It wouldn’t be summer in our house without competing in the ‘ole...
Racine, Wisconsin USA
Practice swim in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
It wouldn’t be summer in our house without competing in the ‘ole Racine Ironman 70.3. A half ironman is just that: 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. If you’ve read my book series, The Competitor in Me, you know this race and I have a long, tumultuous history together. We might even deserve each other.
This year, the weather was going to be great; mostly sunny with a high of 79F, and mild wind. So why was Lake Michigan churning like a tempest? I’m sure my local weather friend Craig Koplein would have a good explanation for it.
Walking down the beach to the start with my friend Hannah, we noticed the waves. They didn’t look too bad, so we thought. By the time we arrived at the swim start, the surf was definitely up! This Wisconsin girl has only one experience with waves this big, so I was a little rattled trying to warm up in them. I use the term warm up loosely, as the water was 66F. We might have hills in Wisconsin, but our swims are usually flat. Last October, I braved the swells at a practice swim in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i, with my daughter Elise. That was a challenge for me and Elise, but we made it.
Hannah was so good at keeping me calm while we waited for our wave to start. The doubt demons were right there, just waiting to pounce. Drawing on my strength, I knew this was way more fun than going to follow up at the cancer center last week. Yes, I could do this! I am a beast. Our wave went off into the waves, and I was thinking no, I am not a beast. The doubt demons made a full-on assault and I was feeling it. I do not like this. I don’t need to do this. The swim goes straight out from the beach about 100 meters before turning to go parallel to the shore for most of the 1.2 miles. I decided I wanted to do this, even if I don’t need to do this. I believed if I could just get to the turn, things would be better once I was swimming parallel to the shore. I swam-gasped my way out to that red turn buoy.
I made it around the turn! But things were definitely not better. The waves were huge and my confidence was small. What was up with this lake? It took me about five minutes more to get swimming. I did a quick review: what were my problems right then? Could I swim? Yes. Could I breathe? Yes. Was I getting pummeled by people like in Ironman Texas? No. Things were really not that bad. I was just uncomfortable getting thrown around. So I got comfortable being uncomfortable. I will not quit. That swim I did with Elise helped me so much. I kept saying to myself “this is just like Kona…just like Kona…” I also thought of my fitness friends. There was no way I was going to tell Jerome, Greg, Sheila, Kesha, Natalie, or Toby that I quit because I was scared. I could almost hear Parker saying “this is cake.”
Halfway through the swim, a calf cramp hit hard. I swam to one of the lifeguard floaties and tried to work it out for a few moments. It didn’t go away, but it improved, so I swam the rest of the way with an occasional kick from that leg. That calf cramp reasserted its authority in the final 150 meters, causing me to do most creative swimming ever. Gimping out of the water was such a happy moment. I did it! It took forever, over 45 minutes, but I didn’t care. Swimming in crazy water like that, I had to adjust my expectations of having a race PR (personal record).
Beginning the bike course, I was so happy to be out of the water that the miles ticked by. Rookie mistake: dropped my salt pills in the second mile. Whatever effects that swim had on me, I wasn’t aware of them. Until I started to eat. Riding with a mouthful of Clif bar, I was challenged to swallow it. My stomach was definitely…off. Perhaps being tossed around in the water was to blame? Eating took more work, but I managed to do it.
There were crashes and flats, but fortunately I wasn’t a part of them. There are many turns on the course that take patience. Settling in for the ride, I took in all that summer in Wisconsin had to offer. July’s sweet perfume of wildflowers was intoxicating at times. Horses and crickets folded into the scene. I loved every moment of the fresh air in my face and the sunshine on my back. I had a solid ride averaging 19mph and felt good going onto the run.
Joe had a super day and just killed the run. He was very happy I didn’t pull the plug on the swim.
I ran the entire run course, planning a slow burn and then pick it up at mile nine, if I could. The sun was out and the lake was sparkling. You’d never imagine so much mayhem occurred there just a short time ago. Later, I learned many people did not finish their day because of the wrath of Lake Michigan. Now, the lake added to a beautiful vista for part of the run course. Other parts had that sweet wildflower smell of summer. This summer day did not get away from me, not one moment. Tomorrow, I would be sitting at a desk just looking at the sunshine. I couldn’t get off the course without two stops in a blue hut. There went my running PR, too. I was too tickled to be out of Lake Michigan to care about that, either.
The plan to go steady and then pick it up at mile nine worked. This is an improvement for me, because in past races, even ones I have finished faster, I felt like I had just one gear. I’m going to keep working on this in the off season.
Coach and pro triathlete Heather Haviland had the notion to seize the day as well. As usual, her P3 coaching group had a motivation zone out on the run course. It was great to see her and her pals four times. The last time I saw her, she knew I was less than two miles to the finish, she shouted “Celebrate your life, Girl!” Tears came to my eyes and I nearly started crying while running. A good coach knows how to hit the heart. I have tears right now…
Finishing was great. It always is! Yet that day, I felt far more accomplished coming out of Lake Michigan than I did for finishing the race. Mostly, I felt accomplished for celebrating my life.
