Little Debbie Ironman Chattanooga - Race Report

My road to the finish line of Ironman Chattanooga, my third Ironman, was filled with ups and downs, like the roller coaster that is the bike course. It has not been the best season for me and coming into the race I was not confident of my racing shape, my training and my ability to accomplish the goal I had set for myself when I signed up for the race last year. The goal back then, looking for some sort of redemption from Ironman Mont Tremblant (see why here) was a sub 12 race. 

About 3 weeks before race day, I had a total mental break down and I was toying with the idea of pulling the plug and not even going down to Chattanooga. Thanks to the support of Michelle (my personal cheerleader and best partner one can hope for) and an encouraging email from Marni from TriMarni (check out her blog) I managed to stay on track. With a fresh mindset and Marni's words in-mind ("Trust that you are ready. You have done the work and your only job is to get to the finish line. Execute the race just like it is a long training day. Be excited to share this experience with thousands of other like-minded athletes just like you"), I changed my perspective for the coming 3 weeks into race day. With a better mood and renewed excitement I proceeded with my training and taper towards race day. Thank you Marni for this sound advice.  

Race Week

When I signed up for Ironman Chattanooga I wasn't paying close attention to the Jewish calendar, so when it hit me that Yom Kippur falls on the Wednesday before the race I wasn't sure how fasting would impact my race day. Not fasting was not an option so I decided not to worry about it (reciting the mantra "don't worry about things you cannot control") and there are enough days after it to bounce back. I did make sure to eat a little more than normal on Thursday to help refill those glycogen storage and get well hydrated. I think this plan worked.       

Dinner at Sugars

Like for  Half Ironman Chattanooga (will be referred to as the half) back in May, we decided to drive. We loaded the car and hit the road early on Thursday. For a change it did not rain at all on the drive and I was in great mood. I was feeling a little hungry and thirsty from fasting the day before but nothing more than that, this probably also contributed to my good mood. We got to the hotel at around 6 pm unloaded the car and shortly thereafter headed out for dinner (BBQ of course at Sugars - yummy). This time we decided to stay in a different hotel that was a few miles away from Ironman village, the Chatanoogan. It is a really nice hotel with newly renovated rooms. Once in Chattanooga, we did not need the car when we headed downtown to the area where all the restaurants are and where the IM village was located since the city offers a free shuttle.  




Friday

Friday morning it was registration and expo time. As we were heading out we noticed that it was raining. We got to the ironman village a little after 9:30 am, I quickly got my packet and the plan was to walk around the expo until the athlete briefing at 11 am. I usually do not bother with athlete briefings but this time I was actually interested to hear about the swim. Water temp had been in the upper 70s, which meant wetsuit optional and they kept posting on facebook that it will be a race day call. Since I've never done a race without a wetsuit and had a few questions I wanted to attend. The rain kept coming down relentlessly which made enjoying the expo hard. This, however, did not stop me from a very successful shopping spree. I was also staying positive about the constant rain thinking that it would cause the water temp to drop and make it a wetsuit legal race and maybe also increase the river current (yes, I need all the help I can get with the swim). 

The Incline Railway

At the athlete briefing, to no surprise, the call for wetsuits will be made on race morning. They also answered my question about compression, obviously not in the way I was hoping for, but by introducing a new rule that compression is not allowed under the wetsuit or on the swim (which is not what the athlete guide said, but I was not going to risk it and and decided to leave them in my T1 bag). Come'on Ironman enough with those silly rules you keep introducing. OK, time to stop obsessing about the wetsuit. 

Finally late afternoon the rain stopped and it was time to go out for a short ride and make sure my bike was shifting properly, the brakes were not rubbing, etc. With the roads being wet and not wanting to risk a stupid spill, I kept it very short and easy. 

Friday night was big dinner night and we decided to head to 1885 Grill an amazing restaurant specializing in Southern Coastal Cuisine. The restaurant is located across the street from the incline railway to Lookout Mountain (once again we did not make it to the top, this time due to weather - I think there is another trip here in our future). 

Throughout the day I was trying to keep an upbeat mood, but the sight of Ironman village did what it normally does and I was moving between excitement to complete freaking out (yep, the normal ironman pressure).

