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Becky Gillum Qualifies for Kona
"I
read somewhere that in order to qualify for Kona, you have to have the
"perfect" race and be really, really lucky and at IMWI both fell into
place for me! I still find it hard to believe that I qualified for Kona.
I consider myself an average age grouper.
The swim: My coach
told me to try to find someone to draft off during the swim. It was
weird because I was able to draft most of the swim. I’d lose one draftee
and another one was right there in front of me – that’s never happened
before and probably won’t again. I was swimming over my ability but I
felt good… until I exited the water. As soon as I stood up the dizziness
and nausea hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t figure out how to
unzip my wetsuit or put on my bike shoes and I’m fairly certain that I
wasn’t walking in a straight line. My10:00 swim PR turned into an almost
15:00 T1 – a PW (personal worst)! Lesson learned for my next IM: swim
10:00 minutes slower, have a 5:00 T1 and skip the dizzy, nauseas feeling
in T1 and the first 20 miles of the bike.
Swim time: 1:15:47
T1: 13:38
The
bike: I spent the first 20 miles on the bike working through the
dizziness and nausea. It wasn’t the best start to the bike but you deal
with what the day brings and then you move on. This was my third time at
IMWI so I knew that I would have an advantage on the run if I held back
a little on the hilly bike course. I stayed within myself and just rode
along. I didn't worry about or try to chase the ladies in my age group
who passed me. IM is a long day and you have to be disciplined enough to
race your own race, not someone elses.
Bike time: 6:11:45
T2: 3:45
The run: T2 was much better than T1! When I started the run I went into a "zone". It was almost like I was watching myself run - it was just so simple, easy and fluid. (It also helped the Observatory Hill was under construction and we didn't have to run (walk) up that beast twice!) At mile 22 or 23, I got sucked back into reality - aching legs and all - but by then it was just a matter of sucking it up and getting to the finish line.
Run time: 4:06:46
Total time: 11:51:40, first in AG and a Kona slot.
When I crossed the finish line, I was certain that I was finished in second place. I was OK with it because I meet my goals for this race - finish before dark and if that was going well; try to break 12:00. My husband told me around the halfway point on the run that I was third in my AG. I remember passing two ladies in my AG but my oxygen-deprived mind was sure there was one more to pass. I didn't know I had finished first in my AG until about 9:30. I didn't expect it at all.
On one hand, I was lucky - Out of my three IMs, this is the first time that I was able to show up on race day well trained, well rested and injury-free. I had the "perfect" race, it seemed that EVERYTHING went my way and I was relaxed and positive all day. And talk about lucky - no one faster than me showed up or if they were there, they didn't have the day they wanted (last year, the woman who won my AG went around10:49 - lucky for sure!).On the other hand, since I qualified people have told me that you make your own luck. Maybe that is true to some extent. Three years ago I started a new training process with the goal of becoming the best triathlete I could be. I got a coach, I worked and worked and worked on my swim and I changed my diet and lost a bunch of body fat. It hasn't been easy, I've had some setbacks - two major knee operations and being diagnosed with asthma for the first time at 50. But I've always tried to move forward and stay positive.
I have a great coach in Paul Schon. He has worked around my knee problems and asthma to design a training program that got me to the physical condition I needed to be in to qualify, I just had to execute. He also had me mentally ready to execute. I could have chased the ladies who passed me on the bike but I was disciplined enough to follow my race plan instead of getting caught up in their plan. Probably the difference between first place and a long, miserable marathon!
The swim has always (and probably will always be) my weakest event. I made a commitment to myself to try to fix that. I stared to work with Kristen Melter and I'll tell you it was a long, slow process but I think I may have finally "gotten" swimming though I still have a lot to learn. If Kristen can teach me to swim, she can teach anyone to swim!
Without support from my husband, Don, I would have never made it this far. He always believed in me even when I didn't. He told me a couple weeks before IMWI that I would win my AG (of course, I didn't believe him). While I was training for Wisconsin, we were also in the process of moving to Indiana. Even though Don had already moved to an empty house in Indiana, he let me stay in STL during July and August to train.To my friends who I have swam, biked and run with over the years. I've learned from all of you and grown a lot as an athlete and person. Thanks to everyone for helping me on my journey to Kona! Without you all, it never would have happened!
Please stay in touch - bdgillum2@gmail.com