Runner Leana

...sometimes with a little swimming and biking thrown in...

  • home
  • 2018 Race Schedule
  • 140.6 & 70.3 Race Results
  • Race Report Archive
    • Running Race Reports
    • runDisney Race Reports
    • Triathlon Race Reports
  • Favorite Hikes in Alberta
  • About Me

2016 IM 70.3 St. George Race Report

May 13, 2016 By: Runner Leana

IM St George Race Report

The night before the race my nerves really kicked in.  I couldn’t believe that I would wake up in the morning and that it would be race day!

IMG_7515

As I dropped my run bag off in T2 and I noticed a few people were tying their bags to the bike racks to keep them off the ground.  If it was going to rain I figured this might be a good idea.  I ran into a few SOAS girls in T2, got some hugs, then said goodbye to Neil and boarded the bus out to Sand Hollow.

IMG_7520

As soon as I got to the reservoir I stopped at the porta potties, then got to work getting ready.  I had my tires pumped up, then I laid out all the gear I would need on my bike.  I didn’t know what the weather was going to do so I had arm warmers I could put on, plus I brought a lightweight rain jacket if need be.

IMG_7518

I found Coach Angie, then hung out with Neil as the minutes to the start ticked by.

IMG_7517

IMG_7524

Before I knew it, it was time to get my wetsuit on and line up with my swim wave.

IMG_7526

Once the pros were off we steadily started moving closer to the water.  We had to walk over some awfully sharp gravel to get down to the water and I regretted that I gave my flip flops back to Neil instead of sacrificing them at the water’s edge.

Swim – 1.2 mi/1900 m – 41:15

IMG_7530

My goal for the swim was to push outside my usual cheesy easy swim pace that I tend to fall into.  It was windy and the water was choppy.  I know I’ve swam in worse (at the Sylvan Lake Chinook Olympic and on a practice swim in Kelowna) so I didn’t let the chop phase me.  I wasn’t as smooth with my sighting as I would have liked because of it, but I kept plugging along.

6_m-100719243-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1282_015736-1021069

I came out of the water with a brand new half Ironman swim personal best!  I’m especially proud of this given how much I’ve heard other people comment on the rough water.

14_m-100719243-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1282_020437-1021077

Screen Shot 2016-05-12 at 12.58.05 PM

T1 – 6:24

I ran through transition to my bike and surveyed the sky.  There were lots of clouds so I made the decision to put my arm warmers on (a tough thing to do when your arms are wet).  I was feeling dizzy so had to sit down and take my time.  I grabbed my jacket and thought about stuffing it in the back pocket of my tri suit, but then I decided to not bother.  I would regret that later…

Bike – 56 mi/90 km – 3:37:59

I gave Neil a wave as I got on my bike and headed out of Sand Hollow.  The first 8 miles of the course is rough chip seal and it definitely felt bumpy out there.  I saw a lot of athletes pulled over and fixing flats and tech support was all over the area, ready to help.

2_m-100719243-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1282_003460-1021065

There were also two cattle guards to ride over which had been covered over in plywood.  There must have been a good bump on the second guard because it was a bottle graveyard there.  I’ve never seen so many dropped bottles in one spot before!

It was windy and cool out and I was definitely glad that I had made the decision to put arm warmers on.  A light rain started to fall and there were dark looking clouds all over the place.  I tried not to think ahead about what the weather might be like further on in the course as I figured there was a good chance it could change.

I would say I rode pretty conservatively.  My goal for the race was to have a steady ride – to not hammer too hard so that I would kill my legs for the run.  It felt like every time I was descending a hill it was raining and I am not a confident descender.  I took those descents fairly slowly as people zipped past me at full speed down in aero.  I just couldn’t do it as I was too worried I’d lose control and wipe out.  About half way through the bike the bike course and run course intersected and I could see Lionel Sanders running out in front and Sebastian Kienle chasing him.  That was such a cool moment!

Screen Shot 2016-05-12 at 5.30.41 PM

As we started our climb up Snow Canyon the rain really started to pick up.  I was definitely going to have to wrap my brain around a wet descent into town, but first I had a big hill to climb.  I knew it was about 4 miles from the pay station to the top so I had a mental idea of how far I’d have to climb.  I kept my gearing easy and just kept pedalling on.  I wound up passing a bunch of people here who all gave me a thumbs up, but I knew they would all catch up and pass me on the downhill.

4_m-100719243-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1282_013026-1021067

When I got to the top of Snow Canyon I was thrilled!  It was a big and challenging climb but I loved it!

I wish I would have pulled over at the top of the hill to stop and get some calories in me.  My aero bottle was almost empty.  I was carrying a bottle of concentrated Tailwind and had an extra bottle of water from an aid station to help dilute it.  I should have taken the time to mix the two in my aero bottle and drink some down.  Instead I started downhill, in the rain, without easy access to calories.

IMG_7602

As I had climbed Snow Canyon the temperature dropped and it was about 4 or 5 deg C when I started my descent.  The road was wet and I started to feel the chill.  I was too afraid to grab calories, I was just holding on for dear life.  I sang Old MacDonald to take my mind off the descent and ran through every animal I could think of.  As we got closer to town I started to shiver I was so cold.

15_m-100719243-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1282_023288-1021078

As I approached T2 volunteers were handing heat sheets to people as they were getting off their bikes people were that cold!

