Ironman Maryland 2023

I went into Ironman Maryland with much different expectations than with previous races.  I had a time goal, but it was a loose one. And one that would not define success.  My goals were to have fun and feel strong.  I began training for this race after I recovered from my 50K last fall. Kettlebell and suspension trainer strength workouts, short distance running, swimming, and indoor cycling.  I made a race calendar that involved longer rides and runs early in the season but staying at low intensity. I worked with Mary Eggers at Valor Project for the last 10 weeks or so. I entered race week feeling strong and fairly rested. I did not feel beat up like I have in the past.  I was excited and ready. 

I got to Transition a little after 5 am.  This was a "clean transition" which meant that all my gear was already there and organized in bags.  I had a few things to add to my bike and to the bags, but I was mostly ready to go.  I had planned a warm up swim so that I acclimated to the water, decrease nerves, and be ready to go! I quickly got to the point where I was ready to do my practice swim, however it was announced that the swim was delayed, by an hour, and cut to 1.2 miles due to a combo of tide and wind.  We were told it would feel like swimming in an endless pool. It would put racers and the rescuers in danger.  At this time I walked over to the edge of the Choptank River, where we'd be swimming and watched the sunrise and chatted with a fellow athlete, Frank. He  was a veteran 140.6 athlete and had been playing with trail running.  We had a lot in common and bounded over crazy races. We said our good byes and walked to transition. A bit later it was announced that the swim would be 0.57 miles, would start at 8:30, and we'd enter one by one. The day changed rapidly. My only concern at this time was the timing of my food. I had eaten my PBnJ at 5:30 am. I had one gel with me to intake a half hour before the swim. But I didn't have an extra food with me, other than what was in my gear for the bike and run. I was feeling hungry and a little dehydrated standing in line.  The plan at that time was to front load my bike nutrition to make up for this delay.  I stood in line for over 90 min before I entered the water. I was roughly a two hour delay.  This is significant.  But I stayed calm and tried to enjoy the beautiful clear morning. Standing in line with 1300 athletes.  

Finally at around 9 am it was my turn. Time to play. Time to see what I had in me.  Beep beep beep GO! I ran into the water and dove in. First strokes felt fine. The water was a perfect temperature.  It felt calm, however it was very murky due to churning waters.  First left....OK its a little choppy, but this is not bad. I felt strong.  Final left turn, I lift my head to sight....what felt like a huge wave went directly into my mouth.  I probably swallowed a cup of water. OK don't do that again Kristi....keep your mouth closed. I'm pretty sure I laughed at this moment. As much as you can laugh while swimming. At least one other time I swallowed a good deal of water.  It was here that I realized it was the right decision to cut the swim.  Ironman does not make these decisions lightly and I know it was for everyone's safety. I believe that if it had been the full 2.4 mile swim that there would have been A LOT of DNFs and quite possibly something tragic may have occurred. Even in the tumultuous water I felt strong. My stroke was solid.  I wasn't over rotating and my pull was long and strong.  My core was engaged. At one point I realized that the safety kayaks were herding us.  I found out later that the buoys were moving around with the current and they were making sure we stayed on course! In all of my years racing this has never happened.  I got to the boat dock, hopped out and onto wetsuit stripping.  I saw Amy, kissed her and went off to T1.  

