Training Diaries: Chattanooga Race Recap
Well, race day has come and gone; and I must admit the forthcoming recap is not really the one I had hoped to be writing. Race day did not live up to the expectations I had set for myself, and was challenging to say the least. But part of triathlon (and life) is taking both the bad and the good days, learning from the experiences, and then moving on and applying the takeaways to the next race or training session. I'd argue that we end up learning more about ourselves from the bad experiences. So, without anymore procrastinating, here is the race recap.
Pre-race: Friday/Saturday
My husband and I arrived in Chattanooga mid-afternoon on Friday, with plenty of time to get some groceries and then make it to packet pick-up. As per usual for the weekend of Chattanooga 70.3, the weather was hotter than it had been all Spring. But the forecast for race day was changing, literally by the hour, so weather expectations were all over the place.
I was looking forward to the weekend, not just because of the race, but because I had a few athletes racing, plus a few athletes that had come to the training camp. I was eager to meet up with them and enjoy a weekend with some of my crew. We had a nice carbo-loading dinner together at Tony's Pasta Shop & Trattoria. I met one of my athletes for the first time! I also had the chance to meet parents and spouses of some of the other athletes that I coach, and it was so nice to meet them and just feel like I was getting to know my athletes better.
Saturday I had our group swim to get a feel for the water before the race, to shake out any open water swim nerves, and be together one more time before everyone got caught up in bike check-in and the normal pre-race frenzy of a bigger event.
By mid-afternoon my bike was racked and I was able to get out of Ironman Village and the sun. The rest of the day was about resting, getting in a good meal, and then getting to bed early.
The Race
The morning of the race started out like any other for me. I checked the weather forecast. The 74% chance of thunderstorms had been replaced with partly sunny skies, 95% humidity, and high of 85 degrees. Of course, that is the only forecast that is acceptable at Chattanooga! I ate my breakfast, drank my cup of coffee, and then kitted up to head to transition. Once at transition, the ritual of pumping tires, making sure my area was set up just so began, and then it was off to board the busses that would take athletes to the swim start.
The swim start area was a crowded mass of athletes wandering around in no organized fashion. There were no groupings for projected swim times to separate swimmers or create some sort of baseline separation. By chance, I found one of my athletes near the front of the crowd so I tucked in there and the waiting game began. Because there was no clear organization, when the gates opened (barriers were in place to separate the age groupers from the Pro field) to allow athletes down to the water it was a mass of people (with all swimming abilities) pushing down the ramps.
The age group field officially started at 7:00 a.m. I didn't get into the water until about 7:15 a.m. but was able to get into a rhythm pretty quickly and just started swimming. I was passing a lot of people, some already hanging out at the first couple of buoys, which made for some congestion at times. Overall I had fairly clear water and was able to finish the 1.4 mile swim (.2 long because that is where Ironman could launch us from a dock) in around 31 minutes. Transition went smoothly and it was time to ride.
This is when the first sign that something wasn't right started to show itself. Because the first few miles were congested, my focus was not really on power right away. Instead my focus was on getting my heart rate controlled and finding my cycling legs. Once roads opened the focus shifted to power and hydration/nutrition. My heart rate was high 160s! Not acceptable. It wasn't coming down. I slowed a little, checked to make sure I wasn't producing too much power (I wasn't) and tried to focus on breathing. Okay. I told myself to get out of these few miles and out onto the highway and reassess.
Once on the more open highway I tried to get up to race power. Not happening. My heart rate was still about 15 bpm higher than it should have been. I settled for just trying to ride at the power I was producing (20ish watts lower than planned) and reassess every so often. I was taking in fluid and nutrition and didn't feel like I was behind on anything there. Still, the heart rate hung out around 165. I kept the effort where it was and told myself to just stay as controlled as possible so I could run.
I made it to the end of the bike and in transition I immediately knew something was absolutely not right. As I racked my bike and put on my run shoes my chest felt heavy. Taking in a deep breath caused sharp pain in the upper right side of my back and right side of my chest. Okay, maybe this would dissipate. I started out on the run and I just could not breathe deeply without it being painful. My heart rate jumped to 170s and I was barely turning my legs over. Previous goals went completely out the window and new goals entered the brain.
Make it to the first aid station. Check. I walked through this one to fill my handheld water bottle and try to lower my heart rate. It didn't go down. I pushed on at a much slower pace than planned as my breathing was not coming around and my heart rate was not cooperating. The game I played was make it to this point, or that aid station. Mid way through the run a friend caught up to me and I was able to take the focus off my suffering for a few miles and latch onto his shoulder. But soon the rubber band snapped and I was on my own again. There was some walking. There was a lot of ice down the kit. There was some absolutely delicious cold Coke on the course.
When I finally made it to the last mile a friend was along the side telling me to push it in. I tried so hard to pick it up. I have never felt my chest/back seize like that. When I crossed the line getting air was ridiculously harder than it should have been. They took me over to the medical tent where I was iced, had my blood pressure taken, and an EKG for good measure. Nothing showed up and I sat there trying to breath in a way that wouldn't hurt!
The rest of the day I could not breath deeply without a sharp pain on inhalation. By the evening the pain started to lessen, and by the following morning I could breathe without the pain, but could still feel the lingering effects of tightness in the area. Note: I have decided since to consult a physical therapist.
Race Reflection & Results
While this is not the result I had planned for or wanted, I am glad I made the decision to keep fighting it out on the run and finish. I had athletes and friends out on the course going through their own personal highs and lows. If they could overcome their race situations, so could I.
Racing is an emotional and physical rollercoaster. There are so many variables that can't be controlled, so the focus needs to be on what can be controlled, and make the best out of the situation. Not every race or training session can go according to plan. I've had some really good results over the last year and am grateful for those. I'm also grateful for the race I had Sunday. I learned that I can get through more physical discomfort than I previously thought possible. My mental game was also leveled up; there were many points on the course I had to tell myself to keep going. I'm also thankful for all the friends and supporters I've had throughout the training and racing journey. They kept me going on the course, and provided support and encouragement during a low point.
After consulting with a physical therapist, I have some ideas as to what may have happened and am working on strengthening that area of my body. We'll see if this solves the problem, or if I need another assessment. In the meantime, it's a week of recovery, then back to work for the rest of the season!
Overall Time: 5:19:01
Swim Time: 31:47 (1:22 per 100 meter)
Bike Time: 2:37:57 (21.52 mph)
Run Time: 2:02:47 (9:23 per mile)
Age Group Place: 9/124
Overall Place: 443/2778