Carrie's Lake Stevens 1/2 Ironman report

Last year when I finished this race, my exact words were "its over!! finally! it has come and gone and now i don't have to worry about it or ever do anything like it again!" That lasted about a day or two then I started planning for 2008.

I had great plans for the race in 2008, but as you know a month or so ago we decided to put our house up for sale and move. While "paint the fence" worked like magic for Daniel in the Karate Kid, it didn't work quite as well for Carrie in real life. Regardless I was totally excited about the race with a goal of just finishing the race.

July 6 - Race Day
The alarm went off at 3:45 AM. Eric and I did a quick packing of the car, made some PB&J and headed out the door. We got to the race site at 5am and found a great parking spot. We grabbed most of our stuff and headed to transition, set up then headed back to the car to change into race gear. The it was off to the potty and over to put on our wetsuits.

The Swim
I spotted eric in the sea of black suits with orange heads, gave him a kiss and wished him luck. It was a little less sureal then last year when it seemed like he was headed off to the meat factory. Then it was off to find the other LUNAs and wish them all luck. There is something incredibly calming about heading to the water for triathlon start. Running races and mountain bike races I am generally a nervous wreck, but at triathlons I am always very calm. Our group headed out onto the dock and into the water. It was warm, my goggles fit well and the horn went off. I was dropped by the pack instantly, which didn't suprise me. Almost as instantly I was caught by the group that started 3 minutes back, then the next group, then the next, etc. I wasn't thrilled with the swim, but with my lack of training, I was happy to finish and not be exhausted and even have enough gas in the tank to run into transition.

Swim Time: 55:04 (almost 4 minutes slower than last year)

The Bike
I was sort of concerned about the bike. I knew I could cover the distance, I just wasn't sure how quickly I could do it and how painful it would then make the run be after. I have been pleased with my bike portions of races this year as I have finally learned how to push my self.. I didn't go all out on the bike, but I kept a steady pace and I definitly worked. Although hillier, I liked this bike course better then last year. I liked that it gave more opportunity to get lapped. Did I just say that? Yes, because it is so cool to hear the pros coming up behind you with the whoosh whoosh of their disk wheels and seeing what amazing athletes they are and then leave you in their dust! I was so happy to see Renee's little pony tails and smiling face at the end of the first lap. The second lap was somewhat uneventful. I stayed well hydrated through the bike - I went through two bottles of Pink Grapefruit LUNA Sport Electrolyte Splash AND a bottle of water. At the end of the 2nd lap I caught up to Charity. She was looking great although working through a pinch in her shoulder. A few miles from the end I was caught by a 67 year old woman. Wow!! She was amazing!! As I rode into town the cheers of the crowd made me want to keep going, but alas, the bike was done.

Bike Time: 3:37:48 (3 minutes or so faster then last year)

The Run
I was in a pretty good mood on the run. Maybe it was the complete costume change in T2? I was moving better then I thought I would be and I was chatting away with everyone I came across. I walked through every water stop, a plan that worked well last year and took a potty break at mile 1. I walked some on the big hill around but then ran most of the way back down where I saw both Renee and Charity. Heading out onto the first loop of the 2nd lap my knees were pretty achey and I started walking a bit more. On my way back through town I spotted Eric and Charity's husband. I walked up that big hill again but there were some enthusiastic spectators on the hill so I told them I would looks fast for them and run up the hill. At the top and through the turn around I was going what felt to be really fast and I was feeling really good. I saw Sarah from the tri team while going up the hill and I saw Marne on the way back down. But my knees - so I would stop and walk from one cone to the next, then run for a bit, then repeat. This worked really well and I continued to chat with everyone I passed in either direction. Once I got into town though I was running and so happy to be almost done! I crossed the finish line, found Eric and gave him a huge hug! Then I went to the pizza tent. :)

Run Time: 2:10:38 (about a minute and 1/2 faster then last year - with considerably more walking!)

Total Time: 6:49:58 (about 2 minutes faster then last year!)

All in all it was a great race. I was calm and collected. I had great support at the race from my husband, teammates and friends and I even got a tan! I am especially proud of both Charity and Renee. I knew they could do it and I am so happy that they did it!