I ran into the changing tent with my little bag of bike goodies, changed into my gear jogged to Speedy. OFF I went.  I felt fantastic immediately. For the first quarter of the course I was averaging over 16 mph I think. Then we hit Blackwater Wildlife Refuge.  The wind was very strong.  It was hard to stay in aero safely, but I gave it a go when able. There were about 20 miles of this. It was a flat course, but I truly felt like I was climbing at some points due to the headwind and cross winds.  It got to me. I was not having fun. I typically love the bike portion of the course. But the wind was making it very challenging in a way I didn't have experience with. I was working very hard on a flat course. It was beautiful but difficult to appreciate because I was concentrating so much on the wind and not falling over. I came up to the last aid station on first loop so I pulled in to refill my bottles.  The three young men and one young women were so awesome and so enthusiastic. They helped me and got me back on the bike in a couple minutes.  Those kids elevated me and got me excited again. A smile for the first time in a couple of hours. Now were were exiting the Refuge and the wind was a little less.  On to the second loop. This time I knew what was in store.  I got into a rhythm of being in aero OR alternating 8 seated and 8 standing revolutions.  Thank you Mary E. This got me through the second loop. I experienced a bit of nausea at mile 80 of the ride, but it subsided. It was not my fasted Ironman bike leg, but it was faster than I have been riding.  I believe without the wind I would have been much faster.  I didn't have a whole lot of experience riding in wind like that.  Rain yes. Heat and humidity yes. Strong head and crosswinds no.  I had a little more fun on that second loop, but I was excited to be off that bike! 

Into T2 to change into my running gear and off I went.  At this point in triathlon I always breath a sigh of relief.  There is less room for error in some ways.  No chance of drowning. No chance of panic.  No chance of crashes or mechanicals. Worse case scenario....walk.  My legs actually felt pretty damn good immediately.  "Fucking Perfect" by P!NK was playing as I came through the first aid station..it was my JAM! I felt good, I felt strong.  The first couple miles is a loop into town, past the finish line, past restaurants....SO much energy and excitement. I was eating it up. I felt great!  I was about to ramp up my pace; as I came to mile 3 I tried taking a gel .  Immediately I gagged and almost vomited. CRAP. I slowed but kept walking. Then I was able to run a bit. The nausea faded. I tried my Nuun Endurance and water...nauseau ramped. OK Kristi time to change things up. Lets try COKE and small sips of water.  Then coke, water, one chip and a tiny bit of banana. OK this is working. No lets add a little Gatorade.  I had to intermittently walk.  The nauseau faded but I was seriously lacking in energy. I was a little dizzy.  This was at mile 13 or so.   After dark I added chicken broth. Small sips at each aid station. I ran 20 steps, walked 20. The ran faster 10 steps, slow 20...repeat... then walk 20 steps and repeat. I made small goals. I talked to other athletes. I danced (sorta) at aid stations. Nauseau seemed to be a common theme.  I am blaming the water. I also think that a late start and timing of "breakfast" played a role.  My stomach was actually growling on the bike. That's not a good sign. In retrospect I should have grabbed a banana or cookie an aide station on the bike. 

We had to hit the 19 mile point by 10:50 pm.  When I had this confirmed I felt a load come off my shoulders. I was at mile 17 when I learned this and it was 8 pm .  I knew at this time I would finish.  The nausea was gone but I was weak. I estimate that I consumed at most 300 calories on the 26.2 run. That is NOT enough!!! There was no increasing my pace. I ran-walked but did it in a calculated manner.   I saw Amy around mile 21. This boosted me. I just needed to complete 5.2 miles. I can run 5 miles in my sleep. The last loop of the course I thanked every single volunteer, cop, and Ironman staff.  I thanked the spectators who were still waiting for their athletes and had been cheering me on.  I thanked the Cambridge residents where were still out there cheering us on in the dark! 

I entered the coral for "finishers" with another athlete; he and I gave each other an awkward hug while running.  We'd been running together for most of the marathon.  I accelerated a little and entered the finishers shoot.  I get goosebumps just thinking about it. An Ironman finish is special. They all are. The longer you're on the course the harder it gets. I'd been up since 3:30 am. It was almost 11 pm. I was on fumes and adrenaline. SO many people had helped me get there.  I had raced all day with no pain, except the normal discomforts of racing. I had established a calculated path to this finish line. And it fucking worked! I crossed the line and went back to do my one push-up at the line for all of my patients that we lost this year.  Then I walked back to the volunteer smack dabb in the middle of volunteers and got a huge hug and medal from the one and only Amy Wilson. My person.  This is the second time she has caught me at the finish.  It's so very special. 

