Ironman Texas Race Recap

Twelve years ago I was glued to the TV watching the Sydney Olympics. Naturally, swimming was my favorite event, and there was one particular race that stuck with me.

Australian Suzy O’Neill was called “Madame Butterfly.” The World Record holder in the 200 meter butterly, she completely dominated the event and no one else even stood a chance. That’s until American Misty Hyman stepped up on the blocks and pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Olympic Swimming history.

After collecting her gold medal, I remember Misty giving a post-race interview. In it, she talked about her doubts going into the race. And how this time, when all the doubts started creeping in, she said NO.

I had a lot of my own doubts going into Ironman Texas. My entry fees are paid through a career in public accounting, and signing up for an Ironman just a month after tax day didn’t always seem like my best idea. But with a little Misty-style mental strength, and a LOT of help from my friends, family, and coaches, I made it to that start line ready to race.

Julia (my awesome Ironman friend from San Fran) and I checking out the swim course

Swim

I think mass swim starts are beautiful. There’s something magical about thousands of people starting their Ironman journey with a single boom of the cannon. I’ve taken my share of knocks at the start, but I still love the excitement.

Let the games begin!

From the first few strokes, I felt strong. Not quite strong enough to catch the guy in front of me, or strong enough to lose the dudes on my feet, but strong enough to appreciate how freaking awesome it was to be spending my Saturday morning swimming in a lake in Texas with 2,500 other fitness fanatics.

The point-to-point swim course finishes in a canal that winds through The Woodlands. The canal was lined with cheering spectators – including my sister, who I could see clad in her green Dynamo tee and cheering her head off. Woo hoo! 2.4 mile swim finished in a new women’s course record of 50 minutes and 22 seconds! I was feeling good, and I was ready to bike!

Leading the women's amateur race out of the water! Go Dynamo Masters and Go TYR!

Bike

The one loop, 112 mile, bike course rolls out of The Woodlands and into the Texas countryside. For the first couple miles I was riding solo and really enjoying it. My cycling felt solid. My nutrition felt solid. I was setting myself up for a great day.

I rode that high all the way to the half way point, where things quickly started to unravel. A quick turn of the course revealed just why I’d been feeling so good for the last 56 miles – a tailwind! Unfortunately, that meant I was now facing a pretty stiff headwind on the return trip. Suddenly the “flat” course felt awfully hilly and the age-group men flying by me left me wondering if I was somehow pedaling backwards. What just happened?! The doubts were creeping in.

I decided to pull out all the stops and go straight to the best cure for any Ironman valley: self-flattery.

“Oh Haley, you just look SO good in green and yellow spandex!”

“Geez, your cadence is ridiculously smooth. You must do one-legged drills.”

“You were so smart to secure your aero bottle to your bike with an extra hair tie. Do you think engineers make more money than accountants?!”

Luckily the bike ended before I could get too full of myself. Five hour and 25 minute bike split? I will take it! Time to run!

Run

A three loop marathon might not sound very appealing, but I honestly loved it. I grew up following the black line on the bottom of the swimming pool so I’m pretty much immune to boredom. And running loops is great for spectators!

Right out of transition I ran into my grand-coach, Chris Hauth. He cautioned me take care of myself on the first loop and prepare for the carnage that would inevitably result from running a marathon at 1:30 in the afternoon in the Texas.

I took Chris’ wisdom to heart and made sure to do everything possible to stay hydrated and cool. Every mile I ran through the aid stations grabbing so much water and ice, you’d have thought I was trying to put out a small fire. But it worked, and the first loop was a breeze.

Things got a little tougher on the second loop. I felt tired. I suppose that’s to be expected after eight hours of continuous exercise, but even my brain was a little tired of coming up with happy thoughts. I was in a major valley and fighting through some major doubts.

Thankfully, it was little sister to the rescue! When I ran past Hannah she boosted my spirits with tips from my teammates, coach, and family, with whom she’d been texting and tweeting furiously all day. Plus, she was playing paparazzi and made me feel like a rockstar:

Slowly things got better. I focused on getting through one mile at a time and just moving toward that finish line. With about two miles to go I realized there was a small chance I could still break ten hours. I thought about my friend Alyssa, who clenched a Kona slot with a killer sprint finish at Ironman Arizona. Come on Haley, you can do this – finish hard!

I skipped the last two aid stations. I barely acknowledged Julia when we crossed paths during the last mile. I was FOCUSED. I made the turn toward the finish. Hannah was screaming. Matt Cole, a friend from Atlanta, yelled from the sidelines “You have ONE MINUTE!” I ran and ran and ran! And I had NO IDEA WHERE THE DANG FINISH LINE WAS!

Finally, after a sharp 180 degree turn, I saw it: the finish line clock, ticking…9:59:30, 9:59:31, 9:59:32. I could hear Mike Reilly yelling; the crowd was going crazy, and I knew I was going to make it!

9:59:45 – my first sub-10 hour Ironman finish!

Once across the line the amazing volunteers ushered me toward a woman handing out medals. “I’m so proud of you for breaking ten hours!” She said. Medal around my neck, I looked up and saw Chrissie Wellington!

OMG – the 4x Ironman World Champion and World Record Holder just said she was proud of me?!?!

A sub-10 finish, age grop win, Kona slot, and now this?! And I had doubted myself? It all seemed crazy. I gave Chrissie a quick hug to just to make sure she was real and moved down the chute to let it all sink in.

Post-Race Thoughts

I’ve said it before, but it still rings true – Ironman may be a singular word, but without an entire team of supporters, there’s no way I’d make it to either the start or finish line.

HUGE, GIGANTIC, ENORMOUS THANK YOU to my sister, Hannah, for being the World’s Best Sherpa and Tweeter at her very first Ironman. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to repay the favor! And thanks to my entire family for the constant love and support – I couldn’t do it without all of you!

Thanks to Matthew Rose, for taking on the challenge of coaching me and helping me fight those doubts; and to Maria Thrash, for keeping me fast in the water.

Thanks to all of my Dynamo Multisport teammates. Between rides in the gaps, VERY early morning runs, and constant Twitter conversations – you manage to make even the longest training sessions fun and entertaining!

Thanks to TYR, Mizuno, Albopads, and CycleOps – I am so thankful for your support.

And finally a HUGE thank you to everyone who tweeted, texted, emailed, facebooked, and called me last week. I thought I was headed to Texas solo, but I found out the triathlon community and my support crew are ridiculously awesome, making it pretty much impossible to be lonely. Between social media and chance encounters, I’m sure I came home with more friends than when I left. It made the sunburn totally worth it!

Women's 25-29 Age Group Podium. Congrats ladies!