Amanda Piccirilli-Hall

My alarm went off way too early at 3:30 a.m. Getting up early never gets easier, I think our bodies just get used to it after doing it for weeks upon weeks during our training schedules. It was race day and I woke up in a stranger’s bed… in Ohio. HA! I knew I wasn’t going to sleep well, as per usual pre-race, but I did my best to get a few solid hours without checking my watch every 45 minutes.

Race day morning is always the toughest for me. My nerves are usually such a mess that trying to eat anything before a race isn’t even an option. It takes every last bit of me to choke down a quarter of a half of a bagel (literally three bites). I’m usually so nauseous, but for some reason, I wasn’t for this race. With a granola bar and a Premier Protein shake in hand, I was out the door at 4 a.m. to arrive in downtown Delaware at 4:30 a.m. Parking for the race gave me more anxiety than the actual race itself. Creature of habit, I parked exactly where I did on packet pick up knowing I was a short walk to the finish line, and about a mile from the shuttle buses. I’d rather walk farther on fresh legs than walk a long time post-race.

Dozens of athletes loaded the shuttle buses to Delaware State Park to embark our 70.3 journey. I made a rookie mistake of not packing my headlamp. Transition is dark when you arrive at 5:00 a.m. to set up your bike transition and I also didn’t have my phone, I left it in the car because you can’t race with it anyway. With a little glimmer of light, my bike transition was all set up and now the waiting game came. I parked my butt on the grass along the lake and watched a beautiful sunrise over the lake, looking at other athletes and their pre-race routines. I ate my bar and drank my drink. I had a Gatorade before the race because lately with warmer temps I’ve been cramping in my legs and feet during my swim. I wanted to make sure I was hydrated (It worked.) Before I knew it, it was go time.

The Swim: 42:49

I had a goal of 40 minutes for my swim so I placed myself in the 40-45 minute rolling start section. With a rolling start, 4 athletes entered the water every 5 seconds – race directors do this because it helps spread out athletes so it’s less congested. The race started at 7 a.m. and with my seeding I didn’t enter the water until about 7:35 a.m. The water is my happy place and when I’m in there I just feel comfortable. My coach Ryan told me to stay on some fast feet and follow them – when you’re swimming it’s ideal to stay behind someone your pace so you can drag off of them, them putting in the effort and you benefitting from the drag. That was completely my game plan, however, I had no one to draft because I passed everyone and I was never passed. With some people who merged in the swim start line, I got caught behind some slower swimmers and it was me and the water the entire 1.2 miles. I try to not be rude in the water, but I’ll be the first to admit that I had to swim sorta over a few athletes and squeeze into some uncomfortable spaces to pass but this is a sport and physical contact will be made. I never put another swimmer in danger, I would not want anything to seriously happen to them. With each pass of competitors and each stroke, I was smiling in the water and building confidence with each yard. God I love the water!!! When it comes to any of my triathlon races, I rely on a good swim time because it gives me buffer for later on the bike and run where I’m not that fast. I felt great in the water, didn’t have any cramping and was stoked to make the final turn home. Before I knew it, I was out of the water and into transition – the longest transition of my life!

The Bike: 3:11:41

For as long as I’ve been doing triathlons, my bike has been my weakest leg. Maybe I wasn’t practicing enough or practicing the right things. This is the leg the puts me into a ball of nerves. Praying I have no mechanical issues, praying I don’t get a flat, praying I can grind and get it done. The race’s game plan by my coach – take it easier until the first aid station (mile 15ish), let people pass me and settle in with my nutrition. So that’s what I did – caught up on some nutrition, tucked into my aero position and got going on some flat county roads. But here’s the thing, my heart rate was low and I was averaging 19-21 mph. Ummm WHATTTTT! That does not happen! From that

All was great until about mile 20 when we made our first turn and what happened next was about 30 miles of pure headwind, not matter what direction we were racing. Every time I passed someone on the bike I would yell to them “Why does it feel like headwind every damn direction!?” They would laugh and we’d continue pedaling and fighting the beast. Over the next 36 miles I focused on the following: keeping myself as small as possible tucked in aero to minimize the wind; keep eating and drinking because I know I would need it on the run; and I kept reminding myself that these were going to be similar conditions in Maryland. Buckle down, grind it out, you can freakin do this. Before I knew it I was about 10 miles from the end and I knew I would be welcomed by a technical portion of the course with some rolling hills. I lowered my gears for the uphill and hammered on the down hill. Before I knew it I was rolling into Selby Stadium to head out on the run. My goal time was 3:30 and I rolled in at 3:11.

