IM Wisconsin Race Report 2014

Flowers from my brother. 

              2014 Ironman Wisconsin Race Report

This is the third time I have done Ironman Wisconsin.  It is one of my favorite Ironmans because of all the fans and the course is absolutely beautiful.  To date, this was the best race I have had yet!  I ended up finishing 4th in my age group which earned me a ticket to Kona!  For those of you who do not know what Kona is, it is the world championship of Ironman, kind of a big deal..  I am super pumped!!  Let me tell you about my race..

Before the race

My bike had major problems..  The derailer hanger on my bike was bent during transit..  This would not allow for me to shift during the race and would put me out of the competitive field if I was not able to get it fixed.  THANK GOODNESS FOR MY BROTHER!!  After numerous phone calls and two days of searching, a shop in Milwaukee got ahold of the BMC dealership who took a hanger off one of their bikes and overnighted it to the hotel.  My brother put the new derailer on and made sure my bike was good to go.  He is literally the best bike mechanic that I know and I am convinced that without him at my race it would have been a different result.  Thank you so much, Eric!!  You have to come to all my races from now on! 

Race start. 

Race start. 

 2.4 mile swim (1:05:32) finished 7th in age group (1 loop)

The swim was one of the more physical swims that I have done.  People were all over me.  Typically during the swim you get hit and then people move over but that was not the case for this swim.  I felt like I was getting hit on all sides at least two or three times by the same person!  Totally nuts.  I was really disappointed in my swim, but I ended up with a respectful time.  The conditions for the swim were great with comfortable water temperatures and no wind or waves.  

Half way through the run.  

T1 (5:48)

The transition for this race takes you up to the third floor of a parking garage where you are forced to run through a matrix in the building.  It is a long transition and my time is competitive even though it looks like I took a nap and had some coffee..  Nothing exciting about this transition other than I could not get my wetsuit off!!  I saw my family at the exit of transition and tried my hardest not to show them my disappointment from the swim.  Turns out, the clock was wrong and my swim was better than I thought..  

Finish line with the capitol in the background.  

112 mile bike (5:46:04) finished 4th in age group (2 loops)

The bike was better than I remember it being.  This being the third time I have done this race, I have some experience with the course.  It seems that historically the roads on the bike course were kind of rough but that was not the case this year!  The roads were great and I was happy.  I was able to stay in aero position nearly the entire ride and only got out of my saddle to climb hills or stretch.  The course is full of rolling hills with a few punchy uphills but mostly a solid ride.  Wisconsin is unique in the beautiful landscape and amazing support fans that come out in full force on the more challenging hills.  I saw my family half way through the ride and was relieved to see them.  Having the support they give me is encouraging to me and keeps me focused on the goal at hand.  I finished the ride feeling good and ready to run.   

T2 (2:13)

A quick transition.  I put my socks, shoes, and hat on and ran out of there with the hope my marathon will go well.  

An incredible race, what a feeling!  

Finish line with my cousins.  

 26.2 mile run (3:52:17) finished 4th in age group (2 loops)

What an amazing run!!  This was my first time breaking 4 hours for a marathon during an Ironman, so of course I was super excited!  It was also the first time during the run portion of a race that I was able to hold my position in my age group!  As expected, the crowds were amazing on the run course and I saw my family numerous times!  Again, seeing them always puts a smile on my face!  That is actually my secret weapon..  smiling..  but I will save that for another blog post.  I followed my race plan on the run which was my heart rate.  I have an incredible coach who has taken me from a 12+ hour Ironman to two sub 11 Ironmans in one year!  The hardest point in the marathon was around mile 10.  I was really disappointed in how my legs felt, they were acting like it was mile 20 of the race..!  If you have ever ran a marathon, you know how discouraging that can be.  A marathon is won and lost in your head, so I put that thought out of my mind and dug deep.  The rest of the run was great.  I focused on my training, my family, and what the finish would feel like.  It worked.

Finish line with my brother.  

Race start with my dad.  

Awards ceremony with my brother and ma.  

My Kona ticket.  

Finish 10:51:54

The finishing line was incredible!  My family was there to bring me in and I knew that I  had just completed the best race to date.  I followed my race plan and used my strengths to take me to the finish.  This race would never have happened if my family did not support me to the extent that they did.  My brother, cousin, and his wife all came out from California and my parents came with me from Washington.  I truly am blessed to have such a strong support base.  Thank you all so much!!  Finishing 4th in my age group gave me the opportunity to go to the Kona roll down where I secured my spot for the 2015 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii!  

Thank you all for your support!  I am looking forward to this next year of training and racing!  

Please support me in raising money for Kona and this years training by following and sharing this link.. 

www.gofundme.com/shadle

2012 Ironman Wisconsin race report (a year late..)

My summer uniform, sunglass tan and all.  

This was my third Ironman, and also my best. I followed my race plan outlined by my coach, Chris Bagg (www.chrisbagg.com) and stuck to it as best I could. What made the difference in this race was I ate a lot more then I have in the past and I trained my heart out as well. I'll take you through the race and add my commentary as I wish, since this is my blog..

Swim.

An example of how many spectators were at the race.  Such great support! 

The swim was a deep water start which was great because it spread the field out. I seeded myself towards the front of the line. Ok, let's be honest, I seeded myself at the front of the line towards the outside of it. It was the perfect place to line up! The swim went well, not too much trashing around until the back side of the loop. It was a one loop swim course, I'm not sure why it started getting aggressive halfway through the swim. So weird. I came out of the water happy it was over and ready to bike.

