The day started overcast and cool, mid-50s or so with low humidity. The breeze made it feel colder, but not entirely unpleasant. It had rained the night before which left the air fresh and clear of pollen. Pre-race jitters were at a minimum despite the difficulty of the course ahead!
I participated in the 2017 Baystate marathon in Lowell,MA yesterday….touted as a good one for first timers as it is mainly flat. And it was mostly flat except in mile 4 and 14, and the bridges. The temps were perfect to start, wearing my cooling sleeves and light gloves. I started up my marathon playlist and Gettin Jiggy with it came on! I started up my Garmin so the gps would be ready and got a low battery warning for my HR monitor. Oh well, nothing I can do about that now!
Well, Ironman Santa Rosa is done and dusted. For a number of reasons (some that I’m still working through), this race is taking a bit longer to fully process than races past. Santa Rosa took a lot of grit. There were not many moments on Saturday where I felt like it was all clicking, but luckily it all came together quite nicely nonetheless.
The support crew was second to none as usual. I cannot say this enough—without these people (and the many I’m sure I’ve forgot with my post-IM brain), this would not be possible. Period. Andy, Brian, Sue, Patti, Dave, Revel Racing, Ann, Brendan, Mark, Craig, Endurance Swimming: Open Water Training, Breakthrough Performance Coaching, Sara, Labell And Associates Physical Therapy, Kathey, Sports Rehabilitation Unlimited, and of course all my amazing friends/training buddies (you know who you are). THANK YOU.
I’ve had several requests for a little race report, so here goes. Feel free to stop here if you’re not interested in all the details.
So Mike Reilly called me an Ironman … so it must be true even if I still don’t really believe it. However, let’s just say that last Saturday was one of the most amazing experiences in my life. And I can’t wait to do it again!
From the start I was seriously looking forward to racing Ironman 70.3 Puerto Rico. A large group of fellow BTTers racing and the course looked like it would be a beautiful race in a beautiful location, not to mention my first Ironman branded race (There is something to be said about Ironman). I believe it went into being as prepared as I ever have for a race, working with a coach (Dave) for the first time, and ready to go on race morning.