Saturday

Aretha Frankensteins - just love it 

I woke up Saturday (sans alarm, at 6:30 am) and was planning on a 30 min run to get the legs running. I was greeted with pouring rain (again). I headed to the hotel gym, that surprisingly had great treadmills for my run. Did 30 min with about 6x30" accelerations. Legs were feeling great. Saturday morning was another big meal and we headed to my favorite breakfast place, that is if you can call a place you've been to once before your favorite breakfast place; Aretha Frankensteins. They have the most amazing pancakes that are thick and fluffy. I was getting very nervous and was having a hard time eating, I literally had to almost force myself to finish my breakfast. Post breakfast it was time to head back to the hotel and pack my race bags. We were required to drop the T1 and T2 bags off when we rack the bikes. 

Packed and Racked

I though this would calm me down, it didn't really but it kept me busy for over an hour. Yes, I am obsessive about packing my bags, double checking everything 3 times. Since the bags were supposed to be outside overnight, I bagged my shoes and jersey in an additional plastic bag to make sure they would stay dry if it rains. I sure am glad I did. After that I was trying to relax, but I just couldn't, for some reason for this race I was more nervous than before other races and being in the room was just making it worse. We decided to head to transition and rack the bike and drop my bags. Somehow getting to Ironman village I was less nervous (well at least momentarily).  

Race Day

3 am wake up, ouch very early, but with the rolling start I wanted to make sure I had plenty of  time in transition and be ready to line-up early; unlike what happened during the half (see below). Also, to be honest, I was just so nervous and couldn't sleep anyway. I made myself eat my usual pre-race breakfast. I was so nervous, I couldn't even finish my coffee (this is when you know that things are bad). I asked Michelle to write on my right arm the word Believe to remind me during the hard moments of the race to believe in myself and that I can do this. We left the hotel, jumped on the shuttle (so great of the city of Chattanooga to have the shuttle running so early so we did not have to worry about parking). I got to transition a few min after it opened at 4:30 am (yes a little obsessive, I know), prepared my bike and checked my transition bags. Despite the overnight rain everything remained dry. Sigh of relief. At some point they announced that the water temperature was over 77F and the race was wetsuit optional. This means that those who chose to wear a wetsuit are not eligible for prizes and awards (clearly this does not apply to me) but more importantly they will start at the back of the line. I did not think that wearing a wetsuit would give me a significant advantage, not at my swim level, so handed my wetsuit over to Michelle (I sure am glad that this year the race bag was nice and big and had room for all the extra stuff  Michelle had to carry - she is the best Sherpa!!!). Last min obsessive check that all is in place (as if I could do anything now if something was missing, but I guess we all have our pre-race rituals). We got on the bus on our way to the swim start.    

Swim start

The Swim

The swim is a point-to-point swim in the Tennessee River and starts about 2.4 miles upstream of transition. The official start of the race for us age-groupers was 7:30 am (due to the late sunrise). The swim start is a rolling start, which means that athletes start to line up at whatever time the swim start opens and when the gun goes off will jump a few at the time, legs first, into the water and start swimming. They expected that all athletes would be in the water within 30 min, but I wasn't counting on it as it took much longer during the half and I did not want to start the day (that was going to be long, although how long I did not know) much later than 7:30. It was around 5:30 am when I got off the bus. The first thing I noticed was - wow no line to the porta-toilets - I better take advantage of that. haha. After that quick stop we go and sit in-line waiting for swim start. Volunteers are asking everybody to line up in a single file, that line sure got very, very long. I was happy we got to swim start early as we were positioned somewhere in the front 1/3. I was also happy it wasn't too cold or raining for the 2+ hour wait to the start. At some point I needed to go to the bathroom again but the idea of waiting in the now HUGE lines was not appealing, so I used my scouts skills and ducked into the bushes (shhhh don't tell). At around 7:15 am the line started moving. 7:20 am the pro men gun went off. I am now freaking out, I've never done a triathlon swim without a wetsuit, maybe I should put it on or no maybe not, I went back and forth in my head. The gun goes off again, 7:25 am the pro women are off. We are walking in line, people running to try and cut in line. I'm trying to focus on just moving in line, I think I was shaking at one point (and not from being cold). We got to the point where I had to hand over my morning bag, I quickly took my shirt and shoes off. I said goodbye to Michelle and moved with the crowd. Thinking to myself "I hope FinisherPix will not catch a photo of my fat belly in my sports bra" (I managed a small smile). Now I can hear the music. I am being pushed to move forward. OMG, I'm on the dock. Volunteers are yelling "keep moving, keep moving". I'm at the end of the dock, nowhere to go but JUMP. Well I guess I am doing this. I hold on to my googles and jump. I am now underwater and quickly go up to the surface. The water is cold, I needed a few seconds to catch my breath and start swimming. I quickly got into good swimming rhythm, I swam with the buoys to my left, not too close to the buoys to stay away from the crowds. Now the water felt nice, not too cold. The swim was going great, its an interesting swim and very scenic (as much as a swim can be scenic). I love the fact that Ironman now marks the buoys with numbers and the color changes half way, easier to know where you are on the swim. I finally noticed the first bridge and also saw this is the half way point. I am actually feeling so good that I am looking for legs to draft off, but I only manage to stay on for a few min and lose them (something to work on in my next races). I am under the first bridge, then the second, it's so cool, people are standing above to cheer, then the third bridge. This is the point where I need to brake left toward the left bank, I see the turn buoy and make a left, aiming to a boat that was docked. I see the finish line. Since the swim exit is very narrow, there are more people around me, pushing and shoving, but I don't care anymore, I am almost there. I see the finish line, the stairs. I get to the stairs, lift my legs up to the fist step, a volunteer helps me up and I am on top the stairs and under the swim exit balloon. Quick glance at my Garmin, 1:09 - wow, beyond my wildest dreams. Yes it was current assisted but still this is awesome. Best thing - I survived my first non-wetsuit swim and even enjoyed it.        

