I just looked up my registration confirmation for IM Choo - Oct 4, 2019. What a scary and strange 2 years, and how amazing that we all got to finally be together to race on Sunday!
Location
Chattanooga is a really beautiful city full of super friendly people (like, sooo friendly...at dinner our first night the server kept calling Dave and me "baby" and random people kept stopping to ask if we needed help).
They are not giving away free Oatmeal Cream Pies all over town. I'm not going to lie, that was a little disappointing.
We stayed about 1 ½ miles from the start, which is kind of an awkward distance – kind of walkable but not right there. We wound up driving every time we wanted to get down to the expo/transition/finish line and were always able to find a spot. On race day, we parked close early and Dave wound up using bike share stations to get back and forth throughout the day.
Goals
My primary goal for this race was to really dial in on nutrition. My ongoing problem has been not eating enough on the bike and hitting an 80 mile wall. In the two years of prepping for Choo, I have worked with Coach Mierke on experimenting with my nutrition - tweaking and practicing and finally finding a plan that I could stick with: alternating 1 gu or 2 blocks every 1/2 hour and Gatorade Endurance throughout.
Gu and blocks are two things I can actually eat while riding without wrecking and I have a huge bento box to keep enough of each on hand (with the special needs stop). I made two full stops at aid stations to refill my Gatorade, because I don’t trust myself to grab a bottle while riding. To do this safely, I just tell the last two volunteers that I am stopping just beyond where they are standing and would like a Gatorade. It gets you safely out of the way of other cyclists and the volunteers can get something to you pretty quickly. For me, the time spent stopping is worth not wrecking my bike.
Nutrition went really, really well, which is good, because I needed it on this course.
My secondary goal was to pack well and not have to run to a Target or Walmart before the race. I kind of failed (had to go to Target for some running shorts), but I was lucky to be staying at the same hotel as Deb, who is prepared for ANYTHING - thanks Deb!
My last goal was to not buy an expensive ironman shirt with participant names – failed miserably (but I now have a very cute pink shirt).
Course
BEAUTIFUL (but I seriously under-estimated how hard it would be).
Swim - This may be my favorite IM swim yet. While lake swims are great, there is something about a river swim. Sure, you have to get yourself to the start (in this race via a shuttle) and there is a greater chance of pollutants in the water (rumor was the swim almost didn't happen due to pollution levels), but the feeling of making progress and seeing the world go by is such a great way to start a race. Plus, there is something so cool about swimming under bridges, and swimming with current is a-maz-ing.
I also really love starting two-by-two. Everyone spread out really quickly and it was strangely calm compared to other IM swims I’ve done. I didn’t get kicked, poked, or swum over once.
Bike – The scenery is amazing, but some of the roads are a little rough, so you probably shouldn’t zone out and admire the views too much. There were some train tracks, some rumble strips, and one road that made my bike shake so much I thought it was going to fall apart.
The course is 10ish miles out, two
loops, and 10ish miles back. The out and
back is fine – nothing crazy (except for a particularly rough set of train tracks, around which I saw a LOT of lost
saddle bag lids and bottles).
The first half of the loop is kind of fun (Hog Jowl Road is FUN), but once you hit Pigeon Mountain Grill and start heading towards special needs, it starts to feel a little tedious (especially on the 2nd loop). You do get rewarded with a nice downhill towards the end of the loop, but it doesn’t last long enough.
I love riding hills, but these rollers were relentless and I was really feeling it by the second loop. The 4 extra miles are completely unnecessary (my opinion 😂) and I was SO mad when I got to 112 and realized in any other Iron Man I would be done.
Run – While I had driven the bike course prior to the race, I had not researched the run. I heard people talking about the Barton Hill, so I knew there was a significant hill out there somewhere and assumed I would know it when I saw it.
