatively easy, though I swallowed more water than usual. Exiting the water in 57 minutes was a relief.
   • Bike: I love this course because it is not very hilly. My bike nutrition consisted of a power gel, one bottle of Gatorade, and a bottle of water, about 200 calories per hour, plus BASE salt. I decided to scale back my power to ensure a strong run. Despite feeling breathless, nauseated, and dizzy approaching mile 95, I coasted the last 12 miles and finished with a 5:20 bike split, under my 5:30 goal time.
   • Run: Starting in 4th place, my legs felt decent, and I was running an 8:30 pace. However, by mile 11, nausea and breathing issues returned. After consulting with a paramedic, I spent some time in the med tent. I knew my body and mind were capable of walking and finishing the race. Changing my mindset, I jogged from aid station to aid station, aiming to finish under 12 hours.
3. Adapt and Keep a Positive Mindset During the run, I knew I had a shot at breaking 11 hours and placed 5th in my age group by mile 18. Although the nausea and breathing issues slowed me down, I finished joyfully 7th in my age group. Smiling through the struggle, I am grateful for what my body can do.
4. Reflect and Learn from Each Experience Post-race, I practice what I preach: focus on what you can control. Struggles come with being an Ironman athlete. I still can’t figure out what caused the breathlessness and nausea, but I suspect swallowing too much water played a role. On the positive side, I did not trash my body running a fast marathon, so my recovery was smooth.

I’m ready to take a break from racing and enjoy running and biking without a “training plan.” I can’t think of anything I would have done differently in training or nutrition leading up to this race.

Gratitude

Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers on the course. Races cannot happen without volunteers. Thank you to my sponsor support, Team Timex and Powerbar. Thank you to Patrick Ray, PRTriWorks, for getting my bike race-ready. Thank you, Tish Moore, for the much-needed pre-race massage. Thank you to my husband, Don, who supports me 100% every day. Thank you to Eddie for the homestay in Boulder. Thank you to all my friends and family for the well wishes. I am very grateful for all of you.

In summary, every Ironman provides a unique experience, and IM Boulder 2015 was no different. It reinforced the importance of preparation, the ability to adapt, maintaining a positive mindset, and learning from each experience. I’m looking forward to more adventures and challenges ahead!