This weekend Troy and I competed in the 1/2 Ironman Vancouver which takes place at Spanish Banks. The morning started at an early 530am for race prep and a quick dunk in the ocean before the official start at 630... The swim in the ocean went surprisingly better for me this time around, despite the waves and current, Troy and I managed to stay together and get through this first part relatively easily (without any panic attacks on my part at least :) )
The bike was a challenging 21.5km loop around UBC which we completed 4 times... That's 4 climbs up the hill from Jericho to UBC, and 91 kilometres of biking on false flats and long stretches where the headwind alone was enough to tire even the pro bikers (who lapped me for sure). Deadly.
Once we were finally off the bike it was time for the 1/2 Marathon- a run through the trails and along the water at Spanish Banks. I admit, this was the part where I wanted to quit about 50 times before finally crossing the finish line... I was definitely dehydrated (my own fault) and the sun beating on my hurting body was just one more aspect of this course that made it all the more intense.... But I persevered while my family and friends cheered from the sidelines and although this race felt longer than Victoria, I somehow managed to shave off 3 minutes from my time (5 hours and 45 minutes), and Troy did amazing at 5 hours and 10 minutes.
Next Stop: Penticton to watch Dalts crush the full Ironman!
Not feeling great here... one step at a time.
My Mom's camera work
Troy making it look easy
Water stations! I took my time here.
Post-race talk
So happy to be DONE!