This was my fourth 140.6, my fifth long distance triathlon (counting Sea to Summit here). They're all different. My first was a dream. Literally everything went right. The other four have had there own hiccups. Ironman Maryland had a lot of hiccups. I navigated those hiccups like a champ. Nothing rattled me. I felt strong most of the day. Even when I was nauseous my body felt strong. I know that I had a faster marathon in me.  Going in I established my definition of success: have fun, be strong, and finish between 14-15 hours. I accomplished all of those things.  

I can't thank enough everyone of my friends and teammates who trained with me and cheered loudly each week.  Amy who supports me in this thing I call fun. Who took time off work to travel to Maryland, volunteer, and support me. Serious rock start partner status. Mary Eggers who coached me through the last 10 weeks or so and helped navigate training when I had the covid-19 to get me ready for the start line. Who got it when I said "work sucked today I need to run harder and longer tomorrow" and encouraged rest when she knew I needed it. Because, like most of us triathletes and runners, I am bad at resting. My co-workers who listened to my stories of weekend training, handed me coffee and snacks and dealt with occasional grumpiness. This season has been awesome.  A few more fun things ahead before tying a bow on 2023. 

White Mountains Tri 2023 version

 In 2015 I came across the White Mountains Triathlon. I was coming off of an injury from 2014, this was in my old stomping ground. These were the roads, the lake, the bike path where I grew up. The White Mountains are a big part of who I am.  What a great way to return to long distance racing! It was the first week in June. It was cold and rainy to start. The water was SUPER cold.  It kicked my ass. I came in dead fricking last and I think I walked 80% of the run. Nothing wrong with either one of those, but mentally I was in a very bad place during 80% of that race. I felt like I failed on that race. Epically failed. In making my race plan for this year doing the 90 mile ride at training weekend and this race seemed fitting.  I would work on my base fitness fall and winter, then test myself on that ride, the 7-Sisters Trail race (a 12 mile vertical trail run) and The White Mountains 70.3 triathlon. The ride and tri were my redemption ride and race. 

I've approached 2023 in a very different way than any other years racing. With a September 16 Ironman I wanted to build a very big base going into the last 16 weeks of training and transitioning into "race prep".  I also wanted to do a 90 mile -5 notch ride with my tri team at our annual training weekend in the Whites.  So it seemed fitting that my first tri and first real test of the 2023 season be the White Mountains 70.3 tri.  And it would be a redemption race. Just like the 90 mile ride was. I failed that ride in 2018. OK maybe not failed. But it also kicked my ass and I had to walk up Crawford and bail at the top.  I did that ride this year with the intent of riding in at 14-15 mph and the big goal of riding up Crawford and completing the ride on two wheels.  I did that. And I felt mentally and physically strong all day. When I got home from that weekend I let myself recover.  Two weeks prior I'd done a vert 12 mile very tough trail run.  After I recovered I shifted into more faster race pace efforts in all three disciplines. 

I drove up to Littleton early Friday so I could do a shake out workout in all three disciplines, hang out, organize and spend some time with my parents.  I felt weirdly calm and 1000% ready.  My lofty goal was to finish in 6:30. But the big, most important goal was to have fun and finish strong. 

That morning I felt calm and ready to kick ass until I got to the race site. Then I got a little nervous.  But that's normal and totally expected.  That dissipated after I did a very quick run and then a warm up swim. Although it didn't' so much warm me up as make me cold. I got super excited lining up for the race.  It was a time trial start. All of us lined up a tiny cones with our numbers. They let us off one by one like little lemurs in wetsuits. The water was choppy from the wind of the brewing storm.  It was foggy and cloudy.  But its was 68ish and the water was reportedly 68 deg F. The water glorious. I was wearing a full wetsuit but probably could have worn a sleeveless wetsuit. 

I ran in, dove it as gracefully as a golden retriever and took a few strokes, sited (for non triathletes this means looking out of the water to make sure you're swimming straight. It's not always as easy as it may seem) and immediately gulped water.  I panicked for a second but calmly kept swimming.  I didn't really find my rhythm until our first turn buoy. I was getting tossed around by the waves and having trouble sighting, especially on the vertical bit of the rectangular course.  We got a bit of assist coming back in, which was lovely.  I think I swam faster the second loop, but am not certain. 

