Ironman Wisconsin 2013 Race Report

On Friday before the race, Mark and I got up at 5am to head up to Madison, leaving the kiddos behind with his parents.

Don't think we could've fit any more stuff in the car if we tried!

As much as I would've loved to have seen them along the course on race day, I knew that having them there with all of the pre-race running around we'd have to do would stress me out and that they would get tired and bored.  We left early enough to assure that, even if we ran into bad traffic, we would make it there by the 5pm athlete check-in cut off.  If you don't check in by 5pm, you don't race.  No exceptions.  Luckily traffic was smooth sailing, and with the hour time change we arrived at about 1pm.  We went straight to Monona Terrace for check in, where I ended up waiting in an hour long line.  This was just the beginning of a long weekend of "hurry up and wait".  Got weighed in, got my race packet, athlete wrist band, and swag bag, and headed to the hotel to unload.

Later that evening, we walked around downtown Madison and had dinner at a nice restaurant with my parents, my cousin Kate (also racing) and her fiancee and her daughter, and a high school swimming friend of mine and her husband, who live near Madison.  I hadn't seen my friend since we swam against each other in college (me for Iowa and her for Wisconsin), so it was great to catch up.  We returned to the hotel for an early bedtime, but my nerves had me tossing and turning all night.

Early on Saturday, we woke up and drove down to Lake Monona for a quick swim to test out the waters and quick ride to check the gears and brakes.  The water was a calm 74 degrees...absolutely perfect race conditions.  After that, we took the bikes up to Monona Terrace--the convention center that is wedged between the lake and the race finish line and is where both T1 and T2 occur--and did the mandatory checking in of the bike and gear-bags.

T2 bag drop-off

Since it was forecasted to get up to 90 degrees that day and our bikes would be racked outside, Kate and I were sure to let some air out of our tires.  Sure enough, within 10 minutes we heard a huge 'pop' of some less fortunate athlete's tire blowing.

Racked and ready!

We then walked around Madison a little, picking up some last minute items at a local bike shop and eating lunch at a deli.  We ran into this guy right outside Kate's hotel...

  

Honey badger don't care

 Later that afternoon, my parents and I drove the "loop" part of the bike course.  This was my first time on the course and I was really nervous about how hilly I had been told it is.  The drive calmed my fears...it was hilly, but I felt that the hill training I had done all summer was probably enough to prepare me for this course. We spent the rest of the day trying to relax, and ended with a huge Italian dinner with my whole family (mom, dad, brother Dave and sister in law Alexis, sister Jill and niece Vivian, Jill's good friend Sylvia, and Kate and her family).  As much as I tried to relax, I was so nervous that I was sick to my stomach and almost had a feeling of dread.  I didn't sleep much that night, either.

Race Morning
Woke up at 3:40am on Sunday and unsuccessfully tried to choke down some PB toast and a banana.  I could only finish about half of both.  We loaded the final gear into the car and made our way to meet Kate at her hotel.  I was able to get a cup of coffee down and started working on a bottle of Perpetuem. I don't think I've ever been more nervous than I was then.  We dropped our bike- and run- special needs bags at the proper location and made our way to Monona Terrace.  The place was already teeming with athletes and their families and the energy in the air was electric.  We stood in line to get into transition, which opened at 5am.  It was cool to chat with other athletes in line and I started to relax a little.  Made it into transition to do a final bike check, load my bottles of electrolytes, and pump up the tires.  Heard another unfortunate loud 'pop', signaling another blown tire...luckily not mine.  I said a quick prayer that I wouldn't have any mechanical bike issues during the race and then went to get body marked.

