2007 Ford Ironman 70.3 California March 31, 2007

Mon, 2 Apr 2007 22:06:58 GMT

2007 Ford Ironman 70.3 California March 31, 2007 Race Results

Two weeks ago I came down with a bad virus/infection that the rest of my family had. High fever and NO exercise for an entire week. I had decided to go to the race just days before my flight was scheduled to leave. I was feeling pretty good, but looking back I guess I was still recovering. As I arrived at the airport a few days before the race, I was very happy to see that the bad weather they had that week was gone, and it was one of the most beautiful places I have been. Palm trees, warm temperatures with low humidity, and what looked like a great course was all I needed to have faith that this was going to be a great race!

Race morning I got up, ate my usual breakfast at 4:15am (peanut butter, banana, and honey sandwich), then headed out to the race. I had on a warm up suit, but as soon as I pumped my tires and got my bike racked in transition I started feeling VERY COLD! I don’t think it was any below the mid 50’s, but I was literally shivering. I tried to stay calm, but my body would not stop shaking. I was worried. Maybe this was a mistake. – was I racing too soon after being sick? What’s strange is that I didn’t see anyone else in this condition. I did my best to stay warm before it was time for me to line up. I had to wear my water shoes up to the start of the swim to keep warm. The wetsuit and thick neoprene cap did it’s job in the water, but it was a chilly 65 degrees - it took my breath away for the first few minutes. It was a good, solid swim, but I could tell I was not going as fast as I could go.

Out of the water it felt like pins and needles were stabbing my feet, but I did my best to run to my bike and tried to keep my focus on getting on to my bike without crashing into someone or falling down. Luckily I did that, and had a strong bike – there were some very strong women out there, however. The course had a few challenging hills and some dicey moments inside the grounds of Camp Pendleton Military Base (narrow passages, and fast turns behind some dumpsters), but overall it was a beautiful bike ride.

On to the run, I was feeling strong, but not super fast. My first mile was just under 7min/mile pace and I kept about 7:10 pace for the next several miles. About the half way mark I started to slow down a bit. It got warm outside and I was getting hot and tired. I focused on having good form and kept my spirit’s up, trying to enjoy the race and the tough competition. The last mile or so I got a little more energy, so I really went hard to the finish. I was 3rd in my age group!! Not a magical day out there for me today, but I am so glad I went. I was proud of my strong effort and even though my time was slower here than the last Half Iron race, I got great racing experience and an excellent result!

After the race I congratulated my friend and fellow Sirius athlete Karen Burks for an outstanding race, went back to the hotel to pack up for the early morning flight home, then headed out to dinner. I was meeting my Boulder, Colorodo friends (who are also coached by Siri Lindley) Kathleen and Liz. We ate at Joe’s Crab Shak and enjoyed the beautiful Oceanside waterfront.

Jeannie Samson - Race Results

2007 Ford Ironman 70.3 California March 31, 2007