Ironman Wisconsin 2012 Race Report

(race photos from Finisherpix)

Night Before

The night before the race I was feeling really great. After hearing Ryan’s (the coach) soothing words “You can do this, the hard part was all of the training, this is a celebration, we are here for you, you are never alone” and Mike Reilly’s (the Iconic Ironman announcer) soothing words “this is just a well-supported training day, you WILL be an Ironman,” I felt a sense of confidence. They were right - this IS just a well-supported training day, the hard work IS behind me, this IS the celebration, and the team IS here for me.

I headed to bed at 8pm and that is when trouble hit. I could not fall asleep! No matter how I turned I started to feel sick. I think that I had overhydrated during the week and was paying the price the night before the race. I will admit, there were probably some nerves, but I actually wasn’t feeling all that nervous. I finally fell asleep around midnight – only 3 hours, 45 minutes before I had set my alarm. Luckily, I had completed my 120 training ride on less than four hours of sleep (thanks Reetika!) so I knew it wasn’t the end of the world.

Pre-Race

I woke up at 3:45am and got ready to head out. My hotel had breakfast at 4am! Despite not having much of an appetite, I forced myself to eat oatmeal, a banana, and yogurt. I thought my lack of appetite was nerves and didn’t think to take any medicine. I would regret this decision later.

I headed over to the race. Luckily, my parents found a great parking space so they could walk to the transition with me. Despite making a list of things to do/bring, I realized I left my fuel belt bottles for the run back at the hotel (8 miles out of town). My dad came to the rescue by bringing me some G2 from the car so I would at least have something in my run transition bag.

My dad likes to pretend he is the one racing

Once everything was set, we headed up to meet Team Z for the team wetsuit photo. Then it was time for hugs before heading off to the swim start. I was feeling pretty pumped and enjoyed dancing to the music. When they finally started letting people into the water, I waded in and hung by the side (to the displeasure of Mike Reilly). It was great having my teammates with me to calm the nerves and the sunrise was beautiful.

This is my game face (stolen from Lisa F)

Swim (1:50.19)

At 7am the cannon sounded and we were off! Swimming is my least favorite activity by far. I tried to avoid the fray by swimming to the outside. Unfortunately, I think I avoided the buoys as well because I realized after several minutes I was all alone. A kayaker at one point pointed be back on course (thanks!). I was surprised that I was quite comfortable in the swim (thanks SOS swim clinic!) and just focused on trying to have good form and swim from one buoy to the next. I finally reached the Orange buoys that signaled the half way point and checked my watch (52 minutes! Eeek!). I realized I needed to pick it up if I wanted to have more wiggle room for the bike cutoff. Despite having what I thought was a better second half of the swim, it turned out to be slower and I came out of the water after a much slower than expected hour and 50 minutes.

Hello dazed

T1 (10:30)

I knew I had to get a move on! Since I signed up for the race, I have worried about the bike cutoff. Wisconsin is one of the hardest bike courses, and I knew even at full health I would be cutting it really close if I came out of transition any later than 9am.

I walked up the helix (cruel) and booked it to transition. I grabbed my bag and an AMAZING volunteer and together we got me ready for the bike. My one regret is I didn’t take the time to put on my own sunscreen because the volunteers who did it forgot my forehead because of my helmet! OUCH!

Bike (8:14.48)

You mean I have to bike 112 miles?!

I made it out of T1 at pretty much exactly 9am and I knew I had to GO if I wanted to make the bike cutoff at 5:30mph. To be safe, I would need to cover about 14mph which is slightly above the average I have been doing on my long training rides. I mentally had broken up the ride into the 16 mile stick, 25 miles to the Team Z cheering station, 16 more miles to the special needs bags/halfway point, 25 miles to the Team Z cheering station, and 30 miles home.

About a mile into the ride, I dropped my salt tabs, turned around to get them, and caused a crash. I felt AWFUL! I will blame the lack of sleep and disorientation from the swim. The person was able to keep going though so hopefully I didn’t ruin her day. Right after I got my salt tabs one of my water bottles fell off my bike. I just let that one go! Lesson learned.

