Ironman Wisconsin Race Report

I can't believe it's over. Until next time I guess? Maybe?

Gary and I arrived in Madison Thursday night. I was glad to be there but very anxious. We had two full days before the race. Friday we got in the very choppy water. It didn't seem too bad, but I was wearing my wetsuit which I think helped a lot. I actually felt really good in the water. We then registered, rode our bikes a bit, and went to the race meeting/dinner. The video at the meeting got me pretty excited, but still one more day...

Saturday we went down to the water again. Gary and Eric swam, and Jeff and Beth went for a little run. I opted to hang out on the bleachers by the water. It ended up being a great choice because I met a "lovely lady duck" (sing Fergie) who ate off of my shoe and out of my hand. I was thoroughly entertained. We headed back to the hotel after everyone except myself stood in line for a voucher for next year. (I need to do one first to be sure I want to maybe do another one, right?). Gary and I went for a short run and started packing our 5 bags. 1. swim to bike transition, 2. bike to run transition, 3. special needs bike, 4. special needs run, 5. dry clothes morning bag. It took forever! You need so much crap to do an Ironman. When we went to drop off our transition bags and bikes I was a little worried I might have forgotten something. We would still be able to get to them in the morning. Next was the bike course preview by car. It was long. I got a bit nervous, but it was good to see most of the course. My mom and dad arrived just as we were finishing up the course and we went to a nice dinner then headed off to bed.

Race morning came quickly after a sound night's sleep. One Boost and one breakfast bar later we were in the truck on our way to the start. Enter nerves with a little bit of nausea. We had quite a bit of time before the start, and by the time we were walking down to the water the nerves were gone. I just wanted to be in the water!

The Swim
I followed Eric and Beth to the far right of the mass of people. All 5 of us started in the front but since the loops around to the left the far right seemed much less dangerous. Swimming a bit further seemed a lot better than being repeatedly kicked, pulled on, elbowed, and scratched. Fives were exchanged, the gun/horn(don't even remember) went off and we were gone. I stayed on Beth's feet for a bit so she could take me to a good spot, but quickly lost her. I enjoyed my spot and only got one elbow to the head until the first turn. I took the first turn a bit too close and had to work my way out of the neoprene school. The swim was a two loop course and I took both pretty easy. I felt very relaxed, but on the second lap I was ready to be out of the water. Thank goodness for the volunteers helping you out of the water, and the wetsuit strippers who actually pulled me up into the air while taking off my suit. The crowd was simply amazing. People lined the entire helix of the parking structure that we ran up. I felt like a celebrity.

The Bike
I saw Beth as we were headed to our bikes. We chatted for a bit, and got on our bikes and then she was gone. I knew better than to try to keep up with her on the bike. The first part of the ride was nice and flat and I worked on getting my heart rate down from the excitement of the transition. This took several minutes, but I was glad to be taking it easy. It would be a long day. Jeff passed me early with a "nice butt" comment that I heard as "nice bike". Then Gary. I was so glad to see him and hear that he had a good swim as well. I wanted everyone to stay and chat, but I knew they couldn't. The bike course for me was very challenging. I rode very conservitively, but it was hard to do on such a hilly course. There were big rolling hills, long climbs, and a few shorter steeper climbs. Nothing was worse than what I trained on, but it was still tough. I never let my heart rate exceed 160, so I felt pretty good about that. 112 miles by yourself (although surrounded by others) is a long ride. I entertained myself by singing, talking to myself, cows, and volunteers and athletes when I could. I ate all of my Clif Bloks, some Clif Bars, Oatmeal Cream Pies, Gummy worms, and a lot of Gatorade. I was happy that I was able to eat so much because I knew I would need it. One part of the ride has longest climb followed by the steepest climb. (which you do twice) The spectators line the road as if it were the Tour de France. You ride through a tunnel of people cheering literally in your face. And of course ringing the cowbells. Oh the cowbells! It's pretty hard to hold back with so much support. Seeing my parents and my sister three times was also pretty awesome. Finally I reached the last part of the ride back into Madison. I actually couldn't wait to start the run; the bike had taken a lot longer than I thought it would. I rode back up the helix and back into transition.

The Run
I felt like a very grateful 2 year old as the kind volunteer helped dress me for the run. Madison has some very nice, and patient volunteers! I exited the transition and headed straight to the port-o-potty. As I squatted I thought why on earth would someone be outside shaking the port-o-potty when I am in here? I opened the door to see no one and realized it was my legs that must have been shaking. The first few miles of the run felt so good. I have never been happier to be running in my entire life. I actually wasn't even scared that I had to run 26.2. The run course was full of spectators even more so than the bike. My heart rate was low, but I still tried to hold back a bit on the first loop. I was so glad to see Jeff, Eric, Gary and Beth on the first loop. They all looked great! The run was kind of a blur, and the parts I remember seemed dark, but I actually only ran for less than an hour in the dark. I felt really good running, and hoped I could keep up my pace. I took Coke, and water at every aid station. Gels and food were not appetizing. On the second loop I saw Gary, Jeff, Beth and Eric one more time. I also made a friend from Team Mexico that I ran with for a few minutes. I relied heavily on the aid stations and crowd support. It's really nice having your name on your race number, and if I've said it once I'll say it a thousand more times...Madison fans are AWESOME! On the second loop I started playing the number game in my head even more. I was slowly giving up the thought of finishing under 13 hours. I hit mile 22 and my body said "enough!" I was having a hard time running. Nothing in particular was hurting and my heart rate was in the 130s. I just couldn't run. I started walking more often, but was still able to walk fast. I was also feeling really dizzy and that scared me a little. As long as I kept moving I felt ok. I think the last 4 miles I walked more than half of the time, but I'm not really sure. I remember getting to mile 25 and thinking that I would try to run the last 1.2 to the finish line. It didn't happen. I told myself when I get to the crowd I will run. I got to the crowd and turned the corner. I had no idea I was that close to the finish line when I saw it. The second thing I saw was the clock. 12:59:20! I could make it! I picked it up and ran hard to the finish. I heard "Nikki Ditsch, a personal trainer from Lexington, Kentucky... YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!" I crossed the tape. 12:59:46.

