I raced Oceanside 70.3 four weeks before St George 70.3 on a stress fracture in my fibula from an accident this spring where I was hit by a suburban in a cross walk while running. The accident has increased my disease activity, causing a lot of pain, inflammation and fatigue. I have been fighting hard to get it back under control but the injuries and not being able to run have made that difficult. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is often compared to a combination of flu like symptoms; body aches, low grade fever, nausea, exhaustion and a feeling of being hit by truck along with painful swollen joints. I completed Oceanside but stressed the stress fracture. The bone still hurts to touch and the tendons around the fracture are inflamed as well. I was running a fever and coughing all day at Oceanside but I blamed it on the RA and wasn't going to let that stop me. But the days following the race a flu virus knocked me down flat as pay back. So the time between Oceanside and St George wasn't filled with a whole lot of quality workouts to prepare me for race day.
Coming into race week I was physically and emotionally exhausted. The weather was stormy with a low barometric pressure front which makes me flare worse (more disease activity). I spent a majority of my days that week in bed with a heating pad wrapped around whichever part of me hurt the worst at the moment. I was not excited to do anything let alone race. But I managed to pack a bag and get in the truck when it was time to go. We left early Friday morning surrounded by thunderstorms, rain and wind. It made me nauseous and achy. I knew that my leg wasn't healed enough to run. My doctor had given me clearance to swim and bike but had recommended that I not run until the bone healed. I had paid for the insurance at the race and contemplated not starting, I did have a legitimate medical reason not to race. I had right up until the start of the race to decide, as long as I didn't cross the start line I could still get a refund. I told Josh that if it was stormy I wasn't going to race. Two of my last three races were under cold, miserable hypothermic conditions and I didn't need to prove anything, especially on a stress fracture (I have done that multiple times as well). I also knew that if I started I would want to finish and it would be hard to pull myself out of the race and not run.
I know this sounds depressing. But everything quickly changed when we arrived in St George. We made it to athlete village and for a short time the sun was shining. It felt amazing! At both athlete check in and then at Sand Hollow for a pre-race swim with Salt Lake Tri Club I was surrounded by amazing friends and athletes whose excitement was contagious. It reminded me of why I was there. The fog I had been under all week was lifting, and I started to feel better. My body was still flaring but I had a better mental outlook to deal with it. We went to an early dinner with friends and then headed back to our condo to get ready for race day.
Josh and I planned to go to bed early to be ready for an early morning wake up especially after getting up at 4 am that day. But my teenage daughter was at a dance competition and did not get home until 12:45. Even though we were away I couldn't go to sleep until I knew she had made it safely home. So not a lot of sleep pre-race. But really, who sleeps the night before a race anyway?
Race morning went really smooth. I was still fighting the nausea that comes with a flare and had a hard time eating my bagel but I got it down and it stayed down. I also had a diet coke and a Core Power protein drink. My hands were still swollen and flaring but the majority of the flare was now under control. Josh drove us to the bus pick up and we weren't even on the very last bus headed to the lake. Once at the lake everything moved really fast. No sooner was I ready and it was time for me to wade into the water and wait for the signal for my wave to start.
The swim went really well for me. The wind was already picking up but the waves weren't too bad and I wasn't cold. The exhaust from nearby boats was the biggest nastiness. As we swam the kayak crew was working to keep the swim lane narrow. I understand they did this for safety. I have watched from the shore how quickly it can get dangerous out on the lake if the wind picks up. But it felt like I was fighting to swim around kayaks the entire swim. I smacked one of them with my swollen hand and oh man did it hurt. Overall I enjoyed the swim. I passed swimmers and swimmers passed me. I was kicked and smacked but nothing too serious. Before I knew it I was climbing the boat ramp and hobbling across the parking lot to my bike. Time 50:01
(photo credit ~ Vicki Mathis) I wore a thin pair of socks to protect my feet from other swimmers. At IM AZ my feet were clawed repeatedly by other athletes and even little scratches will make my immune system over react and attack the area. My feet are affected enough already so I wore the socks to protect my skin.
When I got to my bike Josh was standing there. I expected him to finish his swim close to mine but I didn't understand why he was standing around waiting for me. He told me he had gotten dizzy on the swim and was blacking out and had DNF'd. I thought he was joking for a minute and had really just passed me on the swim but he was serious. He joked about going out to breakfast instead of biking but before I could think too much about it he turned and took off with his bike sans timing chip. I continued getting ready. My transitions are slow and in the cold they are excruciatingly slow. I was having a hard time getting my fingers to work to put my shoes and socks on and clip my helmet. But eventually I was all put together and ready to bike. It was sprinkling in transition and the sky looked ominous but I had already started so I didn't give the rain too much thought.