About 30 minutes into the ride, I went to go eat the ritz crackers I brought and I realized I was in trouble. My stomach issues had NOT gone away and I really didn’t want any of the food I brought. My nutrition strategy took a big hit. As much as I could throughout the day, I forced myself to eat, but I did not eat nearly as much as I should have. It would get even worse as my focus turned from nutrition to making sure I made the cutoff.

After the (non)great start to the bike and the slow swim, I started to get pretty nervous. The Wisconsin hills will kill you if you try to take them too hard early. Prior to the race though, I had debated making my race strategy to go hard on the bike and make sure I make the cutoff, whatever the consequences on the run, rather than the customary “stay in zone 2” and take it easy to save energy for the run.  It looked like I had no choice but to go with this strategy. I knew if I could make it to the run, I could finish the marathon in the 6 ½ hours allotted before midnight. Running is my bread and butter in triathlon. While I don’t consider a marathon easy by any stretch, I typically run pretty well and have proven to myself I am capable of fighting to the finish of a marathon. For the whole ride, when I hit the hills I switched to my easiest gear and eased my way up them, but when I hit a flat or downhill, it was FULL ON GO.

I covered ~15 miles in the first hours and was happy to have a little wiggle room in the bank. I would need it! The Wisconsin course is shaped like a lollipop – 16 miles out, two 40 mile loops, and 16 miles back. About 10 miles into the loop, we turned onto a part of the course that had been under construction when I was out there in June. This part of the course was a LONG uphill into a pretty strong headwind, for about 10-15 miles. Everyone slowed down in this section, and I definitely didn’t hit my goal of 14 miles that hour. In fact, I probably did closer to 10-12mph this section.

After this pretty rough section (in which any support from the crowd/volunteers was not returned with my characteristic “Thanks!” but rather a cold blank stare ahead as I was in the pain cave), I finally reached the Team Z cheering station. It was great to see everyone and helped lift the spirits. However, at this point I was definitely behind schedule and needed to pick it up. Right after the cheer station, we hit the three big hills on the course. These were lined with spectators who helped cheer us up them like at the Tour de France but they were still tough. Luckily, the remainder of the back half of the course provides plenty of opportunity for speed and I managed to pick up some of my lost time. When I hit the 56 mile mark, it was about 4 hours into the bike, giving me a little under 4 ½ hours to do the remaining 56 miles.

I got to the special needs point (the point at which I could pick up a bag of stuff I dropped off in the morning – i.e. coke, gels, tubes, etc) and realized I was not in good shape. I felt pretty lightheaded and out of it. Despite giving up soda over two years ago, I had put Coke in my bag because I have heard it works wonders. Thank goodness I did! I drank about 4 oz of it, grabbed the snickers and other things I thought I might be able to eat later (wrong), and got back on my bike. About 5 miles later, the Coke worked it’s magic and I started to feel better. I enjoyed the rough section of the course this time, and was even able to pass some people and thank volunteers/spectators. I also managed to eat the snickers.

Feeling much better after coke/snickers

When I got to the Team Z station around 3, I knew I could cover the last 32 miles or so in the 2 ½ hours I had until the cutoff thanks to the fact that the second half of the loop was much quicker. I knew I would have to MOVE though in order to do it. The team had been doing the math for my parents and everyone was getting pretty nervous for me. Apparently my dad and Ryan both told me I had to move it when I passed them, but I didn’t hear them because I was too busy moving it, yelling “MARATHON OR BUST” as I sped by. I told Sherri the same thing as I came across an impromptu cheering station about 5 miles later. You guys rocked!

I struggled the last little bit, especially with shifting into my big chain ring because my hand had no strength left (in fact, I still don’t have full feeling in my pinky fingertips). Somehow, I made it up the hills (which had much fewer spectators this late in the day) and to the transition area after 8 hours and 15 minutes on the bike. 15 minutes! was the difference between me continuing and ending my day.

T2 (8:18)

The relief I felt coming into T2 cannot be put into words. With the help of another awesome volunteer, I somehow managed to transition to the run. She asked about my nutrition (hahaha, what nutrition?)  and warned me to be careful on the run to avoid stomach issues (too late!).