Here is a cool video that Michelle took of the swim while walking to swim exit (yes she was there when I got out, she clearly walks faster than I swim :-)

I am so excited to be out of the water, I run to transition, grab my T1 bag and head to the changing room. 

The Bike

Rocking the Pink

In the changing tent, I don't see any volunteer to help me, so I quickly empty my bag. I fight with putting my compression calve-sleeves on my wet legs. Once that is done, the rest is easy and I am off in no time. 

The bike course starts with an 11 mile out and back section into Georgia for 2 loops of 47 miles. While the out and back section is flatish with not so great road surface, the loops are rolling hills with good road surface. It all sums up to 116 miles (4 miles longer than the normal ironman bike) with total of about 4,400 feet of climbing with beautiful views to help pass the time. The plan was to pace myself during the first lap and try to maintain the pace for the second lap. I was having a great first lap, right on my power target and a slightly faster average speed. I was keeping my nutrition down, but was not drinking enough. Mid way through the first lap I needed to pee badly, but I guess I am not a true triathlete as I cannot pee on the bike (sorry, I tried, many times, but it just doesn't work for me). I pass an aid station but all the porta-toilets had lines and I did not

want to waste time waiting, so I was hoping the next aid station would be better, but it wasn't, and so on. Luckily for me it was overcast and in mid 70s with some wind so not drinking so much was OK. Other than that the first lap blew by with no issue. Then came the second lap. It felt like the wind picked up and of course it was headwind or side wind. It also got warmer and more humid. I was slowing down but I was making sure I keep on my less aggressive target for the ride. Also on the second lap I started to feel the short hills. I made sure to control my power on the climbs, not to get carried away trying to pass people on the climbs. I was glancing at the writing on my arm - Believe to remind me to keep pushing. Finally at mile 80, I felt that not stopping for a restroom was slowing me down even more than just being tired so I stopped and had to wait a few min in line. Once done I felt much better. Shortly after I was on course on my way back to transition. I would note that although a few cars were blocking  riders it wasn't as bad as it was during the half. I am almost at the bike finish. I reach for my shoes to open them and slide my feet out. The guy next to me say "I just love that sound, it means that it is over", smiling I couldn't agree with him more. I slow down and gracefully jump off the bike. A volunteer grabs it from me. I grab my T2 bag and run to changing tent. I glance at my Garmin, sweet, 6:12h. Faster that my more conservative time.         



The Run

Run start, still looking fresh

On the Riverfront - hot and humid

I always feel relief when I get to the run section, not only because it's the last part but also that from now on it is all me (I don't need to worry about a flat tire or some other bike mechanical). So I was so happy to be on the run, but not for long.
Like the half run, the full course goes through/on some of Chattanooga's tourist attractions and had us running on the the Tennessee Riverwalk and 2 of the river bridges in a two-loop course. I can describe this run course as a beast. It is a super hilly course with about 1,400 feet of climbing, which is a lot for an Ironman marathon. After the half back in May I thought knew what to expect. I also knew that the full's course is hillier. Back in May I vowed to try and run as many hills as I could (not so easy when you live in Chicago) and I started to do some strength training to help me with the hills.

On Friday we drove the hilly section of the course (starting with Barton Ave) after the drive I was worried, at least I knew what to expect and there was nothing I could do now (well other than worry).