Love this picture of the crazy, busy energy of the bike transition at 5am on race morning

Me and Kate just minutes before we were herded into the water

The Swim
After body marking, Kate and I made our way down to the bike path in front of the swim start and hung out with my parents.  I still had unbelievable butterflies, but the nausea and dread feeling had completely dissipated.  Somehow, by dumb luck, Kate and I ended up moving onto the bike path toward the water just as they moved the barricades and we ended up, literally, the first non-pro athletes let into the water.  The swim is a mass start, so a half an hour before our start time they started shuffling us into the water.  We were lucky, because later I noticed athletes still making their way into the water seconds before the cannon went off.  I made my way out to the farthest start buoy on the inside of the course and ended up about the third row back.  Then we had to tread water and bob around in our wetsuits until the cannon went off.  It was kind of fun--everyone was talking and joking around--but I became teeth-chattering cold.  We were so far out from the shore that I barely heard Mike Reilly give a 2-minute warning and heard snippets of the national anthem playing, which sent my heart rate soaring as I knew the cannon fire was coming, then...BOOM!  I pressed 'start' on my watch and took off.

 I've never been in a mass open water swim with that many bodies.  Arms and legs everywhere, hardly any space to put your hands in the water in front of you.  Despite the chaos, I never experienced any aggression from other swimmers and I right away felt strong and comfortable.  We had 15-20 mph winds that morning, so the water was choppy, but for some reason I had no problems sighting the numbered yellow buoys and they quickly went by.  Pretty soon I saw the first red turn buoy and shouted out an Ironman Wisconsin traditional "Moo!" as I went around it.  The next section was short and flew by, then on to the long back section, directly into the chop.  I took in water a couple of times and remember briefly hoping I didn't end up sea sick, but still felt smooth.  I remember during the swim in Racine last year feeling like it went on and on and I just wanted to be done, but that was not the case today.  I was loving it!  Before I knew it, I was rounding the final turn buoy and things had dramatically thinned out.  Of course it was at this point that I got a swift kick to the nose!  The swim finish arch got closer and closer and pretty soon I could stand up and run out.  I glanced at my watch and saw 1:04-something...exactly what I had hoped I could put down on a perfect day.  Woot!
Official time: 1:05.03  5th in AG, 161 over all

T1: 8:48
As I was running to the wetsuit strippers I couldn't get a hold of the dumb zipper strap, so they had to help me work it down over my shoulders, then ordered me to flop down on my back as they ripped it off of my legs.  I then ran up the helix (the parking lot ramp that lead up to T1), which was lined 8 or 9 deep with screaming spectators.  I saw my family up near the top and gave a wave.  IMWI is unique in that the transitions take place inside the convention center rooms...which was SO nice to have a carpeted, air-conditioned room rather than a grassy field or parking lot.  When I entered the bike gear bag room, volunteers started shouting out my race number so others could locate my bag. Someone handed it to me, then pointed me to the women's changing room (aka "the get naked room"). I sat down and a nice female volunteer named Max got started on getting me situated.  I tell you, these volunteers are AWESOME!  She emptied my bag, put on my socks and arm warmers for me, helped me stuff my pockets with nutrition, sprayed me with sunscreen, handed me my bike shoes, helmet, and sunglasses and sent me on my way.  I thanked her and  ran back outside onto the top parking deck, where yet more volunteers started shouting my bib number down the line so the closest person could fetch my bike.  I grabbed my bike, threw on my bike shoes, and headed for the exit.

The Bike
The bike ride starts by heading us down the spiraled helix parking ramp on the side opposite the swim.  The course is a "lollipop" course with a 16 mile 'stick' out of town, two 40 mile loops in the countryside, and the same 16 mile stick back into town.  The first 16 seemed relatively quick and easy and I was onto the first loop before I knew it.  People were flying past me left and right, but I knew from all of my reading that I needed to ride conservatively or the course would sneak up on me and kick my @ss.  So away they went.  I knew from driving the course that the first part had some rolling hills (both large and small front ring climbs), followed by some flats, twisting-turning screaming downhills, and more rollers, then the back section that has three big climbs known as "The Three Sisters" (or "The Three B!tches" depending on whether you're on the first or second loop).  These hills are challenging but fun, as they are lined on both sides with spectators in crazy costumes who run up the hill along side you, screaming and cheering, like in the Tour de France.  I discovered over the course of riding this summer that I love long, slow hill climbs, so I was excited to see the first climb and all of it's colorfully-costumed spectators.