T1.
The transitions are all indoors at a convention center in Madison, we had to run up the helix (circle ramp in a parking garage) for two floors. I was almost dizzy by the time I got to my bike. The spectators were awesome and totally lined the outside of the ramp cheering the athletes on!

Leaving the transition getting ready to ride 112 miles.  

Bike.
I made a rookie mistake on my bike. The night before the race, I put my sports powder in the bottom of the container I keep between my aero bars and drink out of with a straw. The problem? Well, when I put water in the container it didn't mix the powder up so it left me with crunchy/ clumpy sports drink! It even got stuck in my straw! It was really gross. Besides that, there were no malfunctions as far as nutrition was concerned the rest of the race. The bike was two loops of very bumpy Midwest roads. I'm really serious on this. My pelvis was numb by mile 30 because of the rough roads! It was a hilly course, but I stuck pretty close to my race plan and was able to flatten out the ride. My bike split was slower then I've had at previous Ironmans to hopefully allow me to have a better run. Again, the spectators were awesome at this race and cheered us athletes on throughout most of the ride! I even saw my family out in the middle of some town cheering me on! Such a spirit lift!! At the end of the bike we had to go up the helix before going to the transition and was totally dizzy when I reached the top. Thankfully one of the many awesome volunteers took my bike for me at the top and I only had to make my way indoors to where my running shoes were waiting for me.

T2.
Again, the transition was indoors. I felt like I was running through a maze! The volunteers were great and saw me through to the light where I had to run.

Run.
The run is where the race is won. Or lost. My plan was to keeping putting one foot in front of the other at an increased pace and eat enough calories to sustain my pace. I feel as though I was successful in this. The bike was a bit faster then it should have been, so my legs were not as fresh as I would have liked, but it's an Ironman.. No one has fresh lefts after swimming 2.4 and biking 112. Marathons are such a mental game, so I decided to play it. I had a smile on my face the entire run! Seriously! 10% of the run I was smiling! It was so much fun! I ran the first look of the marathon and felt strong, the second loop is where it became more challenging. Having ran over 15 marathons through, I knew that the pain is only temporary and continued to run finishing with a huge smile on my face with lots of tears in my eyes.

The finish line!  

My dad holding me up at the finish.  

Trying to laugh at the end of the race.  It hurt really bad.  

Flying High

My awesome compression socks that I wore in preparation of my race Sunday on the airplane.  

Had a layover in Seattle before flying to O'hare, Chicago.  Mount Rainier was beautiful!  

It's funny how so many things that are otherwise socially unacceptable suddenly become the norm in an airport. Yesterday I flew out to Chicago with a layover in Seattle and took note of some of the things I never see, except when traveling by air. Here are some of the things I observed:

1.  It is ok to ask a stranger to watch your purse while you go to the restroom.
2.  If you fly out before 9am or after 5pm, you can wear your pajamas... Or actually any time of the        day.
3.  You can sit or lay down in the middle of the walkway.
4.  You can have your pillow with you and use it anytime anywhere. (see 3 above)
5.  You will take your shoes and belt off without question when asked.
6.  Personal space means nothing.
7.  You can lay your head on a complete stranger and even drool on them without them saying anything.
8.  You can tell your life story and history to a creepy looking guy without worrying that they are taking note and could later possibly come after you, because they can afford a plane ticket and would never do that... (but really girlfriend be careful, you had me worried)
9.  You can park in the middle of the street if you're anywhere close to the airport.
10.  Shoes are optional, apparently even in bathrooms..

Do you have any interesting airport stories?

Where did you fly to last time you were on an airplane?

Are you ready to watch me race Sunday in the Madison, Wisconsin Ironman?!  If so, follow me here: www.ironman.com or www.ironmanwisconsin.com remember to go to the results section and search for Sarah Shadle.

Sarah vs Sally

Sally or Sarah? with Buddy and Morgan.  

What the heck were my parents thinking when they named me Sarah but have always called me Sally?  If I told you the real story, my parents would deny it, so I'll tell you what they will never admit.

You know how writers will often times have a different name for themselves when they sign their writings?   It's called a pseudonym. I believe my parents knew I was going to be a star from birth.  They saw me and thought to themselves, "by golly, look at that Star!  We must give her a pseudonym to protect her from her fans when the world meets her!".  That is where the name Sally originated; so that when I go by Sarah no one would know who I was.  Although legally I am Sarah, you would never find me because I go by Sally!   Seriously though, my parents legally named me Sarah just in case if I were to become a professional (ie: lawyer or doctor) my name would sound as such as well.   So, my legal name is Sarah and I go by Sally.  (sometimes I am confused by my name as well)  If you look up in the dictionary you will find these definitions:

Sally: a sudden rushing forth or activity (dictionary link to Sally)
Sarah: princess (dictionary link to Sarah)

I think they both fit me rather nicely, and therefore would not be able to choose if I were forced to.   I tell you this because I go by Sarah on paper . I sign up for races as Sarah.   My paycheck is Sarah.  My drivers license is Sarah.  Everything I own is owned by Sarah!

In less then a week I will be racing in Ironman Wisconsin.   If you're anything like I am, you will be glued to your smartphone or computer following the race online and cheering on all the people you know who are racing!   That's what I do almost every Sunday.  When you see me on my phone, I'm either following a race or catching up on my favorite athletes on twitter. (follow me on twitter @skeetss)   If you're interested in following my race progress follow this link, Ironman.com or maybe this link, Ironman Wisconsin and search for Sarah Shadle in the results section.

I'll see you at the finish line!

Game face!  Although I race as Sarah, cheer me on as Sally!  

Are you going to be following the race?

What nick names were you called as a child?