Pre-Race

I don't think I could have trained anymore for this race. I did everything on my schedule, plus much more. Compared to my training for my first half in November '05, I didn't take a weekly recovery day this go-around. 

My 70.3 adventure really started the minute I drove away from my driveway. It was the very first time for me to be away from my family for a race. It felt weird not only for me but especially for Rob. Anyway, I hitched a ride with a fellow BAT team member, Mary D who is perhaps the sweetest person alive. She is also blessed with superior genetics which anyone can gather by simply looking at her physique. I think that if she had chosen to be a body builder back in the day before marriage and kids, she would have been world-class. Even today she would be of that caliber in the sport of triathlon if she pursued it but she is in the midst of rearing two high-school boys who think that triathlons are "gay."

Once I got in Mary's car, I discovered that she was also directionally challenged like me. Her GIS system talked throughout the entire trip and had us take the "scenic route." My guess is that Orlando's new roads aren't inputted into its program and thus we had to follow directions based on an antiquated log of roadways. The digital voice though was very nice to listen to and if I had one in installed in my minivan I would make sure it was male and that it said things like, "You look beautiful today, Donna" and "Wow, you look like you've lost some weight."

We both decided to head straight to Fort Wilderness to drop off our bikes at transition and visit the expo before checking into Port Orleans. By the time we got there, there were hundreds of bikes already racked. We discovered that our racks were at the very back of the transition area and that we would have a long run on concrete from the swim exit. Once we parked our bikes, we headed to the expo tents to pick up some last-minute items. It was getting very hot and we surmised that race day was going to be a scorcher. Shortly afterwards Mary and I headed to the pavilion to pick up our packets and there we met up with Kathy and Anders, fellow teammates. 

Mary

Kathy

"Kanders" are both headed to Kona in October (Kathy already has a slot and Anders will surely qualify @ IM Canada). Kathy runs exceptionally well (she was a college runner), and bikes well, and because of plantar faciitis last year, she now swims like a fish; Anders is almost a senior citizen yet continues to beat triathletes 10-15 years his younger. I'm sure that if anyone ever harvested genetic material from this couple, they would produce superhero Vikings of yore but I digress. After picking up all our stuff, off we all went to check into our rooms and later meet for dinner at the condo the Kanders rented for the weekend. I have to say, Anders made the best whole wheat pasta with Bolognese sauce which we all feasted on while watching Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro suffer a tragic injury at the Preakness. (Thank goodness Rob isn't a horse because, I guess, I would have to send him to the glue factory).

The Swim

On the morning of the race, Mary and I got up at 4:00 a.m. in order to allow us enough time to do what we had to do in transition by its scheduled closing of 5:45 a.m. Mary's wave was to start around 6:30ish, Kanders before 7:00 a.m., and mine 7:09 (the fastest AGs went dead last). So, we all stood around waiting for our waves to start while fending off swarms of pesky insects. Before the pros went off, I met other BAT members and saw a few Tampa triathletes, including the versatile Linda Musante who always wins her age group (AG).

Unfortunately, Disney did not allow us in the water before the race. Everyone had to start the race without any warm up. Figures, huh? On the beach, I found myself lined up next to the Linda Neary-Robb, a W40-44 age grouper from Jupiter, FL who always wins our AG division as well as the overall female title in most of the triathlons held in Florida. She used to be a college swimmer, owns a number of AG world records and now kicks all other age groupers' butts (and not only those in the 40-44 range). When the gun went off at 7:09 a.m., I started my swim. Being a bad sighter, my plan was to stay behind someone's feet in order to not zig-zag all over the course and to conserve energy. It is probably best though that I learn to not depend on other swimmers and sight on my own because I am finding myself not even slightly tired after the swim. After 40 minutes in Bay Lake, I was running under the swim exit archway, onto what was a very long transition run.

Time: 40:43

Nutrition: N/A 

The Bike

Fog, fog, fog. Actually, it made for a very pleasant bike ride. And, of course, you'll read lots of complaints on Slowtwitch's forum that there were hordes of people drafting and riding on the yellow line. There were, but it is what it is: these IMNA races accept around 2,500 participants and most of the Ironman courses cannot accommodate these numbers with ample breathing room. I must have said "on your left" over a dozen times and I even heard one woman snap back at me after I yelled, "Ride on the right, pass on the left." I know that some people do not like to be told what to do but, come on folks, these are some basic rules to follow. My goal at first was to not let anyone pass me but with the M30-39 AG waves starting behind me, I was forced to change it to "not let any woman pass me." By mile 13, a load of men with disc wheels on P3s started to creep up on me and I exerted all the energy I could muster to try and keep them at bay. Perhaps, I paid for it on the last lap of the run. Ce la vie. After mile 22, I passed a local W40-44 age grouper from St. Pete (ahem, some of you know who I am referring to here) who is consistent in all distances. By the time I came into transition, I made up a lot of time I lost to her on the swim and was still 3 minutes ahead... was being the keyword. 

Time: 2:36:45

Nutrition: 2 bottles of Endurance Gatorade w/ 672 calories of Carbo Pro in each; 1 lava salt; 1 bottle of water; 1 PowerBar and 1 Chocolate Gu

The Run (My Death March)

How can I describe the run without sounding like another whiner? Well, besides being bloody hot, the course was on uneven grass which eventually turned into muddy uneven grass after all the triathletes passed the aid stations 3x each. This run course has been changed every year since the inaugural race in 2004 because of the number of complaints the RD gets about the run. First year it's the sand, then in 2005 the lack of shade and the parking lot, and again this year the lack of shade. What really sucked for me was that this year's course was 3 loops. It was total mental masturbation every time I passed that freakin' transition area. Anyway, I got off the bike without any issues. But within the first mile, I could feel my right VMO cramping up. It was getting worse and by the time I stopped to massage it out, it froze on me. At first, I tried to walk it off...then I went to the side of the road, laid down and stretched. After what seemed like an eternity, I got up, started out again and my quad behaved from then on. Off I went and I maintained my pace of 8:45 mph. Of course, Lisa F was out there on the run scouting for me. I heard her call my name every lap and managed to hold her off until mile 8 when she yelled out, "Renee is a little over a minute up on you, Donna." Argh, Lisa! Shortly after she passed me, along with Bob W, a couple of blisters on the balls of my feet began to seriously bother me and my calves cramped up. I was running on wooden stumps. There was absolutely nothing I could do but think about if my nutrition plan failed me or if I just took it out too hard on the bike—my friend, Taylor D claims, "...an hour into the run is where you can feel if you went too hard on the bike." But I have read several other race reports from athletes who were conservative on the bike and I think it's just the luck of the draw when it comes to cramping. I know that heat plays a part in it and that some people just have a tendency to cramp up during these long endurance efforts. 

Time: 2:07:19

Nutrition: 1 lava salt; 4 oz Gatorade; 6 oz water; 1 Chocolate Gu; 4 oz Coca-Cola

Anyway, my final time of 5:30:28 is a PR for me and this course was much harder, and hotter, than that of MiamiMan. As for my fellow BATs, they all performed well at this race and quite a few of them received Worlds 70.3 slots. Even though I didn't, I really had a great time but what made the trek to Disney completely worth it was the greeting I got when I returned home. Boy, did Rob and the kids miss me.

Kanders, Mary and me (I'm the short one)

Kathy, Sheila and Mary