Skip to main content

IM 70.3 Chattanooga Race Report

In September of last year, about 80 of my Infinite Multisport team members signed up for this race... peer pressure is a real thing.  As a teacher, an early season half is difficult to 1)Train for and 2) Plan around.  But...  On September 15th, I pulled the trigger



For the next several months, I trained for this race - focusing on my run training with a couple of half marathons thrown in to keep my "interested."

I did have a teammate share a ride and a room with me.  It was great to have Tara to share the long drive with.  Since I could only take one day off of work, I chose to take the Monday after the race off to drive home.  We were finally able to leave on Friday at about 3:30.  Stopping in Lexington for a brief sleep, we got into Chattanooga on Saturday at about 11am.  Of our long list of things to accomplish, we did everything except for swim.



We were pretty happy to have so many teammates there!  From team pictures, to team dinners, to just having familiar faces on the course.  It was awesome to share this experience with so many bees :-)

When we woke on race day, the weather was perfect!  Not a cloud in the sky!  I had read on another blog, that it was smart to get into the swim line early.  So we set our alarms for 3:30 and got out of the door by 4am.   My goals were set: Rockstar = 6:00, Super Happy = 6:10, Happy = 6:30.


This paid off, because we were probably within the first 100 athletes in line to start the swim.

Swim - 1.2 mi - 33:08 -  32/170 Age Group - 194/764 Gender - 720/2168 overall - This was a time trial start, so once you jumped in it was go time.  We swam into the current for the first 350m.  Since it was close to shore, I did not feel the affects of the current to bad, though.  You can see from my pace tracked by the Garmin that the pace picked up after the first turn though.  I am very proud of this swim, even with the help of the current :-) 

Bike 56mi - 3:04:27 - 18.22 mph 46/170 Age Group -  247/764 Gender - 1075/2168 overall - This was a challenging course with a couple of big hills, but nothing compared to Lake Placid.  An early spot in line helped me for this bike in a couple of ways.  1) Less debris on the course 2) Less people on the course 3) Earlier finish time meant less headwinds as the winds picked up more and more as the day continued.  I was doing great until I got those winds smack in the face.  I even got off my bike at about mile 45 to see if there was a mechanical issue with my bike... nope, just getting my butt kicked by the winds.  



Run - 13.1 miles - 2:25:42 - 11:07 min/mi - 61/170 Age Group -  306/764 Gender - 1170/2168 overall - Yuck...  This run was hard.  Hot, hilly, and I cramped up bad... for the first time ever.  I walked way more than I wanted to, but truly could not have done more.  It was not my day for running.  This bums me out, because the winter was all about the run.  So, I will do better next time with the information I gathered from this run.  I will use salt for these hot runs.  I will hydrate better on the bike.  I will get redemption for this run.  Other than the hills... the run course is pretty.  Lots of views of the river and some nice running through a park.  I was very happy to see Swim Bike Mom, Meredith Atwood in the first mile of the run and I was very happy to see that finish line after the gruesome run.



Results = 6:11:43 - 61/170 Age Group -  306/764 Gender - 1170/2168 overall I can't wait for redemption.  Full detail of results here

Thank you: Tri To Finish, Epix Gear, XX2i, Infinite Multisport

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sponsor-A-Mile: 70.3 World Championships in St. George, Utah

  It is almost time for the BIG ONE!  The race that I have been fundraising for and working towards since November of last year: the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in St. George, Utah!  As an Ironman Foundation Ambassador, all of my Ironman brand races have me RACING FOR MORE, but this one is the pinnacle.  I am proud to be representing IMF and all of the good that can come from their initiatives.  With that in mind, I am asking you to sponsor a mile during this race.   For each of my IRONMAN races this year, I have taken your inspiration and printed it on tattoo paper to put on my arms and legs so that I can see it while I am riding and running.  When the going gets tough, these notes remind me that I am doing the race for more than myself!   Will you consider sponsoring a mile to help MAKE AN IMPACT and leave a quote or advice to inspire me during 70.3 St. George on October 28, 2022? Here is how: 1.  Choose the mile(s) you'd like to sponsor below.   *link to this spreadsheet

IM70.3 Indian Wells 2022 Race Report

  Pre-Race On April 30th, Chris Kenon messaged me asking me to be her Battle Buddy and join her for this race.  If you know me, you know it did not take much thought before I was IN!  Travel + Triathlon = Happy Erin!!  Rumors were that this is a fast course with good chances for a PR.  I asked her to join me on Team IMF for this race!  She got to work right away and raised over $1800 for the Foundation!  We also traveled with fellow Team Zooter - Chandler Carranza, our Coach - Sami Winter, and Sami's Fiance (and bike mechanic) Charlie!  It was a quick trip flying to California on Friday, Racing on Sunday, and Home by Monday!  We stayed at a VRBO near the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which worked out perfectly! On Saturday we did our bike safety ride and then dropped off all of our things.  At this race, you have to dip your wetsuit in a chlorine bath and leave it at T1 along with your bike and bike bag.  The Run bag goes to T2, which we coordinated with the Team IMF Q&A with the

2023 Inspirational Tattoo Fundraiser

I am 4 weeks away from my first IM70.3 of 2023, so it is time to collect your inspirational sayings, mantras. songs, and verses. I am going to be doing my Inspirational Tattoos a little differently this year. In 2023 I have 5 BIG races that I will want your inspiration for: 1. Oceanside 70.3 - April 1 2. Eagleman 70.3 - June 11 3. Aquabike Worlds in Spain - Sept 22 4. North Carolina 70.3 - Oct 21 5. Long Course Aquabike Nationals - Dec 3 If you donate to this fundraiser, your inspiration will be included in all remaining race tattoos. So if you donate before April 1st, you will be included in all 5 of these races. Placement will be determined by the amount you donate. The more you donate, the more prominent placement you will get. 2 ways to donate: 1. Facebook Fundraiser: https://www.facebook.com/donate/451964030445652/ 2. Donor Drive Fundraiser: https://ironmanfoundation.donordrive.com/participant/erinbyrge2023 3 ways to get me your inspirational message: 1. Comment on you