IM Augusta 70.3 report, the comeback

Out in Augusta

Goofing off pre-race


Well, it wasn't pretty, but I got it done. My first race since May '09. I'm relieved and healthy, most importantly. The past year has been a real test for me. The hamstring tear took extra long to heal because I can't sit, do nothing and just heal. I managed to re-injure it in February which was a setback. I think we signed up for Augusta in April or so, feeling this would be enough time for me to get some run miles in so I could actually run 13.1 miles. This was going pretty well until I broke the ribs the end of June at which point, I thought there was no way I would be able to participate in this race so I just wrote it off mentally. Obviously, I rallied and got to race Sunday. Drove up with L&L (great travel mates) which was uneventful. The entire trip was uneventful basically which made things stress-free. The stress began when we saw on Weather Channel 90% chance of rain on Sunday. I hate riding my bike in the rain and have basically avoided riding in the rain the past year because I didn't see the point. But, 90% turned into 100% on race morning so had to deal with that (on top of being significantly undertrained). The organization of the race was superb, I thought. They shortened the time between wave starts to get folks out on course due to chance for thunderstorms. The swim was great, down river + wetsuit = swim PR! I was 6th out of the water which was a shocker due to all the swimming I missed with the ribs! My Orca wettie rocked! Steep, longish run from the river to T1 got the old heart going then off onto the bike. Wet, wet, wet is how I will describe the bike. I actually liked the course but the narrow country roads combined with compressed wave starts made it extremely crowded. I had a lot of issues with being very nervous on the wet pavement with a lot of newbies. My handlebars were quite slick too so I had the death grip much of the time, especially on long downhills. I didn't ride hard which was my goal as I wanted to be able to run 13.1 miles which I haven't done in over a year! I had a ton of gals in my AG pass me on the bike but I kept to my plan. I have not been riding very much and it surely showed with a new personal worst bike split! No worries, this is a comeback effort with the only goal being to get through it healthy. I was very glad to get off the wet bike and on to the flat 2-loop run course. Felt quite good starting out the run but really had to pace it if I was going to finish this running vs walking. The run went very smoothly and I kept the pace pretty steady until the wheels started to fall off (or my fitness ran out as Lynn said) around mile 8. Whew, 5 more miles pretty deep in the suffer cave was not exactly fun but there were tons of spectators and that really helped. Even suffering as much as I did those last miles, I relished being back out there and getting every last bit of energy out of my body - it's why I love to race, after all. I really didn't have any other issues other than lack of fitness. My stomach held up, equipment was fine, Splish suit was comfy (and cute). I didn't forget anything which is a shocker being out for so long. It certainly helped having Linda and the Dane along to cue off of! The Dane had a great race until he cramped on the run but he finished anyway and I'm proud of him. We are trying to figure out this cramping issue he is having. Linda, what can I say, she is truly a legend and wins her AG again. She has had her share if problems the past 6+ months as well with a hamstring injury and this was her first race since Clearwater 70.3 Worlds but she didn't miss a beat. The positives I take out are decent swim and run and that I remained healthy. I certainly need to ride more and I can be back at the pointy end of the AG for next season. Thanks for all the positive vibes from my friends and family, it certainly helped me along the way!
Cheers