Login
Reston Area Triathletes RATS.net Logo

Race Result

Racer: Denise Ennis
Race: Eagleman
Date: Sunday, June 8, 2008
Location: Cambridge, MD
Race Type: Triathlon - Half Ironman
Age Group: Female 40 - 44
Time: 7:22:32
Overall Place: 1138 / 1382
Age Group Place: 68 / 84
Comment: It's all about the choices we make



Race Report:



First and foremost – this is a long report. But I feel that I made a breakthrough. I had lost my MOJO a little while ago – but something amazing happened for me at this race from hell. I learned to trust my inner voice.

Preamble....
Two years ago in August; a friend died from dehydration after a long and hard August ride. Since then - I have respected and feared the heat. As race day approached - and heat predictions were not faltering - my nerves kicked into high gear. Temps were supposed to be close to 100 taking the heat index over 100. Humidity was high and the UV index was a 9. In other words…HOT/HUMID/DANGEROUS. My nerves were out of control - so I took Friday off from work to pack my bags and prep for the race. At this stage – I decided the run was most likely not worth it and I would just do the swim and bike. I was already planning to DNF.

Saturday
I wake up out of sound slumber at 5:30 a.m. The first thought was in 24hrs - I'll be in transition getting my gear set up. My stomach is a mess and I toss and turn until 7am. I finally get up/get ready and hit the road early - which was excellent because I think I avoided a lot of traffic.

This year I decided to raise funds for the PVA. Typically I’m a solo racer. Working with a team has been wonderful. I arrive to packet pick up and meet up with a couple of Team PVA teammates! Anne and Drew were amazing at settling the nerves. So great to hang w/ you 2! After packet pickup – I head over to set up my bike. I’m early – so I took my bike out for a quick spin to get a feel for the heat. I only rode for 20 minutes and was soaked. I knew Sunday was going to be brutal.

Later on – I meet up with the rest of my team for dinner. I can hardly eat because nerves are out of control. I can’t get my mind off the heat wave. Fortunately I was exhausted – so I get back to the hotel; get my car in order for a quick exit the next day - and fall asleep early - thank goodness. We decided to leave the hotel at 4:30 a.m. because of the parking situation (Great Marsh Park parking was shut down due to flooding).

Sunday
I wake up at 3:30 a.m. out of a sound sleep. All I can think of is getting a parking spot. Fortunately I re-read my Eagleman 2006 race report - and was very organized. So – the only thing I had to do was take a quick shower and head out to the car. This certainly took some of the pressure off.

Side note....last weekend – we did an open water swim in Lake Montclair. The temps are chilly and I thought the temps in the Choptank would rival the temps of Lake Montclair. I decided to bring my long sleeve wetsuit to the race.

Announcements are made @ 6:00 am that the water temps are 76 and wetsuits are not allowed for the pro’s! Oh boy - all I can think of is how much faster I can swim in a wetsuit. BUT -- personal lesson learned from my last race – only use my long sleeve wetsuit if temps are 72 or below! I am nowhere near a PRO so the thought of swimming w/out a wetsuit is not a happy thought. However - I have had a few “hyperventilation” issues in my wetsuit from overheating. I jump in the water and swim around in my wetsuit. Everybody has a wetsuit on. I asked so many people what they thought. They are all wearing their wetsuits. It’s hot. What to do…..

SWIM
47:16
Place: 65/84
They call my age group and I walk up to the starting line. I have a moment of clarity and decide enjoying my swim is much more important than my time. It’s going to be a day from hell so why not get some pleasure out of it? I take off my wetsuit and throw it in the bushes. I'm not breaking any records out there; and there are many stronger athletes. Listening to my inner voice has eluded me in past races - but today I decided my health and well being are much more important than a PR. I start in the back of my pack because I knew I would be slow. I’m the only one in my wave w/out a wetsuit. I decided to swim on the outside to allow the others with wetsuits to swim inside. I just didn’t want to battle for position. What can I say - my swim was WONDERFUL. Water temps were 76; chop was pretty much non-existent; salt levels were very low; no jellyfish or nettles encountered. During my swim I had a thought....why not do the run? I actually made a critical decision to drop the facade that I'm a real competitor in this event – and this race is really a test of my inner strength and perseverance. I overcame my fear of not being “fast” by not wearing a wetsuit; the fear of being in the middle of the Choptank w/out the buoyancy of the wetsuit; the fear of the open water feeling of sink or swim; the fear of getting pummeled by other swimmers. That was uplifting. I went out and just did it. Being one of the few out there w/out a wetsuit made me feel like finishing this race is possible. I trusted my inner voice and made the right choice and the confidence that had eluded me leading up to this race returned. I am strong.