Run (5:47:41) 

I started running immediately and felt pretty good. It was great to be surrounded by people and to see other Zers on the course. I made it to the Team Z cheer station at mile 1 (snickers in hand) and my parents were very relieved to see I made it out on the course because the tracker hadn’t updated yet.

The first half of the course was great! The course went around the capital, up state street (where all the shops/restaurants are), around the football field for the university, down by the lake, and back. There were plenty of people around as people were on both their first and second loops.

Despite thinking I might blow up early due to the energy I had to use on the bike, I ran (slowly) in between aid stations (other than a couple big hills), running off of the energy I could muster from the coke/chicken broth/bananas at the aid stations. I only ate one gel the entire run. I had several people remark to me how they were really impressed with my running consistency which felt great. Thanks Sherri and Kate for running with me to check in when I passed you! Your words of encouragement meant a lot. I finished the first half in 2 hours 45 minutes, giving me four hours to do the second half.

At this point I knew I had it in the bag. I would finish one way or the other. I really just tried to enjoy the rest of the race, thanking spectators/volunteers along the way. I started walking more at the aid stations in order to ensure I got some calories in, but still managed to run the majority of the second half of the course. As I passed people, I offered them encouragement (we have plenty of time to get there, no matter how you have to do it). I also gave away my second glow stick, and used the one that remained to help guide me and another racer through the dark portion of the course by the lake. 

With a mile and a half to go until the finish, I started to run and kept it up the entire way. The feeling of running up State Street and around the capital as people told me “You are about to be an Ironman” is indescribable. A random spectator put his arm around me (in a non-creepy way) and ran up State Street with me, telling me how awesome I was for doing this. “Is this your first one?! Yeaaaah Buudddy!”

Stolen from Lisa P

I got to the finishing chute and put my hand out for high fives as I ran all the way down it. Team Z was in the stands and lit up when I came by! I crossed the finish line and somehow missed Mike Reilly saying “Hilary Heincer, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN” but that didn’t matter. My joy was overwhelming. Two Team Z members caught me at the finish line, handed me my medal/shirt/jacket, made me pretty for my finisher’s photo, and brought me to my parents. I was too out of it to really thank you at the time, but THANKS!

The only unpleasant part about the finish was the fact they ran out of Chocolate milk!! Mark and Mary can tell you how much this devastated me, considering I had filmed an ad a mere 36 earlier to confess my love for the liquid gold in order to win the endorsement deal I have been seeking. I don’t know what disappointed me more – the lack of chocolate milk or the lack of cowprint apparel (the reason I signed up for the race in the first place).

All told, I crossed the finish line in 16 hours 11 minutes. I met up with my teammates, stayed until midnight to see the final finisher (awesome energy!), and then headed back to the hotel. I was up early to stand in line for my finisher’s jacket (which I have worn daily). Paul and I chatted with three new people (to me at least) about the race/our love of triathlon. I turned to my dad (whom I had made drive me) and said “these are my people,” relishing in how I have found such a home amongst triathletes.  He replied “you should have come alone.” Poor dad!

Happy Hot Mess

Overall thoughts

If there is one thing I have learned through this Ironman process, it’s patience. My personal mantras that got me through this race were to “just keep moving” and “keep calm and carry on.” This has impacted all areas of my life, especially my job. When you sign up for an Ironman you sign up for a long journey. It can be easy to lose the big picture in the midst of the daily workouts/aches/pains. But if you commit to them, you will get the results. Our team’s 100% success rate this weekend is proof of that! Despite roadblocks you hit during training/racing, things have a tendency to work out if you just stay calm and use your head/teammates. Let’s hope this new perspective lasts!

I am now going to take some time to decide what my goals are for next season. I am so excited to have this race complete because there are several other things I want to do (hot yoga, strength training, hiking, etc). I have been signing up for one event after the other the last several years. I feel such a relief to have accomplished my goal and completed this Ironman. I feel like for the time at least, I can stop chasing the "next big thing" and just revel in whatever activity I choose to do each day. That is such a freeing feeling!