Ironman 70.3 Atlantic City

In preparation for  the Ironman 70.3 Atlantic City triathlon, I raced the Chicago International Triathlon and the Super Sprint triathlon on back to back days. Yes, 2 races in 2 days. However, the mileage was nothing in comparison to this 70.3 triathlon, where I swam 1.2 miles in water that seemed to be against the current and extremely salty, biked 56 miles in what felt like a monsoon at times and then a constant drizzle and rain at other times, then ran 13.1 miles which was in continuous rain that at times, made me thankful that I was wearing a hat with a brim to keep the water out of my eyes. Weather wise, it was a miserable day.

I drove to Atlantic City on Friday after working in Delaware and worked until Lisa arrived. She had a tough week, so we immediately went for some liquid sunshine in a cocktail glass, and some food. It was nice to sleep in on a Saturday morning. I think we surprised ourselves by how late we awakened, as our girls drove there from Maryland and we hadn't even moved to a vertical position yet. We slowly got going for the day and rode our bikes over to transition. We decided to stop at the ATM to take out some cash for retail therapy, this way we would not blow our budget in the Ironman Shopping Village.... well, that was the plan. We saw so many familiar faces and put faces with names from FB groups. We linked up with Shaunna and Crystal, went for a pre race meal and picked up race day necessities at a local store. Before long, we were all back in our rooms to rest up for the big day. Lots of laughs were had with these ladies. They are a great mix of smart and funny!!

I hope I didn't blow my budget!!

Waiting on our great pre-race meal  at Kelsey's! 

These guys make me look tiny!

Enjoying beautiful blue skies the day before the race

Race day

3:30am wake up. We checked the forecast and it only said a CHANCE of rain. Yeah, that was a big fat LIE. The morning started off gray at sunrise. I thought that a little rain would keep us cool. Who knew that the rain would be a menace? Obviously not the meteorologists or whoever puts info on the weather app and back up app that I use. Ugh! I was not feeling well, but was determined to push through. The last time I was unwell on the morning of a race, I ended up turning in my timing chip after the swim. I was determined to not let that happen today. I was going to push through!

Swim: 1.2 miles

Pre swim!!

We made the absolute best out of the time that we had to wait to start the swim. 3 of us took turns crying, we prayed with each other and with 2 different sets of strangers/fellow competitors, we asked a volunteer to take our picture and text to us, we danced, we told stories, Lisa started singing some song about a baby shark, until one nervous athlete shut it down. We dodged the wet spots on the ground from fellow competitors peeing in their wet suit. You know, just regular pre race fun stuff. Before long... well after what seemed like forever, it was time to jump in and swim. I didn't hear a beep or anything it was like, JUST GOOOO. So, off we went. I thought I was killing it, but every time I looked at my watch it said that I was taking forever. I didn't feel like I was swimming that slow. There was a lot of safety personnel in the water on jet skis, paddle boards, boats, etc that were making some waves. The course was a little confusing and not what I remember seeing in the guide or them explaining at the briefing. But I took it buoy by buoy and before long, it was time to get out. There were 2 young girls who stripped me out of my wetsuit so fast, and I was on my way!

Bike: 56 miles

I really can't remember much about the ride except that there were quite a few turns that we had to take slow due to the rain. It was pretty flat minus some on ramps. The rain was UNforgiving! At times it POURED and all I could do was keep my head down and keep it moving. I was surprised that I did not feel any anxiety about riding in the rain. Maybe on the curves I had some anxiety but other than that, I was okay. I had 2 mechanical issues. The first was before I even got on my bike, but a few people came to help me at the mount line. Then riding up a ramp, I switched gears and my chain became lodged so tightly that I had to walk down the off ramp and down to a corner to ask a cop to call SAG to help me. Someone out there helped me, although he was so rough, I was afraid that he would crack my frame. I was on my way after quite a few minutes. It continued to rain and RAIN.

Run 13.1 miles

I was not going to think too much about the rain and just keep my head down. Lisa was in transition and gave me a big hug as I headed out to run. My goal was to just take it 1 mile at a time and only walk the aid stations. At mile 2, I stopped to stretch my achilles and saw Lisa Laws and the ladies from AWTT, Megan and Shirley. They gave me a nice boost of energy as I headed out onto the non live section of the boardwalk. My watch died at mile 3. Great! I paced myself and shuffled in the rain for the first 7 miles, it started to get hairy by mile 9 and then the wheels completely came off by mile 10. Nothing hurt and I surprisingly did not feel tired, but my legs just would NOT listen to my brain anymore. They just did not want to move faster than a very slow walk. They were done. I was done. I wanted the rain to be DONE. I did not want to play anymore and when I tell you those last 3 miles were the longest 3 miles EVER, trust and believe I was OVER IT. I kept saying, "Becca, if you are tired of being wet and cold, you have GOT to just pick up the pace. MOVE Becca!". But nothing worked. No words. No motivation. I didn't cry, but I growled at anyone that told me how close I was to the finish. I wanted no parts of it... Until I turned the last corner and could hear the finish line. I straightened my clothes and my face and put on a little lip gloss to give me some power. At the beginning of the finisher chute, there was a sign that read, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. I saw the red carpet, picked up the pace and ran through the FINISHER chute to the sound of my girls cheering and the announcer calling my name! My legs wanted to make up to me after I got my medal, so when Beyonce started playing, they decided to do a little New Orleans 7th Ward high step, with a two step, a twerk and a twirl. I AM ONCE AGAIN AN IRONMAN 70.3 TRIATHLON FINISHER!!!

I DID IT!!!!!

Next up: I do it all over again in New Orleans soon. Please standby. Reloading......