Transition
4:37 – nothing much to report here – just got it together – took my time and headed out

BIKE
3:06
51/84
What can I say? I love to bike. I decided to ride in preparation for the run meaning somewhat conservative. I knew I wasn’t setting any records and I wanted to finish the race. On the way out – I grabbed a banana and ate that very slowly. About 20 miles in – I was getting passed and that was bumming me out. This cool girl from NJ came by and basically out the blue told me to keep up with the fluids. I realized I had only drank ½ bottle at that point. Wow – weird. The rest of the ride I kept the Eudurolytes flowing; and drank my Gatorade and water. I ate a few GU’s (gross). Around mile 30ish – I started grabbing water at each station and keeping it between my aero bars. I used the bottle to soak my head. I wanted to keep my core temps somewhat normal to avoid getting ill. I played cat and mouse w/ lots of folks. It was a great ride. I felt good when I finished and was “ready” – well about as ready as I could be – for my run. Mentally I was in an amazing place. I usually get bummed about things that go wrong – but for some odd reason – today was different. I had a new attitude and it was good.

Transition
4:41 – once again – nothing to report – I just took it slow

RUN (or shall I say walk?)
3:19
75/84
Hmmm..OK – I hate to run. I really do. I see others running and am envious of their form and how their bodies can handle it. My plan was for a slow jog and to walk it as needed. Two weeks ago – I was side-lined w/ knee pain. So I basically hadn’t run for 2 weeks; but was doing the cross trainer @ the gym. What can say – how do you train for what we encountered out there? Temps were 111 on the black pavement we were running on. There was no shade. This was the 2nd hottest day in a 70.3 history. Nothing preps you for that. You really just need to listen to your body and the race is all about you. I start the slow “death march”. That’s all I could think about – this sucks. I stop at the first aid station and get ice in my hat; pour cold water down my shirt/shorts/etc…my feet are drenched. Oh well. Slosh slosh slosh…and then the sound of ice bouncing around in race outfit. Hmmm….all of this coldness is doing me good and I have a little burst of energy. I jog a little then walk. I get to the next aid station and do the same. Feels great – do the jog /walk combo. My goal is to avoid the headaches and the IVs. I walk as needed – and don’t concern myself w/ everybody who is passing me and how long I’m going to be on this course. It’s all about finishing. I get to the third station – same thing – I got the volunteers to just pour ice water down the back of my shirt and stop at every person that has a hose to get soaked. I start to jog after the station and YUP – it’s the calf cramp thing again. Boy – I have this issue all the time. There really is no other bizarre feeling that the muscles feeling like they are detaching in the calf. I hate to run. I had taken so many Eudurolytes I felt like I was going to throw them up. Then the gastric starts and I knew I really had to take the rest of this race in stride. With all being said – I ended up walking about 10 miles of this race. I didn’t care though. I knew I wasn’t dehydrated and I kept my core temperature down to where I didn’t get a headache. Wow – this is a first.

FINISH
There were people cheering me on as I approached the finish line. I had thought about running over the finish line but decided why bother? I had walked pretty much the entire race – I’m going to walk over the finish line. I finished because of the choices I had made and was so proud of myself for that. I am who I am. I have only one lesson learned to pass on. Trust your inner voice. Trust your instincts. Don’t worry about what others are doing.

My favorite quotes from the day:
Race in the moment (Drew)
Who cares who passed you – it’s your race (chick from NJ)
What are you more afraid of – the heat or your time (Stacey)