Mountaineer Triathlon Race Report

I'm a triathlete! I finished my first triathlon after a 15 year hiatus. I placed 2nd at the RTPD youth triathlon in 1992, but Morgantown last weekend was much more satisfying. I have to admit that I was very very nervous for this race. Starting my triathlon career with a half ironman may have been a little too ambitious, but that's just how it turned out. I had planned on doing an olympic distance race last month but a painful kidney infection prevented me from participating. So here I was, a newbie amongst all of my vetran friends and family. Gary and I travelled with Beth, Eric, and Jeff, and we met my sister in the giant hills of West Virginia.

After registration we decided to bike the run course. To my surprise it was a very flat straight stretch along the river. Around mile 5 we turned towards campus and met the concrete giants. The hills only encompassed a few miles of the 2 loop coures, but they were pretty steep. I had a bit of a panic attack while we were riding the steep hills and was terrified of getting stuck in my pedals or hitting a car so I left the group and headed back to the car. It was a little too much anxiety for me to handle at the moment.

After the bike ride we drove the bike course. We were just pulling onto the course and a girl backed into Eric's truck. Poor Atnip mobile. Everything turned out just fine and the bike course seemed pretty flat as well with a couple long steady climbs. I expected rolling hills and steep climbs based on the description: "This challenging 56 mile bike will now feature a 2 loop course on the rolling country roads north of the city".

On our way to the hotel Gary and I started discussing race strategy. Maybe a little late, but since I didn't have a clue about planning the day it was now or never. I think our discussion only produced more nerves and I'm sure I thouroughly frustrated (as usual) my poor husband/coach. The idea I took home was to have a conservative bike. Good plan.

Race morning. I woke up feeling very calm which was nice. Race morning of a marathon I am usually pretty nervous. Rob drove Tracy, Gary and I to the start and we set up our transition spots. (Is that what you call them?) I pretty much looked around at the other set ups and mimicked. I put on my brand new Pro Motion wetsuit and being careful to use my fingerips still managed to tear a small hole near my hip. Oops. Everyone assured me it was fine, and no, I would not fill up with water. We walked down to the start and watched the first waves start. After we watched Gary, Eric, and Jeff take off we got in the water.

The swim. Beth, Tracy and I started in the same wave, and it was comforting to be with people who know what they are doing. We were off at the sound of the horn. I was glad to have started at the front of the pack even though I had been a little doubtful about my swim strength. It turned out I picked a good spot. The swim was not crowded at all and the bouys were very large and easy to see. I swam hard but focused on a strong long pull. I am mostly a right side breather, and I am disappointed to say that I think I only took one breath to the left the entire swim. It is much different than breathing in the pool. I was surprised to see how everyone seemed to swim very wide of the bouys. I stayed narrow and it seemed to work well. The swim felt longer than I thought it would, but I did better than I expected with a 29:32.

The bike. I took Gary's advice and decided to take the first loop easy. The transition from the swim to bike was long, and by the time I got onto my bike and settled I looked down at my heart rate and it was 169! I had forgot to start it on the swim, so I don't know if it was from the swim, or the long transition. I took a few minutes trying to calm down and reduce it 25 or so bpm. Luckily it didn't take long. The first loop felt easy and I found myself intentionally holding back. It was nice to see Beth, Gary, and Tracy out on the course, since the loop had a few out and backs as well. I tried to keep my HR in first lap in the 140s, and the second lap in the 150s. Since the course was SO flat it was very easy to do. It was an easier course than anything I have ridden here in Lexington. I was still a bit nervous that my legs would be dead for the run from lack of experience. 3:08:02, 17.9mph

The run. First of all, thank goodness for the Port-o-Potty on the start of the run course. The second I exited the john people were lining the path cheering for the runners, which made me laugh because I didn't think my pee deserved a round of applause. It was appreciated anyway. I got to see Jeff, and Gary once on the run which I loved. It is a lot of fun for me to see people I know on the course, especially Gary. I got to see Beth and Tracy twice, also, and we exchanged words of encouragement. Everyone looked so strong! The run felt pretty good, I kept to my run/walk, but modified a bit. I had been doing a 10 min run to a 1 min walk in training, but with the aid stations and turn arounds and everything I changed to a 5 min run and a 30 - 45 second walk. When I looked at my watch I was surprised to see that I was running a sub 9 min pace. I was happy, but unsure if I could keep it up. I'm pretty sure my second lap was 2-3 minutes slower than the first, but still not bad. I finished the run in 1:57:23, only 7 minutes slower than Derby Half Marathon in April. I was expecting to run 2:15-2:30.

Official Time: 5:39:51

I was very pleased with the race. I did not have a goal time since this was my first race, but I honestly thought it was going to take me between 6-7 hours (7 hours being on the disappointed end, 6 hours being the thrilled end). I also though that this race would really scare me away from Ironman, but it did just the opposite. I am still very nervous, but now also very excited!

Tracy and me at the transition the day before:



Home stretch!



Tracy looking strong: