However, a LOT of positives came out of Ironman Arizona:
- I set a huge personal best by 16 minutes (9:46:40)
- I swam a new personal best (1:06:55)
- I biked a new personal best (5:13:58)
- I finally had the top female amateur run split again (3:17:59, 4+minutes faster than the next female)
But the one that I’m most proud of was my ability to stay positive the entire time. It was insane, but the second something resembling a negative thought creeped into my head, my mind was already switching to positives. Ironman racing takes you to some pretty dark places; Kona was especially rough this year because I simply couldn’t breathe due to my sinuses and it was really hard for me to control those emotions.
1:06:55 (10th in F30-34!)
After doing 2 loops of the practice swim the day before, I knew the water would be rather cold so did not let that shock me as I hopped in. The swim was a rolling start, so I lined up smack dab in between the 1:00 and 1:10 group just like I did in Lake Placid. I made sure to keep my path pretty even with the buoys as I always look for the shortest distance! I was pleasantly surprised with how few people there were close to the buoys but was not complaining. The swim was completely opposite of Kona (wetsuit legal, dirty water, very little congestion) and it definitely worked to my advantage.
I took a glance at my watch right after the second turn buoy and saw 33:26… I knew my predicted time of high 1:06 was within reach and just kept swimming. I was SO pumped to see 1:06:5x as I exited the water that I almost missed grabbing the volunteer’s hand!
4:33
I took advantage of the wetsuit strippers and was running into T1 in no time. I made a quick porta potty stop but still had a decent transition time.
5:13:58 (3rd in F30-34)
All I knew about the bike was that it would be three out-and-back loops and that we’d likely have wind going out. I didn’t know there were so many turns heading out, nor that the wind would feel like it was in your face no matter which way you turned! I was shocked that no one has compared this wind to Kona (on the “easier” years) as it was definitely brutal. I did hear some people saying at awards that the wind was the strongest its been in years, so I was glad to hear that.
My first “out” section took me 1hour 2minutes. I was quickly reminded that I wasn’t at Kona or 70.3 Worlds anymore when I saw some drafting. I have to say that it was incredibly frustrating, but I had promised that this race would be about things I COULD control. Once we hit the top of the little climb, we quickly turned around to descend.
One of our favorite expo friends had recommended “pushing” the downhill portion since many people just kind of coast, so I took his advice. I was FLYING (relatively speaking)… 32mph and just passing people left and right. It only took me 41 minutes to get back into town!
As I rounded the turnaround to head out to my second loop, the announcer yelled, “Giuliano, Jacqui, from San Diego, heading out for his second loop…” and I couldn’t help but laugh. For some reason, my registration had me listed as a 45-49 year old male from San Diego, despite changing it during check-in. Spoiler alert, it would have been easier for me to qualify for Kona in this age group than my own!!
I quickly did the math (duh) and realized that if I did two more 1:43 splits, I’d be around a 5:10 bike split. My best prior was 5:17 in Cozumel last year, so I was pretty pumped and was ready for round two of the grind up!
Round two had a little more traffic with some people just beginning their first loop. Getting to aide stations was a little more challenging, but I knew I needed to be drinking as much as I could as my mouth was getting pretty dry.
The second climb up took me 1:06. I tried not to let this bother me, but knew I had my work cut out for me if I wanted to be around a 5:10 overall. As we made the turnaround, I fumbled with a bottle of water and was left empty until I arrived at the next aide station. There was just too much congestion, but I told myself that everyone was dealing with it and to just pedal faster to get to the next aide station!
As I was descending, some guy would pass me…then slow down. So I would wait like I’m supposed to, then pass him…but he would immediately repass (not following the rules). At one point, I had to, uh, blow my nose…so I turned to do it and the guy was SITTING ON MY WHEEL!! Like blatantly drafting! Unfortunately for him, I didn’t see him before blowing my nose. Let’s just say that’s the last time I saw him for the day. #sorrynotsorry
In the last part of the ride down, I had the most random thing happen: a bee stung me! It was right after I blew my nose; I looked down, saw a bee on my leg, and before I could swat it away, it stung me! I drank some water, spit it on my hand and massaged my leg, but MAN did that sting!!
I finished loop 2 at 3:29, which meant my descend portion was 40minutes exactly. Perfect! All I needed to do was maintain the watts I rode during the first lap and 5:10 would be MINE!!
The third lap was the windiest by far. And it was also the most congested by far. Stopping at the aide stations was miserable as I felt like I was stopping completely! But, I knew I needed the water, so again just kept a positive mindset and reminded myself everyone had to deal with it. My power was just below the first loop, and I made it to the top in exactly 1 hour. I was ready for a good descend!
