Saturday, October 12, 2013

I Raced the Athleta Iron Girl in August: this is the post about everything that happened before the race.

Hello, newly minted marathon runner here.


I am updating that race post almost daily as the fog of the day lifts and more details come back to me.

In the meantime, I have to catch you all up on my summer races!  I did 2 sprint tris over the summer: the Dilettante Women's Tri, and the Athleta Iron Girl!


I'm *some* kind of fool, anyway.

The Iron Girl is the former Danskin, which was my first ever triathlon and the one that got me into this whole racing madness.

I had already been thinking about doing the race when I got an email in June from Meghann, the Iron Girl event coordinator.  She had read my Danskin posts and wanted to offer me a free race entry to compare my experiences!


She didn't ask me for anything in return, and even offered a coupon code for my readers! Luckily, my friend Christy wanted to do the race too, so she snagged the discount!

Race day started bright and early, very early, with a 4am wake-up.  Christy was lovely and offered to drive.  By 5:15 we were on site and getting ready.

Not surprisingly, in the wee small hours of the morning it was cold.  Since the transition area closed an hour and a half before our wave start, I decided to don my wetsuit.


And my swim cap.


They say 80% of your body heat is lost through your head, so it seemed logical.

Fortunately, Christy has done a couple of half ironman races, so she didn't need a wetsuit to swim a measly 800 metres.


Unfortunately for her though, this meant that she did not have anything to keep her warm.


And as 90 minutes slowly ticked by, the benefits of my wetsuit began to wear off.


Luckily, I was distracted when I discovered two hipsters wandering through the crowd.


Of course they knew each other.


And then they high fived.  True story.

Once the race started, the announcer called out different inspirational women, including a 75 year old who started training at the age of 60!

As I stood in the lake with Christy waiting for our wave, I began feeling slightly ill.


Perhaps it was my complete lack of training creeping into my subconscious.

But finally, we were mere seconds away from starting.  We wished each other luck,


and Christy moved up to the front to dominate the course!  While I brought up the rear of the pack.


UPCOMING POSTS: THE ACTUAL ATHLETA IRON GIRL RACE, TRAINING RUNS, RUNGER, THE MARATHON 

28 comments:

  1. Oh I hope there's vomit coming! I mean, I don't wish vomit upon you, I just really want to see one of your drawings of you puking. Look at those plaid socks, that's a masterpiece. If I had a race organized, I would definitely give you free tickets just to see the ensuing post.

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    1. I don't think I have any vomiting to share this time, but thank you (?) I think it's time to get the Pickleope Pursuit organized!

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  2. Whoa, congrats on the marathon! And being cold and wet sounds like no fun at all.

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    1. Thanks! Yeah cold and wet is not fun, but it does happen a lot in these parts!

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  3. Fabulous- I've been following the ironman championships in kona and it has been totally inspiring! BIG well done on your first marathon. Did a half today in Munich and so enjoyed it!

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    1. I agree, it's so inspiring! Congrats on your half!

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  4. Love this! I hate being cold, too. Hope you had a great race!

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    1. Thanks! Being cold sucks, doesn't it? Stay tuned, I'm working on the race post right now!

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  5. I just LOVE your drawings! Congrats on the race!

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  6. I was not a fan of the irrationally early closing of transition. Too nervous to be cold though!!
    Love the pic of the hipsters-- too funny! Again, I was way too nervous to notice such things! All I could think about was how far away those buoys were!

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    1. Hi Amy! My guess is that it was to make sure we didn't get in the way of the earlier waves. But yeah, it was such a long wait! How did the race go for you??

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  7. awesome that you do this. I have always dreamed of doing a marathon, not sure I have a tri in me though:)

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    1. Sprint tris are my game...they are just long enough :) You should totally go for the marathon!

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  8. OMFG I LOVEEE THE SOCKS AND SANDALS - HYSTERICAL!!!!! I am no hipster, but I do wear socks and sandals ALL THE TIME.

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    1. Hehehe :) You know, you might be a hipster if...you wear socks and sandals Gigi!!

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  9. The art work is awesome! My favorite part though is the hipsters, you really captured something there...(Hee hee). Also, glad I found you on IDLM hop. I was supposed to have been in my first half after my son's birth last weekend. Instead I got injured and have been super depressed. This story really inspired me, thanks.

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    1. Thanks! I've been sidelined by injuries a bunch of times. It sucks! But it's not forever. Glad I could help cheer you up, and I hope your recovery is quick! There will be another race to run!

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  10. How cool! I hear awesome things about the IronGirl series.

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  11. Oh my gosh, I am in awe of you! Way to go!!!
    I have a very stringent fear of cold water, so I felt your pain when you described it! Brr...

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    1. Thanks Natalie, no need for awe :) Cold water sucks and one destroyed race due to hypothermia was all I needed to buy a wetsuit and never look back!

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  12. You are so funny and so talented with the drawing and writing! I admire you for doing tri's....I have a severe OCD thing with water splashing on me (especially lake water, EEEWWW!), so I'll never be donning a wetsuit. Thanks for keeping all of us entertained ;-) I'm eager to hear about your marathon ;-)

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    1. Thanks so much Kimberly. Yeah, I have to just not think too much about the water while I'm in it. Some lakes are nicer than others! The marathon post is progressing :)

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  13. Congrats on the race! I'm too much of a big sissy to endure the cold and early morning hours, so I'll live vicariously through you!

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    1. Thanks! The cold and early mornings do suck, but as long as you are doing the race with a friend it helps. Plus, you get the rest of the day to feel so superior about how much you did before everyone else woke up, and you can just be super lazy from that point on :)

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  14. I may be making 1+1=3, but I think Meghann from Iron Girl is the same Meghann as Meals and Miles... if you don't read that blog, you should! (http://www,mealsandmiles.com)

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    1. I think your'e right Axel! How did I not make that connection??

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