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"A Dream Come True..."

Boulder-IM6.gifBy Kristin Gustafson

Ironman Boulder is in the books and it was quite a day! I just love race weekend as it is filled with nerves and excitement. My husband and I thought Boulder would be a perfect race to complete our second Ironman together as we lived out in Colorado for about 5 years after we graduated college. The scenery was gorgeous, the venue was perfect, and the volunteers were amazing.

We decided to drive into town pretty much right before the race. We couldn’t get there the two weeks to 10 days before to get use to the altitude like most athletes did. We were just hoping we could survive the altitude and dry heat. The weather was looking HOT for all of us on race day. I do pretty decent in the heat so I felt this could work to my advantage. It is always fun to go get checked in and go to the expo. I love to look at all the gear and just feel the excitement from all the other racers. It was an exhausting couple of days though with having to get checked in, bikes checked, and go to two different locations for the transitions. A lot of walking around which is never good a day before the race....

 

Race morning is so nerve racking. You just never know what could possibly happen when you are racing for over 10 hours. Everything went really smooth dropping off our bags and getting to both transitions. I went to my bike to pump the tires and looked down to see a big staple in my tire. That is when I started to freak out a bit. Stood in line for the mechanic and finally got everything checked out with 5 minutes to spare before I headed to the start.Boulder-IM5.gif

The water was on the warmer side as the water temperature was around 75 degrees all week. Ugh…wetsuit optional swim was the verdict as the water temperature was 78 degrees on race morning. The water looked nice and calm heading into the reservoir until there was 2500+ athletes swimming all around me. It felt choppy and crowded right from the start. Then the athletes who wore wetsuits trampled over us for the last part of the swim. I am known to panic in the water so I was happy I didn’t have to flip over and do the backstroke to catch my breath. It felt good to get out of the water and onto the bike. I finished the swim in 1:17.

The great thing about Facebook is I had a detailed report on the bike course from all the locals. I knew exactly where to slow it down on the false flats and where to pick up the pace on the downhills. Of course my husband passed me on the bike in the first hour. So great to see him though to give me a little boost for the rest of the ride. I thought the course was beautiful, but I wasn’t expecting the big hills at the end of the course. It is so hard to see your mph going into the single digits knowing the legs are already tired and you still have to run a marathon. The sun was hot as the temps were rising. I could see clouds coming in so I was hoping they would roll in for the run. I finished the bike in 5:35 and was happy to average around 20 mph for a somewhat hilly course.

I felt strong coming off of the bike. The first 8 miles I held back my pace knowing it was hot out. I had a solid nutrition plan that I was confident in to make sure I was hydrated and ready for the marathon. The clouds rolled in half way through the marathon that made it so much more bearable. I also got a little boost when I cruised past by hubby on the run. The second half of the marathon was mentally tough. I actually walked through all the water stops to make sure I stayed hydrated and poured ice down my head and top. It was a great strategy mentally to get me through the last few miles. I loved seeing the kids on the run and also my husband’s family as they were the best cheer squad! I finished the run in 3:43. I was happy with my even splits, but I still feel like I can improve on the run.

Coming into the finish I cried once again. It is such a magical spot that everyone needs to experience. I finished in 10:50 and qualified for Kona!! A dream come for sure. Now I just have to wrap my brain around how I will finish another IM in 9 weeks. I am just going to enjoy the experience and cross my fingers that I am recovered.

Boulder definitely did not disappoint. It was such a great experience to race with my husband again and spend the rest of the week with the kids in Vail. I’m going take a week off and then I’ll be back training for the big island!!

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