For the first mile or two my legs weren’t cooperating as well as normal and I was having trouble breathing (I’m blaming those 4 extra/unnecessary bike miles). I saw Dave and told him I didn’t know if I could do it. He told me I absolutely could, which was a special combination of sweet and annoying (more sweet, of course). 😊
In the second mile I wound up running behind a guy for a bit. I don’t know who he was or what his race plan was, but his pace was magic. I’m terrible at pacing, but the regimented speed he was running was exactly where I needed to be for the first loop and I stuck behind him for a lot of that time. Looking back it was probably super annoying for him. I really hope he didn’t mind.
The first section of the run loop (you do the full loop twice) is pretty exposed and boring, but you eventually turn on to a pleasantly shaded trail along the river. There is a short, steep hill at one point and I looked at road signs thinking that must be Barton (it wasn’t Barton).
We crossed the bridge to the other
side of the river. That's when I saw Barton.
It was big - steep and long. I though “ok that
will suck, but you probably just turn right around and come back down.” Nope.
You go up Barton, down the other side of Barton, do
a little loop near a country club, then go BACK up and over Barton. So, you go up and down Barton twice in each
loop. More importantly, you go UP Barton four times total!
Just like the 4 extra bike miles, totally unnecessary. 😊
I walked through every aid station - from the first table to the very last trash can - and up sections of all of the hills. It's all about conserving energy where you can.
Team
I’m so glad I did this race with the team. The cheer squads always seemed to pop up when I needed it most and seeing Z green on the course is such a huge pick-me-up. Ed found the perfect spot for the trailer (not right at the finish line with the other tri teams, but about ¾ of a mile from the end, in a location where there weren't as many people cheering and where supporters could see runners 5 times)!
To the cheer crew on the bridge (Mark, Lissette and Keri and maybe more) – you guys were such a highlight both loops!
Of course, HUGE thanks to Ed for everything you put into these races (and great pick for the team dinner too).
Tips for future IM Chooers
-Don’t underestimate this course. It’s never listed with hard IM courses, but it is legit challenging.
-Don’t worry about getting an early shuttle to the swim. Unlike Louisville, people aren’t actually standing in line for their swim pace groups (more just in the general area of where their line will be). So, you basically just wind up killing time near a huge ring of porta-potties before walking to the swim start.
-Scout both the bike and the run courses prior to race day. Get your eyes on Barton, so you know what you are getting into.
-If possible, try not to time any big life changes in the weeks before a race. We moved the weekend before and it made things more stressful than they needed to be.
-I change my shorts for every leg of the race (just can't bike the full 116 in tri shorts), so I was worried when I heard that the changing tents were going to be open sided. Luckily, I found a couple of long, stretchy skirts on sale. They were perfect, and I think I may just plan to use them from here on out (even when the changing tents have sides again).
-You don’t have to return your
race wheels! Ok, that’s not exactly true. I rented race wheels from “Race Day Wheels”,
which was a great experience. I made the
reservation a month ago, showed up at the expo with my bike, and they put the
wheels on. After the race, I collected
my bike and went back to the hotel.
Later in the night I realized I hadn’t returned my race wheels! In a panic a walked over to the Race Day
Wheels tent and it was closed. I thought
I had royally screwed up.
The next morning, we got up early
and headed back to the expo area with my bike.
The tent was still closed, so we waited and waited. Finally, after 30-45 minutes I looked down
and realized….my original wheels were on my bike.
“Race Day Wheels” pulls your bike
before transition opens (while you are running) and puts your wheels back on for you. You don’t have to
do anything.
In my defense, Dave didn’t notice either.
Thanks
So many people to thank. Coach Ken Mierke for the time and effort he has put in to making me stronger. Coach Ed and Team Z for making training fun. The many volunteers along the course who provided amazing support with a smile (including one particularly helpful volunteer in the changing tent, who seemed to magically know what I needed from my bag and when). Dave for, well, everything (love, support, patience, reason, race weekend logistics, and a million things I'm forgetting to list)
Next
As of now, I'm not planning for a full IM for next year. I think I'll just keep coming to Team Z rides and working with Coach Ken, with eyes on a 2023 full. Anyone need a Sherpa for MD 2022?
Comments
Post a Comment