Ironman 70.3 Eagleman

Getting ready for the swim to start. Eagleman 2017

Last weekend was the Ironman 70.3 Eagleman in Cambridge, Maryland.  Last year I went to this race as an age group athlete, winning the 40-44 age category.  This year I went as a rookie pro athlete and finished 11th overall pro and woman.  I am grateful for the opportunity to race in the Professional category for Ironman. If you haven't read my other blogs, I did my first triathlon (a sprint) at the age of 40, and qualified for my country standards to race as a Pro at 41, and took the opportunity to do so at the age of 42 for the start of my 3rd season in triathlon.   

Comparing my race from last season to this there are many differences.  Besides the swim being raced in the opposite direction, I was without a wetsuit, led the swim from start to finish with the 3 top seeded women on my feet, spent the majority of the bike on my own, and the run, well, it was a hot one.    My first 3 pro races this year sent me home with a 16th, and two 17th place finishes.  My 11th place finish at Eagleman is a big improvement and I'm happy with the result.  My expectation is not to win the race, however, I am determined to move up the ranks.  Let me tell you about the trip.

DAD and DAUGHTER TRIP

Dad and Me finishing shoot Eagleman 2017

My dad and his wife, Pat, live the summers in upper New York State so I drove to their place from Niagara Region, Canada, spent the night, did a bike ride in the morning, and then my Dad and I started our drive to Cambridge.   This was my Dad's first triathlon experience and he was really great.  He was very supportive, asked lots of questions to understand, and was able to come with me through race check in, the pre-race pro meeting, and scoped out the transition area, swim start/finish while I was doing race prep on the Saturday before.  He even drove the 6 hours from Cambridge back to New York after the race!  It was a great Dad/Daughter adventure.

THE SWIM

The swim course was in the opposite direction this year compared to previous years, which I really liked.  It seemed easier to  navigate for me for some reason.  Although I am a swimmer, the swim was the only section of the triathlon I was nervous about.  I know what will happen on the bike, and the run is so individual, varying depending on a lot of different factors.   

First Female out of the water.

The swim is more strategic.  It's the only place where there is drafting allowed, physical touching, you can swim inside or outside the buoys (except the red ones, always have to keep those on your left) and I don't yet know who is a fast swimmer in the group.   When we went out into the water for the start, I separated myself from the group.  I'm not a fan of swimming amongst others arms and legs if I can help it.  So I started wide and swam in toward the buoys.  From what I could see it looked like  another girl did the same but from the other side of the start line.  Within a few hundred metres I knew I was out in front, just not sure how far.  When I turned the first buoy I could see a group of pink caps making their way toward the buoy.  What I didn't know yet was there were 3 girls nipping at my toes; the 3 race favourites to be more specific.  Halfway through the swim I felt a touch on my feet, that's when I knew I wasn't alone.  After that brief touch I didn't feel anything  and was put again into a false sense of security, I passed a couple of the male pros, and with a about 200 metres to go I felt the tap on the foot again.  There was no way I was going to get passed on that swim!  This was the only leg of the triathlon that I was going to win, and I wasn't going to give that up.  So I used my legs, got to the ramp first, and ran to the swim exit for a first place swim followed closely by 3 super fast pro athletes...after that, the race went almost as planned.

THE BIKE

I left the transition in 4th, and held this for a while.   It took until about 45 km before I fell below 10th place.  The bike is not my strongest suit, although it is improving.  I finished the bike in 13th place.  Don't get me wrong, it's totally frustrating getting passed by so many on the bike,

however it was less than usual this time and that's a positive and I'll continue to work on this.  Up until just before my first triathlon, I hadn't ridden a bike of any kind in almost 20 years. 

THE RUN

I racked my bike, and ran out of transition. On the way out I saw my dad cheering for me,  I managed a wave and then headed out after the two girls that were just in front of me.  I managed to catch them, and at around 8km I saw another girl up ahead, the 10th place girl.  I timed how far she was out in front, 1 min 10sec.  At this point we had around 10 km left, and I knew if I kept my pace I could catch her.  Unfortunately my body had other ideas, it wasn't my day to run, and 10th moved further away.   I entered the finishing shoot, satisfied with 11th for now, the heat had done its damage.

 I will revisit my nutrition for hot days as I think that was one of the reasons my run failed the last 5k.  The great thing about this race was that my Dad was there to meet me at the finish line.  He put the medal around my neck and walked me to the medical tent (as my BP dropped like a stone).  After a good 10 min, I hobbled over to the Choptank River and sat in the cool water, got out, grabbed my bike from transition and we headed out on the road for home.  

Photo credit: Higgybabyphotography

SUMMARY

All in all it was a great weekend.  I spent time with my dad, met and raced with some amazing ladies, and put in a good race showing.  Eagleman is definitely a great event and one I will return to again,  next time with a new strategy to manage the heat.