Back to the race. I got out of transition knowing that the first mile was uphill, I was trying to slow myself and start very conservatively. I grabbed a drink at the first aid station and kept going, the course flattens for a few miles and I was settling into my goal pace. By the time I was on the run it got warmer and more humid, so I was taking ice to put under my hat in each aid station that offered it and sponges with cold water to cool me down. As planned I was walking 30 steps at each aid station (this strategy has worked for me in the past). I also walked the one steep hill that I remembered from the half right before you cross the Veterans bridge into the other side of the river. Once I crossed the bridge is when I hit the hilly section of the course. Barton Ave is the long hill that you get to run up and down from the other side, do a short hilly loop and then go at it again. I was planning on running it, but as soon as I got to the steeper section halfway up the hill I realized that I probably could walk it as as fast. On that section, I was extremely thankful for the crowds that showed up to cheer. On the second lap my legs started hurting and my knee was seizing up on me. This is the first time ever that I've had knee pain running. I was forced to slow down. I now had to walk all hills and the entire length of the aid station (not just 30 steps). Other than that I was determined to run despite the pain. I am not walking this. So at the top of a hill or end of an aid station I willed my legs to keep running. Yes, shut up legs!!!

Sprint to the finish line

End of the first lap

I needed to pee again (ouch, really) and had to stop, well at least there was no line. Then I continued running. Every once in a while I was glancing at my arm - Believe - you can do this, just keep moving forward. I was slowing down a lot and my pace for a 4:15 marathon was slipping away from me. That sharp pain in my knee. OK Sharon, just keep moving forward.

I didn't exactly know when I started so I used 7:30 am as my marker for overall time, 12 hours was still possible. Then I needed to go to that restroom again, this time for more than just peeing. Really?

I'm at the Veterans Bridge again, less people are there now cheering. It is the last few miles. I can do this, no I AM doing this. I asked Michelle to wait for me at the top of Barton Ave, which is around mile 22. I was power walking up the hill, say "hi and 4 more mile, see you at the finish" and start running. My knee is really hurting but I am ignoring it (I was totally using the Shut up legs now). I kept running, hi-fiving spectators, trying to smile. Talk to people, make funny comments, anything to get my mind off the pain. Someone had put up signs saying "Touch here for Power" on the second lap I was touching all of them. I am almost at Walnut Street Bridge, about 1 mile to go and it's 7:30 pm. I am almost done and I was hoping 12 hours was still within reach. I tried to run faster, hard to do at the end of a marathon and especially hard going up a wooden bridge. I hear the finish line music. As I get to the downhill section of the bridge, I pick up the pace, it's almost over. I can see the end, sprinting to the finish line I am smiling. I did it. Lights flashing from the camera, I hear the announcer butcher my last name again, but I don't care, I am an Ironman. Yes!

I stop my Garmin and see 12:01 and something. Missed my goal by not much but who cares. I am an Ironman.

Final Thoughts

My Ironman Swag

I have completed my 3rd Ironman and I am beyond ecstatic. 12:01h. Yes, I missed my sub 12 goal by a few minutes, but I didn't give up. I believed in myself that I can finish this and I can finish this running and not walking. I kept pushing as hard as I could on the run even when my knee was seizing up on me with sharp pain. Not finishing was not an option even if I had to walk the second half of the run. 

I thank my mind and determination for showing up when things got hard. I thank my body for allowing me to do this. I thank my partner even more for not only allowing me but encouraging me to do this (and even take part in some of the training). I thank the volunteers for being there from morning to night helping us and cheering on us. I thank my friends and family for the support. I think Ron for stepping in during the last 10 days as my new coach. I thank the amazing triathlon community. I am so proud to be part of you (even if I cannot pee on the bike).  

You can never know what the day will bring at you during an Ironman distance race. No matter how fit you are, if you are a pro or like me an age grouper, it is a hard day out there. I came with a plan, but I was ready to adjust and I did adjust. My only real goal for the day was to keep moving forward. This is the best advice I can give to someone who is considering doing one of these races. No matter what, just keep moving forward (well unless your health is in danger and then you have to be smart). 

What's next? I don't know yet, but I am sure something fun. For now, I'm going to take the next few weeks off and enjoy the fall.  

I am an Ironman x 3 
(The above is not my official time)

Time to celebrate

Lutz's chocolate cake
Patricia - sorry this time no whipped cream 

   Thanks for reading!