VIVA LA MEXICO

IRONMAN 70.3 Acapulco on March 26th was my 4th time racing in Mexico and it did not disappoint. 

Mexico has a very special place in my heart.  You see, my first half and first full IRONMAN were both in Mexico! 

My first IRONMAN 70.3 was in Cozumel in 2015, and a year later, my first full IRONMAN was in Los Cabos. Then in 2020, I returned to Cozumel to race in IRONMAN Cozumel when the entire world was shut down.  Mexico promised a safe return to racing and they sure did (to read that blog head to “My Shameful Fuck-up” dated December 6, 2020)!

Racing in Acapulco reminded me, that the road we travel towards our goals is more important than the destination.  You see, just 4 weeks prior to IM 70.3 Acapulco, Jimmie and I had just moved to Hermosillo, Mexico for his job.  We drove across the USA from Baltimore, in a 5-day road trip with our 2 cats, my bike, all my triathlon gear, and lots of champagne to take across Mexico’s border. 

When I registered for IM 70.3 Acapulco, the plan was to move to Hermosillo in December 2022.  Unfortunately, the start-up date for Jimmie’s job kept shifting and so did my window to settle into a new country before starting training there. 

For anybody that has experienced moving to a new country, you know exactly what stress I’m talking about - especially traveling with pets and losing your car along the way!  Luckily, we were both driving our own cars, when my Fiat’s engine blew up somewhere in Arkansas.  The rest of the trip was cozy as we moved everything from my car, including our two cats, into Jimmie’s car. 

The day after arriving to Hermosillo, I had to jump right back into training.  I was fatigued, stressed, exhausted, and with a million things to do such as groceries, rent a car, call mechanics in Arkansas, search for engine parts, find a pool…. and yet I made it a priority that morning by setting an intention for the day to get a bike trainer and brick run done no matter what. 

One primary lesson I learned with the global pandemic of 2020 is that I have 0% control over what happens in life and I have 100% control on how I choose to react, show up, and take action - all while living life on my own terms. 

Everything you do, you fucking earn it.  I am fighting like a champion to earn my 2023 goals! 

RACE RECAP

SWIM 1.2-MILES (TIME:  35:14 RANK:  2)

The swim was held at a private marina in Puerto Marques Bay, a few miles away from the finish line and T2 (transition from bike-to-run).  On race morning, chicken busses took athletes from T2 to T1 (transition from swim-to-bike). 

The race unofficially started on the chicken busses! 

The chicken busses had neon disco lights, played loud music, and the drivers were a little lost trying to find the private marina.  Since everyone had racked their bikes in T1 the previous day, we were all yelling at the driver telling him which turns to take at 4AM. 

On race morning the water temperature was 79F (25C) and the air temperature was expected to be in the upper 90sF (35+C) with high humidity.  If you race in Acapulco, you know it’s going to be a hot race from start to finish.     

The swim course had 4 turns creating a lot of chop, and quickly became a full contact swim race.  I actually got disoriented after the 1st turn.  A kayak had to stop me and push me back on course.  This has never happened to me before and yet I was not surprised, because this was my first open water swim since IRONMAN Maryland, 6 months ago.  I had planned to do at least one open water swim when we moved to Mexico before Acapulco, but priorities shifted between settling in a new country, catching up with training, and work. 

Once the kayak got me back on track, I never again got disoriented and over sighted to gain time back from the extra yardage added.  Swimming to the 2nd and 3rd turn buoys was the highlight of this swim!  It was like swimming under a constellation of dazzling stars with each stroke!  The bay was lit up by tiny bioluminescent jellyfish!  The jellyfish were absolutely magnificent with bright neon lights, like glowing sticks.  I got stung several times on my arms, but nothing like the jellyfish stings in IM Maryland (to read about that race recap head to “Stay Open Fuckers to New Opportunities” dated October 21, 2022). 

T1 TRANSITION FROM SWIM-TO-BIKE (TIME:  2:55)

I fumbled quite a bit in this transition.  Coming out of the water I couldn’t unzip my Roka swimskin.  I stopped and asked a spectator if she could unzip me.  Then, once I got to my racked bike, I noticed that my helmet visor was all fogged up, so I used a towel that I had packed to clean the visor and off I went to start the bike portion of the race.

BIKE 56-MILES/2221 FT ELEVATION (TIME: 2:59:01 RANK:  5)

The bike course was a bit hillier than I had expected with bumpy/rough road surfaces making my overall speed slower than I had anticipated. 

The private marina for the swim was nestled at the bottom of a small steep mountain which meant we needed to bike out of it and then descent the other side into the main road.  The first 0.3 miles leaving transition, we gained 200 ft in 600 meters of straight up climbing.  I tried grabbing my first gel right after the climb and before starting the descent, but I lost the gel on a significant bump in the road. 

