The predicted weather certainly made me worry coming into this race, but with most things in life, you do your best to make the best out of the situation.
The Toughman 1/2 distance triathlon race was Saturday, June 1st in Richmond, Indiana. The 1/2 distance consisted of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. The participation was much smaller compared to typical Ironman 70.3 races, but the support and course were excellent and I would recommend Toughman to others in the future. I did not come into this race tapered or with any personal expectations. Mainly, the idea of doing a race called Toughman appealed to me- I like a challenge.
The morning of the race was rainy, breezy and temps in the upper 60s. My biggest fear was a possible cancellation of the swim from lightening, but we were fortunate for rain only. By the time 7 AM arrived the rain had stopped and all was good for the rest of the day. Water temperature was a nice 73 degrees- wetsuit legal. I entered the water feeling pretty good and got to the first yellow buoy without incident. I was getting into a nice groove and arrived at the second buoy without too much difficulty; however, I was swimming solo and had to look up frequently to keep track of direction. Once I rounded the second buoy my goal was to get to the third yellow buoy. Ahhh....the third, infamous, yellow buoy. It was so far away and I struggled to locate it. I thought I had sited the third yellow buoy and tracked it for awhile. Unfortunately, I was siting the wrong buoy and found myself heading back towards the swim exit. I soon realized my blunder when I spotted the third buoy from a far away distance. I quickly changed my direction and hauled it quickly to the correct buoy. I rounded it and headed back towards the exit! I probably added about an extra 100-150 yards to my swim, but overall I was pleased because I stayed calm and didn't freak out.
I got to my bike and headed out on the two-loop course. The bike is my strength so I was excited about the ride. I thought the course was well-marked and fairly easy to navigate. Again, with smaller races you find that you will be doing portions of the race alone so you pay extra attention to the road markings. The terrain was rolling and challenging at certain points (I prefer hills). The pavement was wet so you had to be mindful during the entire ride. There were a few flat stretches that brought some relief to tired legs. I saw an Amish kid riding his homemade scooter- the kid had some speed! When I rode by him I imagined what he must of thought seeing us like aliens on our tri bikes and funky aero helmets. Overall, I was pleased with the course. I averaged 21.5 mph with a 2:36 split.
The run course was two loops with a combination of hills and flats.The run was probably where I was most unprepared. My longest run up to the race was 11 miles. Again, not to sound like a broken record, but rehabilitating a calf injury takes time- I don't want to screw it up again. The first couple of miles were tough- two big climbs with a fairly steep descend. I was in a dark place mentally. But....I tried to keep my mind focused and was repeating the names of my kids and pets. The run had a nice flat section that I found particularly helpful. The aid stations had water, Gatorade, Hammer gels, and awesome kids yelling words of motivation. My run time was not impressive (1:46) but I can't complain. I got to the finish line with the overall, female win and a time of 4:54.
The volunteer support was tremendous and many people were very encouraging to me during the entire race. I hope to do at least two more races before Kona in October. However, I'm not sure which ones to do. I have a busy summer with the kids (Holiday World, orchestra, band camp, drum lessons, volleyball camp, online Spanish class, etc....), and of course my nursing job (ugh...the job always get in the way of my triathlon hobby). Happy racing!
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