Screen Shot 2016-05-12 at 5.48.42 PM

T2 – 5:01

The best thing I did that day was put a pair of dry socks in a ziploc bag inside my T2 bag.  Having dry socks to start the run was an awesome idea!  I wish I would have grabbed the gel in my bento box that I had meant to take near the end of the bike ride and ate it before I left T2…hindsight!

Run – 13.1 mi/21.1 km – 2:38:31

My feet were frozen as I left transition.  They felt like stumps!  As I ran out of town Neil spotted me and it was the only thing I could tell him.  He told me to not think about it and to keep going.

People around me were running with heat sheets tied around their neck, plus I saw the odd person running in a trash bag it was that cold.  I normally would have dumped my arm warmers in T2 but I kept them with me just in case.

10_m-100719243-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1282_019023-1021073

The first three miles of this course is uphill.  I just focused on turnover and staying steady and didn’t think about all of the climbing I was doing.

Screen Shot 2016-05-12 at 9.18.14 PM

I felt pretty good until just after 6 miles when we turned around at the bottom of a hill and had to start climbing back up it.  The hill was fairly steep and it was straight on into a crazy headwind.  There may have been some additional walk breaks going up that sucker!

16_m-100719243-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1282_028276-1021079

Somewhere around 7 miles or so I started to feel light headed.  I had tried to take calories in on the run course, taking in a gel 25 min in and grabbing Coke or Gatorade at every aid station, but I think I was just too far behind from the bike.  I would walk for 10 breaths and then start running again.

18_m-100719243-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1282_028278-1021081

I was finding it harder and harder to run without getting lightheaded so there was more walking happening.  The headwind was sucking the life out of me.  As I approached an aid station around mile 10 I knew I needed to try and fix things so I grabbed pretzels and more Coke hoping to right the ship.  It helped a bit.  I just wanted to get the run done!

I had hoped the downhill towards the finish would help me out a bit but I still had to take the odd walk break to get the lightheaded feeling to pass.  Finally I was making the final run to the finish line!

24_m-100719243-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1282_039913-1021087

I crossed the line in 7:09:10…not quite my slowest half Ironman time!

Screen Shot 2016-05-12 at 9.34.51 PM

Final Thoughts

Ironman 70.3 St. George is a difficult course, that is for sure!  I’m really glad I decided to push outside my comfort zone and race a hard course.  The scenery and the challenge did not disappoint!  I really enjoyed the epic climb up Snow Canyon and I wish I would have been able to open up and enjoy the downhills more.

Given the difficulty I chose to focus on process goals today.  My goal for the run was to be as steady as possible, which I didn’t really meet.  In hindsight I wish I would have made a few changes to get more calories in on the bike or in T2, but I managed the best I could on the run.

29_m-100719243-DIGITAL_HIGHRES-1282_041477-1021092

The volunteer and community support for this race was unbelievable.  There were so many people cheering in the cold and rain!

I would absolutely love to come back here and race again.  I trained really hard for this race, which will hopefully set me up well as I now start to build to Ironman Boulder.  I’m grateful I was able to get some quality early season riding outside in (especially some really hilly rides in Kelowna) because I think that really helped to prepare me.

The Stats:

07:09:10
Female 35 – 39: 60 out of 123 athletes (85 finishers)
Female Overall: 321 out of 640 athletes (454 finishers)
Overall: 1,542 out of 2,556 athletes (1,919 finishers)

IMG_7574

 

more from Runner Leana

  • Ironman 70.3 St. George: pre-race ramblesIronman 70.3 St. George: pre-race rambles
  • Challenge Yourself – Ironman 70.3 St. George 2016Challenge Yourself – Ironman 70.3 St. George 2016
  • 2015 Ironman 70.3 Calgary Race Report2015 Ironman 70.3 Calgary Race Report
  • 2014 Great White North Half Iron Race Report2014 Great White North Half Iron Race Report
  • 2009 Lake Stevens 70.3 Race Report – the Bike and Run2009 Lake Stevens 70.3 Race Report – the Bike and Run

Comments

  1. 1

    Amy says

    May 13, 2016 at 7:08 am

    I got cold just reading this! Well done Leana!

  2. 2

    Kris says

    May 13, 2016 at 9:08 am

    Holy cow lady!! You did incredible!! Amazing work on all fronts and I can’t believe those hills!! GONRATS!

  3. 3

    Jen says

    May 13, 2016 at 10:43 am

    Amazing job Leana. Sounds like you had some tough conditions, luckily the scenery made up for some of it.
    Jen recently posted…Fitness Friday – When you have no motivationMy Profile

  4. 4

    Carmen says

    May 14, 2016 at 8:42 am

    Congratulations Leana!

  5. 5

    Erica says

    May 17, 2016 at 1:16 pm

    Congrats on a tough race, and especially the PR’d swim! You’re starting to look pretty PRO out there.
    Erica recently posted…Reaching For Rundle’s – Week Seks (6)My Profile

who is runner leana?

6 x Ironman Finisher, 11 x 70.3 Finisher, geeky engineer and recent MBA grad.

The Latest on Instagram

2020 SOAS Racing Ambassador

2020 SOAS Racing Ambassador

Oiselle Volée Ambassador & Canada Regional Leader

Oiselle Volée Ambassador & Canada Regional Leader

The Next Big Goal Race:

Ironman 70.3 Oceanside

blogging since April 2007

looking for something?

Categories

Copyright © 2023 · Modern Blogger Pro Theme By, Pretty Darn Cute Design