OilMan 2012 - YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!

Oh.  My.  Gosh!  Yesterday could not have gone better.  I am so happy with what I was able to accomplish and am still kind of in shock that I did it.  

The morning started out great!  Yay for daylight savings time and getting a bonus hour of sleep.  Luke stayed the night with me so Saturday night, we went to dinner (Keith & Hannah too).  We had some yummy pasta and then packed the car up so we could be ready to go bright & early. 

Before we knew it, the swim start was minutes away.  I was in wave 2 and Dorina was in wave 7. We headed over to the start area, got in the lake for a minute and then lined up.  The gun went off and at 7:04am, I was in the water.  If I've said it once, I've said it a million times.  I am not a strong swimmer.  I do my very best but it is what it is.  The highlight of my swim yesterday was the number of times a large man swam right over me.  I also got hit in the face (by a man), kicked (by a man), and held down (by a man).  Sense a trend?  While I love having an earlier wave, it does suck when you have the men behind you.  I was very proud of the fact that I did not freak out, I did not panic and I just kept on swimming.  All in all, I was 30 seconds slower than last year (give or take) but was perfectly fine with that.  The first year I did this was I don't know how on Earth I swam it in 44+ minutes.  That was a miracle. 

My wave starting the swim.  Go ladies 35 and older!!

I'm happy to report that I was able to improve my T1 time.  Last year I was 5:01 in transition and this year, I was 3:49.  Woo hoo!  Not too shabby.  

Glad to be on my bike!

The bike.  Oh my Lord.  I had a good bike.  To offer some comparison, my first year my bike time was 3:54:07.  Last year, I biked in 3:44:04.  This year?  This year I am happy to report I biked in 3:15:58 giving me a nearly 29 minute PR! O.  M.  G.  I have to admit, the conditions were awesome on the bike and we couldn't have asked for a nicer day.  Keith & I have spent a lot of time on the back part of the OilMan course and I think it really paid off for both of us.  How did he do?  Well, last year his bike time was 3:19:02 and this year he went 3:12:38.  I am SO proud of him!!!!!  Needless to say, we were both happy with how we did on the bike.  And I was especially pumped that I wasn't too much slower than him.  :)  A couple that trains together has bike PR's together!!!!!

I was also very happy with my improvement in T2.  Last year I was 3:18 and this year I got out of there in 1:49.  All the racing I did this year at the sprints really helped me improve my transition times.  Woo hoo!!!

On to the run.  Oh yes.  This is where I've struggled on my previous half ironman races.  Last year I was 2:49:40 and my first year I was 2:45:08.  I'm happy to say I was more than 1 minute per mile faster than last year and finished in 2:33:40 (good for a 16 minute improvement over last year).  All week, I spent time visualizing the entire race but especially the run.  I planned to take the first loop easy and settle into my running legs. If I felt good, I would pick up the pace on the second loop and then really try to push the final loop.  It was funny because when I was finishing the bike, I was doing some math in my head and I kept thinking my overall time would be close to 7hr which still would've been a big PR but not what I wanted.  For a split second, I was like, "well, I guess it doesn't matter what I do". I could've slapped myself.  This is what I tend to do in races...think I can't hit my goal and throw in the towel.  I didn't do that yesterday.  I told myself that I was still on the bike and it was not time to think about the run yet.  Anyway, as I started my final loop on the run, I did the math and knew that I would be under 7hrs and that there was a good chance I would be somewhere in the 6:40 neighborhood IF I kept doing what I was doing.  

As I turned on to the final stretch of the run, I looked at my watch and knew I was going to have a big PR.  I approached the spot where Keith, Hannah & Dorina had been spectating. I glanced at my watch, looked at them and did a little fist pump.  I then put my hand over my mouth because I knew I was about to cry.  The race wasn't over though and it was time to finish strong.  As I approached the finish line, I looked at the clock and saw 6:52:54 and knew that I started 4 min after the clock start so backed that time out.  I threw my arms in the air (which didn't last long b/c I was T I R E D) and screamed "YES". I quickly burst into tears of joy.  My official time was 6:48:54....good for a 43 minute half ironman PR.  

Trying not to cry.  Love that Hannah captured this!

Wow.  What a day.  I really worked hard all year and while I slowly showed improvement, I wasn't getting my "big" moment.  This race was a long time coming.  I have been blessed with an unbelievable support system.  My family is awesome and goes to as many races as possible.  Keith of course is wonderful and is always so encouraging.  We've become awesome training partners on the bike and are both looking forward to getting even stronger.  Keith's girls also show me awesome support with text messages or FB posts.  Hannah though is the real trooper.  I don't know any nearly 16 year old girl who would spend most of her Sunday at a boring race but she did it and she cheers for not only the folks she knows, but everyone out there.  Hannah is an awesome cheerleader and we're so happy to have her out there.  I was also lucky yesterday b/c I knew so many people racing and volunteering.  On every loop I would see someone I knew at just the perfect moment.  Lori & Melissa were volunteering towards the end of the run loop and they gave awesome words of encouragement on every loop.  I can't name everyone but I will say that everyone I saw helped make my day!  Last (but certainly not least) I have to thank my coach, Ana Lemus who is amazing.  She raced as part of a relay yesterday....the first place female relay of course.  She had a blazing fast bike time which is AWESOME!  Ana is a great coach.  She has helped get me here and has been a huge support.  I'm so grateful I met her and am coached by her!!!!  Oh, and I can't forget Chase Banks who has me on a nutrition plan that has helped me drop 23 of the 30 pounds I've lost.  I feel amazing!!!!!!

There are a few things I have to work on of course.  My nutrition yesterday didn't work as it should've and I had a lot of bloating.  We suspect I didn't take in enough water on the bike so I'm going to be sure to correct that issue.  I want to improve my swim and I have to figure out what makes sense there.  Don't worry, I'm not picking apart my race!  I'm just making notes of ways I can continue to improve. 

I'm off today and am so glad I am.  Mama is sore!  And that's good because that means I left it all on the course yesterday!  Now, time to enjoy the accomplishment and turn my focus to Turks & Caicos.  Yee haw!