IM Chattanooga 70.3 - Stephanie
Nov 27, 2017 ... the day I registered for Chatty (also, just 9 days after completing the North Face Endurance Challenge 50-miler and swearing off running for the next month). I was on the phone with Coach A trying to decide what race would be best to try and qualify for Worlds 70.3. We went back and forth about it and then decided Chatty would be a good choice. 2018 was supposed to be the year I would put all eggs in one basket and try and qualify for 70.3 Worlds. I had been too close the prior year and really wanted to be part of that 'dance'.
As the weeks went by and I continued to register for other races, 2018 went from trying to qualify to racing unbelievable races around the world: Challenge Roth, OCC 56-km (trail) & Berlin Marathon. Challenge Roth became our focus and therefore Chatty would become a long training weekend.
After a long drive from DC I arrived to Chatty Friday morning, settled in and went out for a shakeout run with Coach. We had planned out the weekend where we would run and bike the days prior to the race and day after the race. Nothing was a surprise. We were using Chatty to build endurance & mental strength. On Friday we went on a short run where we went up just about every climb on the course. I went as far as telling Coach A that if she wanted me to do hill repeats she should have told me so, no need to "lie" to me by telling me we were going on a short run. On Saturday we rode 44 of the 57 miles of the bike course. I knew then that the course would be fast - I was excited - but knew I had to be careful not to over do it on the bike. Although at times I did not really understand why we were working out so much before the race I am so happy we did - there were no surprises Sunday. I knew what to expect and when to expect it.
Race day started like any other typical race day: 4:30 am alarm, shower, breakfast, go! We arrived to transition around 5:30, laid out our things and took the shuttle to the swim start. Swim was a rolling start so we seeded ourselves with the 27-30 min group. By this point I had already nervously peed myself about 10 times. We walked down the ramp and off we went.
Swim at Chatty is a fast swim as most of the 1.2 mile course is with current. I settled in, picked my line and swam. At times I got kicked, slapped, and pushed around but for the most part I had plenty of space. I had given myself a range of what I wanted 35-30 min swim. If I nailed this I would come out with at least a 5-min PR. Swim time 29:48 - NAILED it!
As we exited the water we had to run what felt like an eternity to get to our bike. Once in transition I went through it pretty fast and off I went. My friend had told me I was 18th, time to chase some women down.
The bike is a 57-mile course with flats, false flats, some climbs and fast descents. I stayed focused keeping my heart rate in check, managing my wattage output as best as I could all while hoping I could catch up to Coach A who I know was a bit ahead of me. At around mile 20-something I did manage to catch up to her. Our Coach is the best, she sang for me, not once but twice. We had to fight off a small group of men that refused to be overtaken by women. Drafting was an issue at times and unfortunately there were no course marshals to control what was going on. All we could do was be patient and ride as safely as we could. Just as I had given myself a range during the swim I also gave myself a range for the bike 2:45-2:40. When I saw that at the 2-hr mark I had biked 43 miles I knew I was well within that range. For the last 12-15 miles I resettled and made sure I flushed out the legs so that they would be ready for the run. Bike time:2:36:20 - PR baby!
I entered T2 in 7th place... I had chased down 11 women on the bike and now it was time to see what was left in the tank. The run course is 2-loops, mainly flat-ish with some small climbs and some longer descents.
As I took off running I saw Coach A in transition and was happy to know that I soon would be seeing her on the course and if lucky would be able to run a bit with her. We started the run in what I later found out was a temp of high 80's but felt like hell. It was a dry hot summer day, one I had not experienced yet this year as DC has had a long winter. At around mile 4-ish I began to cramp. I knew I needed to get some salt, keep my core temperature down and go on "survival mode". For the last 6 months I have had some incredible training runs so that gave me the confidence I needed to know that pacing at 8:15 / 8:30 was normal, that I was not going to die. This allowed me to not worry and be able walk the water stations and get the fluids and ice needed. I had a good run, not the best. This time around it was good enough to secure a 7th place. Run time: 1:54:01
I crossed the finish in 5:06:46 (an 8-min PR) and when I looked up Coach A was there, holding my medal. That moment was incredible. I've trusted her now for over a year and having her place my medal was special. We hugged hard, took a picture to remember that moment and then went on a 15-min run (mental strength training - doing that thing you sure as hell don't want to do) before drinking the most delicious Blue Moon beer I have ever had.