Chisago 70.3 Race Report

Seven months ago I picked Chisago for my first half iron triathlon. I had heard great things about the course and the July 23rd date would leave me 14 weeks to concentrate on marathon training after the triathlon was over. Twenty weeks ago I started training with three fantastic women and my live-in training partner and husband, Mike. Sunday was race day and in 6:08:33 I finished my first half iron.  Hard, consistent training and good luck came together to make for a fun day.

Chisago Lakes is a small town about an hour northeast of Minneapolis. We had ventured up to the race site twice over the last six weeks to ride the bike course and it was evident why we had heard so many positive things about it. The bike route and surrounding area are mostly flat and the lake is big with a sandy beach. Since our last bike preview, the weather has been the hottest, most humid weather we have had since we moved to the Twin Cities seven years ago. Mike and I left our house at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning and it was clear that we were going to luck out and have the best race weather day in weeks. We unpacked the car under cloudy skies with a light breeze and made our way to the transition area.

The next bit of luck came when we picked up our race numbers and wave assignments. Unlike most races, this race we were placed in the order in which we signed up. Sign up first, start first. I had signed us up back in December, as soon as I knew I wanted to do a half iron this season. This meant that we were the first wave of age groupers and only had the elite athletes in the water before us. This was a big advantage. Not only did we not have to swim around slower swimmers from previous waves, but it also meant less time getting anxious on the beach and less churning in the water. The cooler temperatures over the warm water caused a thick layer of fog over the water. Swimming past one buoy, it wasn’t possible to see the next. The swim course is an out and back, so going out there was no one on their way back. Later waves would face oncoming traffic going out and back. Because of the fog, many people, including me, were crossing the center line and then having to swim extra to get back out to the next buoy. Apparently lots of people bumped heads. With a lucky start time, I was able to take my time and finish the swim in 42:36. I had figured I would swim right around 43 minutes, a pretty average swim time. After my frustrating swim at Liberty, I was very happy with with the way the swim went.

Transition 1 went fine and I headed out on my bike. The clouds were still with us so heat was not a factor on the bike. My goal was to bike slower than I had biked the two bike previews, making sure I had plenty of leg strength left for the run. Taking the time to ride the course ahead of time was a smart move. I felt comfortable out there and knew what was coming up. The only two criticisms I have of the race both relate to the bike portion of the race. The first is that I saw a couple big packs drafting. A race official passed me on a motorcycle a few times, but I’m assuming that he never did anything about it since lots of other participants said that they also saw people cheating. The other criticism is that I never saw a port-o-potty out on the bike course. About 20 miles in, I really needed one. I was looking for one desperately and would have gladly sacrificed a few minutes to jump off the bike and use one. Although I made it to transition without incident, I didn’t end up eating or drinking enough on the bike because of it. I’ll know better next time and make sure I eat and drink enough. Other than that, I was very happy with my bike. I finished in 3:06:41, just a few minutes slower than I had ridden the preview. I kept a high cadence and felt ready to run.

Although I had a slow Transition 2 since I had to use the bathroom, I felt great heading out for the run. The sun finally came out as I was getting off the bike and race officials were ready for the heat. There was a water stop at least every mile and a half, and all were well stocked and well run. Residents also pitched in with hoses and sprinklers. While a lot of the run is out in the open, knowing that the water stations and relief was always just ahead was a big mental lift. It did get warm, but there was a little breeze. Some of the spectators were offering cups of ice which I gladly poured down the front of my shirt to cool off. Right away I knew I hadn’t taken in enough calories on the bike. My legs felt great but I just felt like I was out of gas. I had made up my mind before the race that I wasn’t going to suffer through this race. I wanted to have fun and truly enjoy it. The first 4 miles I ran and walked and was able to keep an average pace of around 9:45. After that I started walking a little more but still kept an average pace under 10:30 for most of the miles. When I did run, I was able to run at a pretty good pace so even though I walked on and off I was still feeling good about my time. I finished the run in 2:11:05, right at a 10 minute pace. I probably could have pushed harder and ran more, but I honestly just didn’t feel like it. It was a long day and I was excited that it was going as well as it was. Here I am on the run:

Coming across the finish line was wonderful because there were lots of friends there. Mike had already finished, having had a great day and finishing in 5:35:26, just 4 seconds short of a PR. One of my training partners, Beth, had done the swim leg of a relay, and another, Renee, did the sprint course which was her first ever triathlon. Both had great races and were all smiles. Friend and training partner Deb was also doing the half iron and started a few waves behind me. She also had a fantastic day so it wasn’t long at all until she joined us in the finish area. Many other of our running/triathlon friends were there racing or watching including Amy who had a great race. We also had friends who made the long trip up to Chisago just to watch which was amazing. Watching an Ironman or half iron race is not a lot of fun. Unlike a marathon where you can go from place to place to watch along the course, spectators are pretty much stuck at the transition area. It takes a special friend to come for 7 plus hours cheer for a half iron, so I really appreciate everyone who came.

Here are a couple more pictures. This is Mike out on the bike. He biked well had had a fantastic run time, finishing the half marathon in 1:48:16.

Here I am with the women I primarily trained with. Beth, on the left, is an amazing swimmer and posted an impressive swim time for her relay team. Her whole team did very well. Deb as done countless marathons and had a great day. This was also her first half iron and we trained just about every day together. Renee did the sprint and it was her first triathlon. She is new to swimming and it has been a blast watching her embrace the sport. She did very well, posting impressive times for every leg of the race.

Here I am with Deb rehashing the race, something we love to do.

Here is a picture of most of the finishers from our running/triathlon group. Many in the group started running together years ago and have stayed friends and trained together for many marathons. Now that so many are doing triathlons, it’s a blast to go to races and share the day with so many friends.

All smiles with Deb. We’ve been training and supporting each other for 20 weeks and it was a happy day for both of us.

Me and my favorite guy. He’s been encouraging me for a long time to try a long course triathlon and has spent 20 weeks listening to all of my planning and worrying. He and I biked together a lot this season which I loved. He’s continuing on with his triathlon training to get ready for IM Florida.

Mission accomplished! I finished my first half iron with no drowning, crashing or crying involved. I enjoyed the training and the race and will try to do another one next season. My triathlon season is officially over and I’m ready to start marathon training. I’ve been looking at training plans and think I’ve settled on one. I’ve got the 13.1 Minneapolis on my schedule for August 21 which will fit perfectly into my training. Marine Corps Marathon is just over 13 weeks away and I’m thankful that I came out of Chisago healthy and ready to train. I’m hoping that a little luck and a lot of training will make that race as much fun as this one was.