This final 19ish mile stretch was the hardest despite being downhill. I was feeling really hungry despite going through all of my food in my bento box. I had almost finished my PowerBar Gel bottle, too, so knew I was getting in enough calories, but think I felt hungry because I might have been slightly dehydrated. I was always emptying my 24-ounce aero bottle by the time I’d hit the next aide station, but realized the refills weren’t quite 24-ounces like I was used to. So, basically, I wasn’t taking in as much water as I usually do.
Regardless, I was PUMPED knowing I was going to be for sure sub-5:15 and couldn’t believe I was going to set new personal bests in both the swim and the bike!
Side note: both Ryan and I heard from others that this was one of the hardest years in terms of wind. If you look at the run splits, they seem “slow” for such a “fast” course, so this bit of knowledge definitely helped both Ryan and me feel better about our bike and run splits!
3:13
It took me a second to gather my legs after getting off of the bike. I immediately ran to the bathroom as I FINALLY had to go… usually I feel the urge while I’m on the bike, so that was the final sign I needed to realize I was a bit dehydrated. I downed a cup of water, threw on my shoes, helmet and race belt, and was off!
3:17:59
Fastest amateur female run split!!!!
Onto the run, I couldn’t really tell how my pace was. We were going up and down a hill-filled path, but everyone was telling me I was “flying!” and I just kept thinking, “yeah, this is my first loop, guys!” But they were right… my first split was a 6:56. I was THRILLED.
I honestly had zero idea what this run course was. Ryan told me the day before that it was two loops and we’d be running alongside the river on both sides and that was pretty much all I knew. The second mile had a little more congestion along a little bridge, so I was shocked to see 7:00 on my watch as I felt I was doing so much weaving in and out!
We eventually then got onto a dirt type path which my feet totally despised as it was not even footing. I just kept looking ahead, knowing we’d be off of the path eventually. At this point, I started to feel like my mouth was SUPER dry. Like, I had just grabbed a Gatorade and two waters from the aide station and I was already thirsty just a minute later.
I came up with a genius idea thanks to my friend and Rybread Racing teammate Trina… stuff my sports bra with ice and munch on it in between aide stations! This probably saved my race. Or at least helped me from getting too dehydrated. Sometimes, being a girl is awesome.
I was SHOCKED to see my mile 3 split: 6:55. Whaaaaat?! OMG, how long can this last? This is insane. OMG. Ryan’s gonna die when I tell him this.
Shortly after mile 3, we went back into the busier part of Ironman Village and there were TONS of spectators… I picked out Lynn from Life Time and Colleen from Roka and was SO happy to see them both! That definitely put more pep in my step and I again clocked a 6:59. This was insane!
The next mile, we ran across a bridge and onto another path on the opposite side of the river. As I was exiting to get onto the bridge, I saw Ryan and yelled for him! He saw me but definitely did not have the energy to respond. I said a quick prayer for him to have the strength, speed, and stamina that I kept focusing on to get through the day. 7:14, still feeling pretty happy despite my overall pace now creeping to 7:02.
Shortly after that mile, my stomach decided something was not settling well. Unfortunately, I had JUST passed an aide station so knew it’d be at least another ½ mile before I’d see a porta potty. I’ll just let my 8:21 split speak for itself. Oops.
Luckily, my body appreciated the stop and I was awarded with a 7:13 split for mile 8. Just after mile 8, we had to do a small little turnaround and I felt one of my blisters. My feet were in SUPER bad shape after Kona, but I did a pretty good job taking care of them so thought I’d be in the clear. I guess, had I read the course map, I would have realized there were a lot of turnarounds and maybe would have worn some blister block or something. Whoops. Mile 9 was a 7:26.
I was obviously not thrilled that my splits were gradually increasing, though also realistic that I wouldn’t maintain low-7’s the entire run. Mile 10 had a small downhill, but you can bet I used every step of that to my advantage, clocking a 7:18. Back in business.
Mile 11 was kind of strange as it took us off the path, onto a road, and at one point I was questioning if I was on course. We were practically running on the curb and my feet were super unhappy. The blisters I had in Kona were definitely filling up and I was a bit nervous for the next few miles as I knew they’d eventually pop. 7:20.
Mile 12 we climbed a baby hill, so I was actually happy to see 7:27 as I was anticipating worse!
Mile 13 brought us back into town…and also brought extreme pain to my feet. I had been looking for a medical tent ever since mile 9 when I knew my blisters were reforming and refilling so that I could just quickly bandage them up. I figured once we got back into Ironman Village, I’d see the medical tent. 7:34.
