IMNC 70.3 RUN COURSE RECON

On Sunday, I ran a half marathon (plus a little extra). As part of my role as local run lead for the IRONMAN NORTH CAROLINA 70.3 here in Wilmington, Sami and I ran the proposed run course for 2023 We start from the Transition 2 exit and follow the course from downtown Wilmington to Greenfield Lake and back. We take notes on the where the mile markers and the aid stations are located and measure the start to the finish.

Last year, we ran it once and then drove it. I think we scouted it at least three times. We had everything figured out. On the Wednesday before the race, I drove it again with Ironman staff. About a mile from the finish, we came around the corners at the Convention Center and lo and behold - a section of the sidewalk was fenced off. The fence was protecting the world from an eight-foot wide and four-foot deep hole in the sidewalk. There was no way it could be repaired by race day - even if race day was a month away. This meant we had to remeasure the entire course again — multiple times! Including me - hopping on a bike and riding the course with three Garmins on me and one in the official truck behind me.

Hopefully, nothing like that will happen this year. We know of a possible construction project well in advance and already factored in a new route and new location for one of the aid stations. Our run this year was on a cool but humid day and the miles flew by. It’s amazing what a difference having a run buddy makes on long runs. My last long run was a scorcher and I was gassed by the end. As we approached the car, Sami exclaimed: I don’t even feel tired! And I agreed.

My one mistake on the run was not enough fuel. I am using SKRATCH for my liquid hydration and it wasn’t quite enough for the run. Plus, before the turn-around, I felt my stomach growling. However, because we were steady on our run:walk:note intervals, I was able to eat solids (two stroop waffles) and sustain my energy until the end of the run. I was so happy to make it to the car because I still had the cooler in it from the ride the day before! We had icy cold water and grapes for the finish!

RACE WEEK - CHATTY 2018

I can’t believe it’s here! It’s already race week. I leave in only a few days and I am excited and nervous and ready as I’ll ever be.

It’s been a crazy season. I haven’t written much about it, but it’s been wild. I’ve gotten injured (hamstring), I had a hard spill on the bike, I had a big race A-HA in August, a big race meltdown in September and we had a major hurricane disrupt life and training. It makes me feel unprepared in many ways, but maybe I’m even more prepared than I know. I can use my experiences as an excuse or I can use it as fuel.

Here’s what I do know, I am looking forward to a new race experience. Chatty is new to me and I know from my past races that I can thrive that way. Similar to France and Santa Rosa, this race will mean new terrain and a slightly different climate. The swim is a down-river-with-the-current course, the bike is 116 miles (not the traditional 112) in North Georgia within sight of Lookout Mountain and the run will be the hilliest I’ve ever done.

Of course, I’ve had a few full-circle moments in the lead-in to this race. Last year during my Level II Endurance certification clinic, I created a presentation about Stephanie - a triathlete with her first Ironman in her sights. She wanted to do Chatty and place in the top ten of her age-group. I immersed myself in that Chatty race. I found pictures and a few race reports and blogs to add to my presentation. It was shortly after that that I signed up for this race myself! On September 1 of this year, I turned the page on my office wall calendar to find a picture of a runner on the Walnut Street Bridge in Chatty, the one I will cross twice and the one that will take me into the finish area of the race on Sunday.

The quote for September:

“Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. ”

— Steve Prefontaine