I got out of the water feeling pretty good. T1 involved running up a paved path and parking lot.  I was cautious and walked most of that for fear of hurting my feet.  A torn up foot could ruin my run. A few more minutes in T1 wasn't going to make or break my day. I wasn't going to win after all.  I organized my stuff and off I went. 

The bike course starts off with a short ascent and then a very long steep curvey descent.  When I was a teenager and young 20's kid I didn't' like driving this road.  I dislike riding even more.  I wasn't in bike mode well enough to gun it down. I was feeling a little shaky at that point, so I cautious.  When I got into Franconia I found my bike rhythm and saw my parents! I know Easton Road well enough from training weekend. So I knew when I could push and when I should ease back, pace, for the rest of the race. One of the highlights of the day was a group of ten or so local Easton folks in their front yard with dumbs and cowbells cheering on athletes! THANK YOU!  Once I hit the next right I ramped up my efforts. There's a long stretch of flat road along a river. It is so pretty! To be honest, my head was down and I was pedaling fast at this point so I did not enjoy the view as much as on other times down this stretch.  I felt amazing on this stretch! The next loop was through the towns of Haverhill and North Haverhill.  My moral dropped a tad on the outer bits of that loop. There were not many riders around me and almost no spectators. But I thought of my people, my training, and got back to being in the moment. And at some point there was a women in her driveway cheering me on. THANK YOU! Soon enough I was at the top of the climb and zipped down a very fun descent back to River road. By that time I had my bike legs and confidence to fly down the hill. Then there was a fun out and back where I saw a bunch of fellow racers again. Morale boost.  Now to ride back down Easton road.  I knew after one big climb the rest was cake.  I ramped up the effort on that climb because I was feeling good and felt I could and still have a good remaining ride and run. There would be one more climb left and I was off the bike! I saw my parents again at the bridge in Franconia town center! At this time I was around 70.3 athletes and sprint athletes as we approached the KOM-QOM segment (this is largely a cycling term. used for very steep climbs. the fastest rider is crowned king and queen of that climb) and the final climb back to transition. It did not disappoint. I felt strong on that road. It was about 3 miles of climbing with a bit of false flat between bigger efforts.  But then it was a gradual climb on a bike path. That was a bit rough.  For some reason I have a harder time pushing pace and effort on climbs that are on bike paths. 

I was down in my aero bars as much as possible during this ride to simulate IMMD (Ironman Maryland). Its a flat course and I'll want to be in them as much as possible to maximize speed and efficiency.  I often opt for hilly courses, which means change in position. This year I chose a flat course. Which means long periods of the same position. I still need to train my body and mind for that. 

Then into transition and onto the run! T2 was a little long because I had to pee, lol. As I was leaving I saw my mom. 

My legs felt stiff , but I was moving. The first ~ 2 miles of the run were downhill. That may seem good, but I find it hard to find my run legs running in a downhill after a ride. After ~ 3/4 mile the descent was super steep. And then you climb back up an equally step part of the bike path.  The next loop of the run course was flat to moderate climbs and descents along the lake. Easier to find a rhythm.    I found my legs around mile 2 and I was sticking to my plan of walking only every 2 miles to intake gel and a quick stop to pee and refill liquid fuel. I felt strong with intermittent not so strong between 2 miles and mile 9. I saw teammates Sunny, Bill, Tom, Mike, and my parents between loops 2 and 3.  Sunny ran  a bit with me! There was one volunteer that was so energetic and amazing. She gave me a boost each time I saw her!  But on that finally ascent I slowed down considerably and got into a walk-run pattern to get over the top of a steep climb.  Once I got up and rounded the final intersection where I'd see my parents I thought I'd be able to cruise in sub 11 min/mile pace to finish the race. I took in a little gel and immediately almost threw up.  I tried running then walking but the  nausea got the better of me and I had to stop to let it pass. It did. And I started running, slowly at first. Then a little faster. I made it to the final aid station. One mile to go. I grabbed some chips, walked for 200 yards and then started running.  I picked up the pace when I got to Echo Lakes southern border. I did mini intervals. Then I was off the bike path and headed to the finish line.  Past transition and down the hill into the finish line at Echo Lake! My parents and few other spectators cheered me in . 