The Run: 3:20:50

By this point, I was setting myself up for a picture perfect race with a great possibility of running a 6:55 race as hoped. But sometimes, shit hits the fan and you have to play the cards you are dealt. With coach’s orders, I took it easy the first mile off the bike to get my HR down. I followed his directions. Soon came mile two, welcomed with a quarter mile climb. I made it to the top but with a spiked HR I knew I needed to calm myself. Onward, then cane mile three. Enter shit hitting the fan. At this point my stomach was off. Real off. It was cramping, but I knew I didn’t need to use the restroom. The next two miles were painful – the two loop course was full of rolling hills, minimal shade and hot temperatures. As I rolled up at the Mile Five aid station, I knew I had to make some choices to help me feel better. When it comes to IRONMAN events, aid stations are typically every mile and they have lots of options – water, Coca Cola, Gatorade, pretzels, oranges, Red Bull, ice cold sponges, and more. At each aid station I have a routine – 4 ice cold sponges, two cups of water (one to sip, other dumped on me), an orange slice, a cup of Gatorade, and two more cups of water (one half to sip and the remainder all on me.) HOWEVER, it was at mile 5 that I knew I needed something for my tummy so I gave Coke a try. HELLO COCA COLAAAA --- you give me lifeeeeee. It helped settle my stomach a bit and from miles 5-8 I felt semi-normal. Sadly around mile 9, it was back to upset city.

Back around mile 4, Negative Nancy was creeping in my brain. I still had nine miles to go and my body felt off. I didn’t feel good. I’d be lying if I said didn’t think about throwing in the towel. But this was the time in the race when you put your mental toughness hat on and get shit done. Not only have I been training my body since January, but been working on my head as well.

From mile 4 on, every time it hurt, I repeated to myself “I’m grateful I’m out here. I’m grateful I can do this.” Ainsley’s Angels has made me appreciate so much that I have the ability and GIFT of mobility. There a millions who wish they could be doing what I was doing that day, and THEY are the ones that got me through. On the back of my tri kit it says “Do you have what it takes to be an Angel?” – an Ainsley’s Angels slogan. As runners passed me (it happened often) soooo many of them would run up next to me and say “I don’t know if I have what it takes, but I know you do girl!” Those runners pushed me. The community members of Delaware who were along the run course with signs, sprinklers and cheer squads got me through it. Knowing my Sonic Endurance teammate, Sean Walsh, was out on the run course and I could see twice (and meet him for the first time in person!!!) got me through it. The dude with the megaphone who called me a badass bitch as I pushed up a hill got me through it. IRONMAN can not be done alone. You sure do personally put in the work, but it’s this incredible community that helps you dig deep and make magic happen.

By mile 4 I knew my goal of hitting a 6:55 finish was far gone, but I knew I had it in me to beat my previous half ironman time of 7:52 and set a new IRONMAN 70.3 finish time. After lots of laughs and meeting new athletes on the course, I was a mile from the finish and about to head into Selby Stadium for an epic finish. During the final mile there was a woman in front of me and she was struggling. I came up next to her and gave her encouragement. She told me her stomach was super off. She bent over, hands on her knees. I took her by her arm and carried her with me. Every time she wanted to stop I said no, you’re coming with me. We got through the tunnel at Selby and on to the track. I let her go and said go finish this on your own. About five of us rounded the track together and I hung towards the back. If I’ve learned anything during IRONMAN it is enjoy your time on that red carpet because you deserve it – the cheers, the glory, the amazing finish line picture. After 7 tough hours, it was my time to step on that magical red carpet. With my hands out in the air and a shit eating grin on my face, I worked the crowd and had them cheering. The announcer I could hear over the microphone, “Amanda – we hear you loud and clear girl!! You did it!”

I finished the day with a 7:24 finish time and a 28 minute PR. While the run was a struggle I walked away from Delaware with confidence that I’ve been putting in the work and I’m on my way to tackling Maryland. While tired, I still had energy left in the tank as I left Selby Stadium and walked to my car. Another confidence boost. The amount of love and encouragement that was on my cell phone when I got back to the car was unreal. I’m so thankful for my support system. Again, you can’t do this alone.

I have seven weeks until Maryland and it is time to continue the grind and work towards this year’s ultimate goal --- to become an IRONMAN!

Stay tuned.