Then on the steep descent, which lasted about 0.4 miles, my bike computer went flying off my handlebars because of another bump.  The last time I raced in Mexico in IM Cozumel, I lost this same bike computer.  I was in the first lap of the bike course and my bike computer went flying off the handle bars on a really rough patch of road.  I decided I would stop on my 2nd lap to look for my bike computer.  Needless to say, I never found it.  So, when my bike computer went flying in Acapulco, I stopped as soon as it was safe.  I needed my bike computer for IRONMAN Texas only 4 weeks away. 

I laid my bike off the road to avoid any cyclist hitting my bike and off I went running up hill with my cycle shoes looking for my little red SRM bike computer. I spotted it as cyclists were zipping past it, over it…. It felt like video game trying to rescue my computer. 

I got back on the bike to continue my descent down the mountain just to hit another rough patch and this time I lost one of my fuel bottles.  No, I did not stop for my bottle.  I still had 2 more fuel bottles, and decided that I would make up for the lost calories at the aid stations.

Once you hit the main road coming off the mountain, you go past T2 and the finish line to begin the 2-loop course.  This section had a few rollers and a nice long climb where you make the U-turn to turn around.  A few sections were really bumpy and I lost my bike computer again!  I lost it right at the 10-mile aid station.  I knew I would come back on this same road after the U-turn so I decided to keep going and to stop on my way back.

For the next 15 miles I didn’t have a bike computer to keep me honest on my cycling power output (watts). Therefore, I raced based on feeling.   On my way back, I stopped at the aid station, on the other side of the road, and started yelling if they had seen a red bike computer.  A man came running to me and handed me my bike computer!  I grabbed it and put it in my tri-kit pocket.  I was like “fuck it... I am not losing you again!”

I raced pretty much the entire bike race based on feel, except for the first 10 miles, which were a complete cluster fuck. 

T2 TRANSITION FROM BIKE-TO-RUN (TIME:  4:29)

As I dismounted my bike and started running into T2, I heard a loud bang sound from inside the transition area.  The sun was so intense, that the heat had popped someone’s bicycle tire. 

As I racked my bike, the first thing on my mind was “I need my tires for IM Texas”.  So I took a few seconds to deflate my tires a bit.  Once again, IRONMAN Texas was in my foresight during this race, and I needed my tires for training and racing.  When we moved to Mexico, I didn’t pack a lot of replacement gear. 

I was slow in coming out of T2. I felt hot, and knew what was ahead of me.

RUN 13.1-MILES (TIME:  1:52:59 RANK:  4)

Jimmie flew the night before my race to meet me in Acapulco.  He had been working in Bangkok for the previous 2 weeks.  Having him on the bike course was helpful to hear my overall placement, but he was honestly an integral piece to my running success that day. 

I’m not going to sugar coat it…the run was brutally fucking hot!  I felt like my body was melting in the humidity.  It took everything in me to fight for my 5th overall age group placement and not walk any extra between the aid stations.   

After leaving T2, it became a race of the minds on who could tolerate the heat during the 13.1 miles. 

I worked hard in this race to maintain a positive mind set.  I kept quieting my internal voice, and when I needed a voice, it was to repeatedly tell me: I am strong!  I am a champion!

Acapulco’s half marathon is a spectator friendly race.  It is 2 loops on an out-and-back road.  Lots of triathlete clubs show up to support their athletes and create small oases between aid stations filled with music, more ice, and positive messaging.  They helped me stay motivated, and seeing my Jimmie on the run course made me keep my pace strong. 

I was super proud of this run. 

I maintained my pace despite the heat and coming off a hilly bike course, and also having done zero speed work since before I sprained my ankle in December. 

FINISH LINE (TIME:  5:34:35 RANKING:  5TH out of 22)  

Top 5 in my age group was definitely a goal of mine coming into this race. 

I had to fight for this placement, as this race is very much a local race favorite with athletes that know the course and train in a hot/humid climate.  My body did the best it could, and for that I am beyond satisfied for my race performance. 

The best part of the day was crossing the finish line holding the flag of my adopted country!  As you know, I could have chosen a couple of different flags when they asked me as I entered the red carpet finishing chute.  I yelled back proud and loud “de los Estados Unidos” (from the United States)!

To top this race even more, at the awards ceremony that afternoon, I got one of the 30 slots to the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship race in Lahti, Finland.  A lot of females declined their slot as they already had qualified for it at IM 70.3 Los Cabos back in November 2022, or they simply don’t want to race in cold conditions.

At that moment I was thinking that I might decline it too, if it got down to 5th in my AG.  I had my heart set on qualifying for Kona through IM Texas in 4 weeks.  A the time of saying yes or no to Finland I was hesitant, and Jimmie pushed me and said “Take it!  We will make it work”. 

This is my 5th time qualifying for IM 70.3 World Championships, and it never gets any less exciting saying yes!!!