Race Report
Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells 2023
Time of: 6:49:41
Place: 13th place in my age group of 55-59 Women (racing age 58)
Coach: Marilyn Chychota
Massage Therapist Body Work leading into this race: Kimberly Rose
Results on my goals for this race:
I had two goals for this race
- Well executed dialed in nutrition and hydration for the full race.
- Well executed race plan which includes pacing, skills, following swim, bike and run plans & making good decisions during the race.
I accomplished both of these goals very well which is a first for me in Half Ironman (70.3) racing! As a matter of fact, I exceeded both of my goals.
For hydration, I executed so well that I was not dehydrated at the end of my race.
For race plan execution I even surprised myself on being able to hold aero position well for the full bike and keep a higher cadence while pushing acceptable power for 56 miles. This is something I had not been able to put together before. I have had faster bike times for sure, however, my run suffered after those kinds of rides. This time I was able to put it all together.
Oh, and I suppose I had one more goal. It wasn’t so much a goal but something that I would like to happen if I accomplish the first two goals. AND that was to come in in the top 10 in my age group. I came in 13th which still felt great as it’s the highest I have ever been ranked in a half Ironman (70.3) race!
I was reminded that Ironman 70.3 racing is not easy and in the race you will be challenged mentally and physically but that you come out of it with loads of deep personal growth. I was reminded that this kind of racing is a hero’s (shero’s) journey of sorts and that you always challenged to access the magic within yourself. Most of all, I was reminded that doing something hard with purpose is vastly rewarding on so many levels.
Nutrition:
Maurten gels (not caffeinated)
Untapped Maple Syrup shots I grew up in Connecticut to taking in some Maple Syrup is pretty darn easy for me lol
Hydration:
Pre-hydrated with PH 1,000. The morning of the race
Throughout the bike and run used PH 1,000.
Swim:
Water temp: 57F but felt a lot colder
Outside temp: 50F at swim start and 45F at arrival to race site
Even though I did weeks of acclimation to 57F my hands and feet were very cold, however, my hands were working fine in T1 out of the water.
This was a rough swim because of the amount of people in the water at the same time that I had to navigate around. Navigating around people also created much more siting of the swim buoys and holding a good line. In talking with my coach, Marilyn Chychota, afterwords in my race debrief I learned that it would have been beneficial for me to have started in a faster swim group. This would have made my swim smoother with less people to navigate past. In Ironman races you seed yourself with different swim time groups for entering the water. I put myself in a much slower group. I’m not sure why, but I put it down to a micro confidence crisis on the spot. A great lesson though because what you believe is what you receive and swimming with the slower group created a much slower swim for me because I had to navigate past people. I was on average around 6 minutes slower in this swim.
Transition #1
My hands were really cold but not too cold that I was able to take my wetsuit off and grab my bag and put things on relatively well. And an athlete next to me yelled hey Kirsten it’s so awesome to see you ….she said I follow you on instagram. That made for a fun boost in the transition area. Then I saw my husband, Bryan, and my parents on my transition exit. I’m pretty sure I was laughing as I was trying to mount my bike. I find transitions kind of fun and even humorous for some reason. There is so much discombobulation going on with myself and the athletes all around me that I have discovered having a sense of humor is always the best way to approach transitions for me. The T1 transition of this race is always extra silly because you exit the water then find your bag then move to a different area and take your wetsuit off and put on the stuff in your bag THEN you throw your bag over the fence to a volunteer (which is actually fun) then run to your bike and run your bike out of transition THEN mount your bike after the mount line …ALL as fast and efficiently as you can. My transition was pretty darn smooth as I talked to myself and laughed my way through.
The bike
This was not my fastest bike in a 70.3 race BUT it was very important for me to execute some key things on the bike in a 70.3 in order to step up to faster racing. I am SO excited by how well I executed my ride in this race. The goal was for me to stay above 80 in rpm (cadence) and in aero for as much as possible WHILE moving my bike forward for speed. Nope, it’s not just about power all the time. This race was about executing the things that I need to connect and put together in order to begin the process of racing at a higher level. The things I am working on are, higher cadence, in aero and moving my bike forward by riding smart (and with higher watts). I accomplished this goal! I love this bike course because of the scenery and the funness of it being flat for most of the 56 miles. Also, included on this bike course is a fun ride through a flat smooth race car course. Flat does not mean easy when you are looking to create a strong performance. But for me it meant a great opportunity to practice being patient and executing a great race plan for 3 hours. And I did it!!
Transition #2
It’s so much fun for me to see my husband and my family at transitions! Running into T2 with my bike I felt a little confused as to which lane my bag was in. I ended up being correct but started running past my bag a woman yelled, “you are here”. She was sitting on the ground putting on her running shoes and she said you are the number right next to me so you are here!! I was SO thankful for her because I was certainly running right by my number. As we both hustled through our transition we laughed together about the crazy swim and wished each other a good run. A good example right here of why I love triathlon!!
The Run
My nutrition and hydration was excellent on the bike for the first time ever in a 70.3 race, so my run was set up well. This course is two loops. You swing back to run right past the finish line on your first loop and then head back out again. For me this is a positive because I see my family an extra time and I see the finish line which inspires me to get there just a little bit faster. Most of the course is on a golf course path with lots of ups and downs and loads of rollers. It was a bit challenging for me to get a good rhythm down on my run but I focused on staying emotionally even and continuing good hydration and nutrition. For hydration, I had a hand held bottle with my Precision Hydration in it which I refilled two times (with PH 1,000.) and then once more on the last lap with just water to sooth my stomach a bit. I train with Maurten gels which is what Ironman has on their courses so it was super easy to simply grab a Maurtens gel at the aid stations when I needed one. I held a gel in my hand for most of the run and sipped on it slowly.
We were definitely in golf course land as the guy running in front of me stopping to watch a golfer hit an iron from the fairway to the green. As I passed him I asked did he get it and the runner laughed and said “yup he’s right there”. Yes ….I used to play a lot of golf.
I was watching my heart rate and pace on the run and I was not seeing my pace come down to where I really wanted it without my heart rate raising too much. I could feel that if I let my HR rise too much that my stomach would begin having issues and my goal was to continue the run with out gastro interruptions. On the second lap my stomach was feeling just a bit sour so I watched my heart rate even closer in order to try and get my stomach to settle a bit more. It settled and I picked up my effort a bit towards the end.
I felt very emotional on this run thinking of how proud I was to have made it to this race and how I went through a lot of self doubt and a lot of moving through challenges. I was emotional because I showed up for myself and I showed up to THIS start line! On my second lap I could feel tears starting to come.
The Finish Line
To me the finish line is a kind of party for showing up for myself and doing all the things necessary for my own personal growth. The energy of a finish line is magic because it is created by people who are waiting to cheer their loved ones and congratulate them for doing something hard. It was so awesome to see my husband and my parents cheering me as I finished my race. I am so thankful to have them there with me and to share my accomplishment with them.