A while later, I was rolling back through the first town on the course at the halfway point.  I was feeling great, but decided that I needed to ride the second loop really conservatively so I would have enough in me for the run.  I stopped at the special needs area, grabbed 3 new hydration bottles from my bag, and took off.  All in all, I ended up going through 5 bottles of electrolytes and 2.5 bottles of water on the bike and stopped at the portapotty three times to pee, so I knew I was hydrating well.  The second loop went by a little more slowly and I started to feel the fatigue in my legs, but pretty soon I was back on The Sisters and got a lift from seeing Mark, my brother, and my sister-in-law.  They ran along side me for a little while up one of the hills and got a nice video...

Dave and Alexis, with her sign reading "This Hill's a Whore".  Truth.

I remember that by about mile 88 on the bike I really wanted to be done.  My neck and shoulders had been tight and achy since the start and my butt was really starting to get tired of sitting on the bike seat.  My eyes were wind-blown dry and I kept having the squeeze them shut to try to moisturize them.  And I was actually starting to worry that my legs would be too shot to run 26 miles.  No amount of shifting around, stretching out, or neck rolling seemed to be alleviating the discomfort.  Some guy was chatting behind me and said "we're done with the hills on the loop, but there is one more long climb on Whalen Rd. back on the stick...then I promise it's flat back to town".  Well, that ended up being complete bull$hit.  There were THREE climbs on Whalen Rd., the final one being the worst of any hill that day (okay, it probably wasn't, but the fact that it occurred at mile 107 didn't help).  I even saw one guy get off his bike and walk up it.  Finally, FINALLY, we were back on flat land and I could see Monona Terrace in the distance.  I rode back up the helix to the waiting arms of a wonderful volunteer who kindly helped me wobble off of my bike and disposed of it for me.  At that point, I really wouldn't have cared if he'd thrown it off the roof.
Bike split: 7:10.44,  44th in AG, 1470 Overall (yes, that means that over 1300 people passed me on the bike!!)

T2: 6:48
By T2 I was slightly less aware of what was going on around me.  I can't remember my volunteer's name, but I do remember that she was young and sweet and let me wipe vaseline all over her shirt after I lubed up my toes.  She filled my hand held water bottle for me while I luckily had the wits to down an Immodium pill.  She sent me on my way and I started to jog out, then realized that I had forgotten to tie my shoes.  That's a first for me, but I guess racing for over 8 hours at that point does that to you.

The Run
I strapped on and fired up my Garmin as I left T2, but it wouldn't catch a sattelite so I had no idea how fast or slow I was going.  I erred on the side of caution and went just about as slowly as I could.  My legs felt surprisingly good and my butt and neck pain was gone.  I kept asking people along side me what our pace was and got answers ranging from "too fast for me" to "about 11:00 miles".  By mile 5 my Garmin finally clicked in and I was in business.  I was running roughly 9:30s, walking through every aid station for water, and took in a gel.  The run was a two-loop course that contained lots of little loops and out-and-backs and it was kind of confusing as to where I was on the course at any given point in time.  It was also difficult to tell if those coming toward me on the course were in front of or behind me.  This was a nice distraction, though, trying to figure out where the heck I was and where I was going.  We ran down into and around the football field at the U of Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium, where running on the turf felt heavenly on my tired legs...

We ran (okay, walked) up a huge, steep hill called Observatory Hill.  We ran on a nice bike path along Madison's other big lake, Lake Mendota, passing a crazy co-ed dodgeball game.  We ran a down-and-back down State Street, which is the main restaurant/bar area on campus.  It was like a crazy tailgate party there, the only downside being the cigarette smoke hanging in the air.  Before I knew it, I was back at the Capitol building for the 13.1 mile turn-around and I got to see and high-five my family...

