Maine 70.3 Race Report

I signed up for this race after I missed third place in Boulder by 1:17… all in T2. I knew my fitness was getting better and really wanted to be in top 3 in a 70.3 this year, My client and friend was already going and the travel seemed to just fall in place. Everything went really smoothly and I was surprisingly relaxed on Saturday. We drove the bike course and saw that the roads were really rough and the hills were punchy! I never really considered the elevation but then looked and realized it was slightly more than 70.3 Worlds in St. George! We also noted that the river current was not very strong so I knew I had to put my time goals aside and just see what I had on the day.

I woke up feeling rested on race morning and was delighted to see live Olympic coverage with Snoop Dogg! Parking was much easier than expected and we got there with enough time to get everything done before walking the mile to the swim start. I did my warm up run and the bod felt good! I was definitely enjoying the extra oxygen at sea level!

At the swim start we could not see the river, since we were above it and everyone was a little confused on which corral to line up in… do we go by our usual 70.3 swim time or our estimated time with the current? If it’s with the current, how do we know how fast it really is without starting? I decided to do the 33-35 minutes, which is definitely not my non-current swim time! I decided to swim to the left, farthest away from the buoys, in case there were faster swimmers behind me. We went down a ramp and entered the water. The water was pretty warm (73.7) and it was a very relaxing start. I couldn’t really feel the current but then noticed the first buoy came up much more quickly than usual! It was fun and easy to sight since it’s mainly a straight line. As I got to the red buoy for the end, it was not difficult to make the turn since the current was not overly strong. The swim exit is up a steep ramp and then .3 mile run at 8% grade up to transition. I thought it would take longer than it did but my legs were ready to run.

I got on the bike and felt ready to go. The miles seemed to go by more quickly than when we drove yesterday! The hills did not feel challenging and it gave me an opportunity to stand up and stretch out my back. The rough roads also were not as bad as I expected. I was feeling like my old self and chatted with people as I passed. When we drove the course, there was a section that we noted as under construction, having the corduroy-like surface before paving. As I was getting close to the end, I thought maybe they changed the course and decided to remove it but we took a left turn and there it was. The race organizers knew it was bad because they had a mechanic waiting there with spare wheels but it was still there. I got through it and then it was only about 10 miles to go. I was almost wishing it wasn’t over!

When I got to T2, once again the athlete next to me racked their bike backwards! This time I did not mess with it and just pushed it slightly so I could rack my bike. I started running and the legs felt pretty good! The first 8 miles are shaded, which felt so good! I was wondering if we were going downhill because my pace was strong and it didn’t feel too hard. I managed to keep my 8:45 pace for the first 8 miles. Then it started to get a bit harder but I kept getting in some carbs and caffeine as I had planned. It gets hilly and sunny at mile 9.5 but I didn’t want to lose the progress I made, so I slowed but not too much. My average pace is displayed on my Garmin and I did not want to miss the progress I made so kept at as best I could. I finally made the second turn around and got some downhill. I let gravity help as much as it could. I was just waiting for the place where we came out from the swim, because then it was a right turn towards the finish but we still had that 8% grade to go up. I got up that and could not wait for the red carpet in the finisher chute. Finally, it was there! I hadn’t looked at my overall time but saw my time on the marquee and I was definitely under my goal at 5:26! The announcer called out my name with the Cupcake Cartel and he said it’s one of his favorite teams.  I didn’t know my placement but was elated to learn that I hit my goal and got 3rd in my age group! What made it even better is that my client and friend, Aaron, also achieved his goal and had a 20 minute PR! For those of you looking for a fun 70.3 I highly encourage you to check this one out! The town was so welcoming and the volunteers were amazing… thank you! I’m also so thankful for @fikse69 and @magnusbosonmiller for always being there for me… on the hard and easy days! Although I should not say it (or even make these posts about my placement in races), but I’m incredibly proud of myself for working hard and being patient (well not always) to let my body get back to a place where it can have a good race again. Menopause (and some other challenges) brought on more injuries for me, but I did the work, gave my body some grace and learned what my post-menopausal body needs. That all allowed me to have the race I did here. It’s always a blessing to be able to race and something to celebrate if it’s a day your body can perform the way you want it to.