I love the St George bike course. It is a challenging ride with over 3,000 feet of climb over the 56 miles all the while surrounded with breathtaking and inspiring views. Saturday the ride was made more challenging by adding cold, rain and wind. For a well written report on race conditions read: http://303triathlon.com/Ironman-Utah-703-St-George-Aftermath-Freeze-or-Fry As I left Sand Hollow the rain and wind picked up. I told myself it would pass and to keep going. It didn't. It rained and the wind blew for nearly all of the ride. I wished I had opted for full gloves and my cycling jacket but I had optimistically planned for a warmer ride. I did at least have a long sleeve cotton shirt on. It was wet and soaked through in the first half hour but it at least kept some of my body heat in. In an attempt to stay warm I stayed aero all day except when I needed access to my brakes. Like everyone else out there I was frozen. I kept asking myself why I was doing this... I already said that I wasn't going to ride if it was raining. But here I was pedaling my way through the course. I had started the bike and I would finish the bike. I no longer cared about the wind, rain or the cold. I just wanted to ride my bike. Dr Tom Fletcher had kindly taped my stress fractured leg the night before the race to add a little more support to my body. It really came in handy on race day. The tape helped protect my leg and kept my leg functioning in the cold and wind. (Arizona 140.6 was similar weather and the cold wet weather made my knee flare and I had to petal one legged for a good long while)
(Photo credit ~ Tom Fletcher) Amazingly even in the cold I pr'd some of the race segments from previous times I had ridden the course. But overall with the cold and wind it was a slow ride Heading up Snow Canyon into the wind and rain was tough. At one point I stopped to make sure my brakes were not stuck. It felt like I was dragging my bike up the mountain. My hands and feet were completely numb. I was extremely grateful for my husband. For my birthday he had upgraded my bike. I now have Di2 (electronic shifting) that shifts my bike at the touch of a button. On a good day my hands have a hard time gripping and doing basic things.
With the conditions on race day I wouldn't have been able to shift. I got all emotional and teary on my ride realizing that his foresight, kindness and love for me was making it possible for me to continue. Just one of a million reasons why I love and appreciate this man. But even in the misery Snow Canyon was still beautiful and awe inspiring. I could easily loose myself in the scenery and it made the climb more bearable. As we reached the top volunteers were coaching us to shake out our hands to get the blood flowing so that we could use our brakes on the fast descent to come. I had ridden Snow Canyon two weeks before with crazy cross winds and was nervous to ride down the canyon again. But I was also freezing and just wanted to be done. The road was wet but the winds weren't bad so I rode as fast as I dared to safely reach transition.
As I came to Diagonal Street I started to cry. After riding the bike portion I knew I needed to turn in my timing chip and not run. I had been arguing with myself over this for the entire bike ride. It wasn't because the bike ride was cold and miserable and I was tired and didn't want to go on. I did want to run and I knew that I could finish the race. It was because I rode the bike portion despite the conditions that I had said I wouldn't ride in again after racing in similar conditions before. I knew that if I started the run I would finish the run. It wouldn't matter if it hurt or if I was making my stress fracture worse and risking a full break. If I started I would finish. So instead I came into transition crying and removed my gear and timing chip. I put my run shoes on and before I could talk myself out of it I dropped my timing chip in a pile of others so I could no longer tell which was mine and change my mind and run anyway. I sat in a porta potty and cried. Time 3:58
I wanted to finish what I started so badly. Quitting was so much harder, especially knowing that if I am unable to get Ironman to change their snorkel rule and again allow for their use with a medical exemption this would be my last Ironman brand race. I was so sad but I have raced on a handful of stress fractures and I know what it costs. I have already given up months of running because of this accident. Running is the single best thing that helps me control my RA. I can't afford another two months off of running to recover. I also needed to remember why I started doing triathlons... I kept stress fracturing my femurs trying to reach my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. The whole point was to force me to cross train so I would be stronger and be able to attain that goal. That is still my goal. Running St George would have taken me further from that goal. Whether Ironman decides to change the rule or not (I hope they do) I am grateful. I am grateful for what I have learned and how far I have come. I love Ironman's marketing slogan that "Anything is Possible." I am disappointed in them right now for taking away the opportunity for others like me who require a snorkel to swim the opportunity to embrace the dream they are selling.
I am glad I went to St George and participated in the swim and bike. I am even happy that I gave up the run. The race felt like a complete system re-set for me. My body feels better this week. I am moving better and managing my disease much better. I needed a physically challenging day to re-boot. Now it is time to finish healing my bone, set new goals and conquer more obstacles. I have a dream to run down and I hope this fall I will reach my goal. This was extremely long winded. If you read it all, thank you. Now I am putting my headphones in and going to go listen to "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten and get my work out done for the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo1VInw-SKc