 
I knew the turnaround was literally 500 yards from the finish line, but it surprisingly didn't bother me to have to turn and head back out.  I actually got a little teary, knowing that the next time I came through here, it'd be for keeps.

By about mile 16, I started to feel the dreaded nausea that I had experienced on a particularly hard training day when I got dehydrated.  I knew I had hydrated well on the bike, and I had even peed once already on the run, so I started assessing what was going on.  I finally realized that I had been drinking roughly 8-10oz. of water from my hand-held about every mile for the last 16 miles.  Oops.  I immediately stopped drinking and tried to let my stomach settle.  It wasn't working.  I started doing a jog-walk thing.  I passed Mark and my brother and sister in law and gave them a thumbs-down and told them I was feeling barfy.  My sister in law encouraged me to let it all out on the course, but I decided to start jogging and try, as a last resort, flat Coke at the next aid station.

This was a "please don't let me spew on the course" shot

I had heard of the miracles of flat Coke, but remember trying it and not liking it one bit in my half iron last summer.  The next aid station came and the Coke went down nicely.  Within 2 minutes I felt like a new person...the nausea was gone and my legs had renewed life.  From that point on, all I took at each aid station was a swig or two of Coke.

By mile 20 every joint in my legs was screaming to stop the pounding, but I told myself that as long as my stomach was feeling good, dammit, I was going to run.  All of a sudden, it seemed, it was dark outside and I was heading back into town.  I remember that most people were walking at that point.  I came upon a man who was somewhat stumbling forward and he looked at me with a dazed expression and said "I just want to know where the turn-around is".  I replied "It's just around the corner by the Capitol Building, keep going buddy, you're almost there".   Then he said "You're on your second loop?!" and after I replied 'yes' he kind of laughed and said "You suck!".

At that point, I could hear the music blaring, people screaming and cheering, and Mike Reilly's booming voice.  The Capitol Building came into view, and I knew that I just had a couple of more turns to get around the Capitol and into the finish chute.  Everything that I had read about the last half mile in an Ironman marathon was true...all of the pain and labored breathing evaporated.  I felt like I was flying down the street.  I had the hugest grin plastered on my face and I was choking back tears, trying not to hyperventilate.

After over 13 hours of moving, the finish is in sight!

I don't know whether I saw her or heard her scream my name, but at the final turn into the chute suddenly I was flinging my arms over the barricade and hugging my sister, Jill, and her friend, Sylvia.  We were all screaming and crying and jumping up and down.  Then she probably said something like "Go finish!" and I turned for the bright lights of the finish line and ran toward the arch, and I finally heard "Jen Brown, YOU. ARE. AN. IRONMAN!"

Run split: 4:38.52
Overall time: 13:10:15,  36th AG, 1130 Overall, 198 Female

After crossing the line, two volunteer "catchers" grabbed me.  One threw a mylar blanket around me, a medal around my neck, and handed me a finisher's hat and shirt.  The other asked me what I wanted to drink and went to fetch me a water and a chocolate milk.  They herded me over to the finisher's photo screen and asked me if I needed anything else.  At that point I saw the rest of my family, so I thanked the catchers and then ran over to the barricade and hugged and cried with my parents, Dave and Alexis, and lastly, Mark.  I just sobbed on his shoulder and thanked him over and over for giving me the opportunity to pursue this dream.  The training wasn't easy on him, having to take over parental duties most weekends, tuck the kids into bed most nights as I fell asleep before them, and give up his own training time for mine...but the smile on his face let me know that it was all worth it to him...

After we were all hugged and cried out, I called the kids and my other sister, Lynn, who had been tracking me all day.  I am so thankful for my loving and supportive family, for without them this wouldn't have been possible (or nearly as much fun!!).  So, a few days later, after the soreness has subsided and I'm starting to wonder...what's next??  I hear that Ironman Lake Placid has a gorgeous course.... :)