I am so grateful for my parents. They cheered on me, my WWMS teammates, and every athlete out there yesterday.  I am 47 and they still come to my races when they can.  They are professional triathlon spectators at this point. I think my Dad knew the course better than I did the night before.  And they're the cutest spectators on course. Hands down.  I am SUPER grateful for Sunny, Bill, Tom, and Mike for hanging out for a while to cheer me on after their spectacular races. And for Sunny for running me up the hill and a bit down the road. Those moments boosted me through the third loop of the run course. I am grateful for Amy for supporting me through this thing I do for fun. And for everyone of you who cares about me and my love of this sport. Your support means the world. 

Sitting here on June 25 I am happy ....ecstatic where I am at in my training for IMMD. I am tired today. I never sleep well after a race. But my legs and muscles feel ok.  I could maybe even do a ride or run today. I have some work to do, mostly on my swim. But I am ready. Most importantly. I have found the LOVE of this sport again. When it became so very hard it became not as fun.  My body hurt in bad ways during a race. And I felt low like I was on empty. Unresponsive.  Yesterday hurt, don't get me wrong. But it was muscle pain and fatigue. A little nausea. Not pain. And I had confidence. I was in the flow. I was in the moment. I was loving all my fellow athletes. The spectators. The volunteers. The gorgeous Whites. I was loving the challenge. When I asked my body to ramp up on the flats or on a climb it did. I was responsive. I am back.  

2023 race schedule

 It's been  a very  long time since I've been this excited about my race plans.  I have a lot of races lined up.  Partly because racing brings me a great deal of joy.  I feed off the crowds of big runs and tris; I LOVE the uniqueness of small local run races. The snacks and people at trail races. Seriously the snacks at trail races FAR exceed road races. I love racing with friends and teammates.  Racing also really helps me increase speed. As much I like to think I push myself when training alone, I know I go harder when in a race. Whether it be running or a triathlon. 

In the last few years I've gotten slow.  Some of that is that I am older.  And sorta adjusting to this new body. Ya youngsters out there, just wait.  Soon you won't bounce back as fast and need more recovery. I'm learning and doing more lifting and recovery things.  I mediate more. I now have a pair of RE-Athlete leg compression sleeves. I do more yoga. I listen to my body more. And I try to get better sleep.  That last one doesn't always happen, but I've made progress. 

Some of my WWMS teammates didn't know me when I was fast. And I was fast in my late twenties and thirties. Even a little into my early forties. There have been comments and that hurts my ego a bit. But I am still here racing.  I  will be 47 soon and I am still doing long distance triathlon. And I am running longer than I ever have.  And that is the important thing. Today I made a decision look forward.  If I get back to running consistent sub 9 min/ miles then great. But if I don't that's OK.  I am going to do the best that this body will allow me to do.  Today I ran a 5k in 29:49. The fast I've ran in at least a year.  And I felt like I could have gone faster. 

My big races are in September and October this year.  I am being very smart right now. The year is very young. The focus is strength with kettlebells/suspension trainers/pull-ups, increasing volume in swim, bike, and run; and working on speed just a little. The big work will start in June.  I have a new coach this year that I am very excited about.  I won't start working with her until June. More about that later. I am feeling stronger than I have in a very long time. Years in fact. I am excited about what is to come this year. 

This years race schedule

• 5k race series Jan-early March
• Hale and Back 6 hour trail race -goal is 9-12 miles
• 7 Sisters Trail Race 12 miles
• White Mountain 70.3-- B+  Race
• TARC Summer Classic  (this is a probably, done as a training run)
• Ironman Maryland-- A RACE
• Ghost Train Ultra Trail -- goal is 60 miles