Lake Stevens Half Ironman

Lance and I headed back into the Seattle area in time to celebrate the 4th of July and for my first ever half ironman. Here is my race report...

On Saturday, Lance and I picked up my race packet, dropped off the bike at the race cite, had some dinner (spaghetti for me) and headed for a sketchy Motel 6 in Everett. With both deadbolts safely fastened, we were able to relax, enjoy the air conditioning, and have a quiet night.

Race morning started at 4 am. I had a bagel with peanut butter and a banana. I had a hard time getting it all down because the butterflies were taking up so much room in my stomach! I was confident that I would finish, but I knew it might not be pretty.

We got to Lake Stevens and found a place to park. I was setting up my stuff in transition by 5:30. My wave didn't start until 6:50 ish, so I had plenty of time to get my chip, get through the potty line, and put on my AWESOME blue seventy wetsuit. I gave Lance and Dutchess (our dog) kisses and headed to the water.

I had an OK swim. Not good, just OK. I made a rookie mistake- when my goggles fogged up, I decided to just follow the people around me. Bad choice. I was not confident that I was swimming in the right direction, which was insanely frustrating. It wasn't until 3/4 of the way through the swim before I wised up and took a few seconds to rinse out my goggles. It was a huge relief and I seemed to get back into a rhythm. Anyway, a disappointing swim for me. 33:55

I made it through T1 without any major issues. I put down one goo while getting my wetsuit off, then put on the rest of my gear and headed out.

The bike was awesome. I have never had so much fun while racing. I felt good and my spirits were high- joking with folks and being an overall dork as I passed them. I even quoted MC Hammer (STOP- HAMMER TIME) to Lance as I started on the second loop. Anyway, I saw familiar faces for most of the bike- I'd pass them going up the hills then they would return the favor on the descents. I put down 3 goos, a bottle of gatoraid/carbo pro, and half a bottle of water. When I hit the 10 mile mark at 30 min, my head was still clear enough to do the math. 20 MPH!!! WOO HOO!!! I kept that pace through both laps (though lap 2 was a bit more painful than the first) and finished under my 3 hr goal. 2:48

Within the first 100 yards of the run, I knew it would be a challenge. Maybe I had too much fun and pushed too hard on the bike, because starting the run, my legs were pretty shot. It was great to see my cheering section so many times on the run- I needed all the help I could get. I managed to get into a comfortable (relatively speaking) pace, and took a gatoraid at each aid station. Approaching the first turn around, I saw an old friend from high school headed back the opposite direction. I knew he had a 15 min head start on me, so to have made up that much time was pretty cool and gave me a reason to keep putting one foot in front of the other. The last 6 miles hurt a ton. My legs have never felt that bad. EVER. But I managed to keep going and beat my time goal. 1:52

Overall, this was a really fun race. The people were nice, the course and the weather were great, and my family was there to cheer me on. Does it get any better?

Nice job! It looks like the epic ride we did in a windy down pour that Saturday morning when nobody showed up the shop paid off. That is a great bike split on that course!!

Stephanie,

What an incredible race you had! Congratulations!
I think Stephanie should be up for the biggest breakthrough award for this year (do we have that .
To put this in perspective, Stephanie went from only racing one year of sprints and Olympic distance races, to finishing 6th in her AG in a very competitive age group at a major 70.3 race in what was her first half ironman. She also had a phenomenal bike split along the way which would have put her in the mix with the pro women's bike rides. (It must be the new bike! I think Lance needs one now!

Again, Great race. I think you've found your new favorite distance.

Michael

[benbiggles]

I second that, great job Stephanie. I saw your result and knew you must have had a great race.

Maybe there should be a 'breakthrough' award. Good idea Michael. We need to schedule a team dinner so we can all catch up. It has been some time since we were all together.

Ben