JUST after mile 13, I finally saw the med tent. But no one was in it. “MEDICAL!! MEDICAL!!!” a girl casually came out. Umm do you have something I can wrap my blisters in? Brings back bandaids. Whatever. Better than nothing. 9:10.
(Skip the next pic if you are grossed out by blisters...)
Mile 15 was rough. The quick little out and back on a bridge was SUPER congested and I even missed the aide station the first time around (luckily it was a two-loop kind so you hit the aide station right before the turnaround, and then again right after). My tender blisters did NOT appreciate the bouncing around, weaving in and out, or the dirt path. 7:37.
Mile 16. 7:37. Weaving through aide stations to get fluids was getting more challenging with congestion on the course, but I tried to keep grabbing ice and stuffing it in my sports bra. I started doing this at mile 5 to cool myself, but also realized I could munch on the ice in between aid stations. Call it gross, but I managed to stay hydrated, so I totally plan on doing this again in other races!
Mile 17. 7:39. We were approaching the bridge we’d cross over soon, so I tried to let my anticipation of maybe seeing Ryan get me through this mile. I was still in the 7:30s (barely) so thankful.
Mile 18. 7:41. One of the loneliest miles for sure. I had been passing people frequently through the other miles, but this one just felt like it took forever as there weren’t too many people in sight. I didn’t see Ryan like I did the first loop, but started to see female pros finishing and could tell they were hurting. This made me feel not as bad about my slowing run splits at least!
Mile 19. 8:08. I literally had to walk through this aide station. At this point, runners are coming both ways, and many of the people I’m passing are on their first loop and are walking through aide stations.
I was not about to let 8’s become a thing, so pushed a bit harder after having been forced to stop. 7:46. Definitely not the 7:30s I was wanting again, but better than 8s, and still was fast enough that I’d break 3:20. The original goal was to be sub-3:10 and I do believe I could have done that if I hadn’t had the blister issues. I’ll figure those things out someday!
Another 7:46 for mile 21. You would have thought I was running sub-7’s with the way the aide station here was cheering. It was awesome.
Mile 22 again took us on a short little part of the road that seemed totally off course. For some reason, that mile again was really slow. 7:52.
After climbing a little hill, and cheesing SUPER big for the camera guy who LOLd at me, I reached mile 23. 7:50. LETS DO THIS.
My goal was to bring the last three miles down to 7:30s as I knew these portions would be rather flat, plus I had just taken a gel and that often helps (maybe more mental than physical!).
Mile 24 7:35. Yesssss, SO CLOSE!!!
Mile 25 7:39. OMG 5 laps on the track and you’re done!!!
Mile 26. 7:25. You can HEAR Mike Reilly! Slow down a bit and capture this moment.
“GIULIANO, JACQUI, from SAN DIEGO, YOU are an IRONMAN!”
Thank goodness for the volunteer who scooped me up. My feet were SO not having it. She asked if I needed medical and I immediately said yes. Nurse Lori was amazing and really took care of my blisters. And I also won the award for grossest feet so far, so that was fun. As I was getting all doctored up, Ryan came OUT of the medical tent. Poor guy was apparently white as a ghost when he finished. He was shivering so much that they couldn’t even get an IV in him for a bit.
WARNING: GROSS BLISTER PIC BELOW...
But then he told me I was only 3ish minutes away from winning overall amateur and I realized those 3 minutes were my blister break and my bathroom break on the run. Shucks. But, both were completely necessary. I probably would have cried at that point, but I was just SO happy to have had 3 out of 4 aspects go so perfectly that I couldn’t get the stupid grin off of my face!
BUT, each race is a learning opportunity and a gift. I am extremely lucky to pursue this hobby with my husband and with the support of not only friends and family, but also coworkers and students. I came back from Ironman Arizona to parent/teacher conferences and could not believe how many parents talked to me about the Ironman. And honestly, no medal in the world can compare to having this kind of an impact on my students. So enough thinking and talking about racing... let the offseason begin! :)
HUGE THANKS go out to...
- EGO for supporting us in pursuing our dreams throughout this crazy amazing 5-year journey
- Sammy's Bikes for providing me with a bike that sets PRs!
- Ice Friction for a super fast chain that gives me free speed
- Alto for the fastest wheels out there
- PowerBar for nutrition to keep me going throughout the long training and racing days
- Saucony for the fast and flashy shoes
- Ryan for coaching me throughout this incredible journey
- Family, friends, coworkers, and students for supporting, encouraging and cheering for us!