I Did It!!!

Yep I did it. Race is done and Wow it was so much fun. 

I had an absolute blast on the day. Where to start with my weekend/race wrap up. I'll try to start for the beginning on Saturday when I left.

I met with a local Korean triathlon club. I got there early cause, well basically I was just excited and wanted to get on my way. We packed all the bikes and bags into a 1 tonne truck that one of the athletes drove and we piled in to an 8 seater. 10 of us on our way to Yeoju. We had a pretty good run there without too much traffic. 

Once we got there we had a couple of hours rest time until we met to go to the briefing and registration. I rested and began to prepare some of my nutrition ready for race day. While I was doing this I had total peace that I was at the right race because I was able to put my mind only to my race preparation.

The next few hours was a bustle of activity which included a huge buffet dinner. This is not something that should be done the night before a race but this was one of the differences between a Korean race and another. Something else I noticed was the shirt in our registration bag was actually a finisher shirt. This means we all had a finisher shirt, whether we finished or not :(

I got to bed about 2 hours later than I wanted to. I had 6 hours sleep. It worked ok. It was pretty good quality so that makes a difference. I didn't feel tired at all on waking. I think it was good to aim for 8 hours. 

Race day - I was pumped. Amazing I had no nerves. When I woke I had a routine to do. My timing was spot on and I was ready when it was time to leave. 

My planning was good. I had my transitions set up without hassle and was ready to go. Of course with first stop being the loo. Then I waited in line for the bus to take us to the swim start. This happened without hassle. On arrival I needed the loo again. This time I wasn't sure if I really needed to go or was it nervous pee. Was real. I'd drunk a lot of liquid that morning. Now it was time to put on my wetsuit. I think I was one of the last people to put it on. By this time I notice how totally calm I was. I was certainly excited but I had no anxiety. What a beautiful mental place to be at the start of my first iron distance race.

In the water we go and before I know it the start gun has gone off and the big day has started. What a swim it was. I can only say I hope there was a current pulling me out to the centre. 3 times I found myself out near the centre then had to swim back toward the bank. I think I did true zigzags. Not good for my time. I did 1:06. I'd been told it was a fast swim and thought that was slower than I was hoping, considering it was to be fast. I actually thought I was the last swimmer because I had a kayak on me from 3kms. I thought they were rounding me up because I was last. Turns out I was the first woman out of the water. The field of women was small. 10 in my age group and 20 altogether. 

My bike leg was great. Nothing interesting whatsoever as it was 7 laps with 4 turns within each lap. The watts I'd been given to stay in were in a range of 5. I stayed at 1 overall. I had considerable knee pain due to my bike being too big and this was what I could do given the circumstances. That being said I did 6:26hrs. I thought I would do 7 hours. I was super pumped. I had one pee stop at 86km. I was busting!

Time for the run. I felt great. I had been loving every moment up to this point. Nothing changed in this regard. This was so much fun and I was in a great place. I felt good. I found my pace I wanted soon enough and kept that really well. At 26km I started to have some tummy trouble. I was very lucky I didn't need to stop but I was unable to take in any nutrition and only small amounts of water. It was progressively getting worse but I was still able to continue without stopping. My pace did start to slow around 30ish kms. Not a lot though. I was very surprised that other than tummy trouble no other part of my body hurt. I thought if I was going to feel it then it would on the run. Mentally and physically I felt great, aside from my stomach. I finished the run at 4:37. Just 7 mins slower than I planned and only 21mins slower than my stand alone marathon in March. I think, but can't be certain the slower pace can be attributed to my stomach trouble.

I had a goal of 12:45:13. I could tell I was doing ok on the run so I changed my goal time to 12:43:15. I was coming through the finish shute and saw my time was 12:25. I couldn't believe it. My shock and excitement propelled me forward and I bolted through the finish. I could not believe my time. 

Can you see how happy I am?

I was awarded my finisher medal and certificate and I headed over for a massage. 

A few days after my race I got a call to say that I'd won first place in my age group. Wow!!

After the race I had been saying I really wanted pizza. Liz and I headed to go and find a pizza place. On the way my tummy really decided what it wanted. To get rid of everything I'd taken in during the day and speed shoot it out the back. This was not pretty as it happened in the moment that found me pulling to the side of the road and jumping the barrier. I was thankful it was after the race and not during. 

Post race......

I am amazed at how quickly our body recovers. By Wednesday I was feeling much better. Amazed. However turns out my big toe not so good. I figured I was going to lose my toenail. Appears to be more than that. Unable to put a closed in shoe on so not able to bike or run I went swimming. Hmmm couldn't kick without major pain from my toe. Turns out it's infected. I'm currently on anti-bioethics. I can tell its improving already as there is no gunk coming from under my toenail. 

Where to from here?

Well exactly one week from my race I had chosen my A race for next season. IM Australia at Port Macquarie on May 4th. I'm super excited already. Hope to get family and friends come and support and cheer.