For the past year, there hadn't been a day that passed where I didn't think about ironman. I went up last year to volunteer at the finish line and mentally prepared for the long road ahead. It was that trip where I met my coach, Cliff Scherb and I knew he was the right coach to guide me through this adventure. After watching the swim start, the anxiety started building for the following year. How could over 2200 people start at the same time without getting knocked out and kicked in the ribs?
My training went as planned with Coach. Every workout had a purpose, it was all quality not quantity. The last couple weeks were tough but I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. One of the most important components of my training was practicing the exact nutrition regimen that I would be using on race day, and learning precisely how many calories to take in per hour, along with proper salt intake.
Race Day: After only 3 hours of sleep I woke up at 4am and did my normal race day breakfast routine. I left at 5:15 to head to transition. My bike and gear were all ready there so i just had to drop off the special needs bags for my bike and run.
6:50: Pros started and 10 minutes until the 2500+ age groupers start. My heart was pounding out of my chest. I ran into my good friend who was all fired up and had a starting strategy for us. His energy calmed me right down and I was ready to start my adventure.
7:00: Off we go! It was a slow, head out of the water, swim, just trying to get away from all the people. I went as far on the outside as I possibly could, focusing on long smooth strokes. At the turn, I tried to push closer to the line but I got punched in the eye so I stayed wide the whole swim. It was not worth losing energy trying to swim over or around people. After the first loop, I looked at my watch and my time was 35 min. During the second loop I thought to myself how comfortable I was and how I could swim all day. I was really enjoying it. After the second loop my watch time was 1:12, pretty consistent to my first loop.
8:15: Transition was pretty hilarious. I grabbed my bike bag and headed into the women's tent. Two women assisted me. One was putting on my shoes, and the other my helmet. I just kept saying I got it, I can do it. It was great and I appreciated all their help. As I exited the tent, someone announced my number over a loud speaker and next thing I knew, another person had my bike at the end of the isle. What nice transition service!!!
Bike: I was amped up now, swim was over and was happy to spend some quality time with Shiv. I kept looking at my heart rate and made sure it stayed in zone 2 and lower. Once it even got one beat out of that zone I would stop peddling and wait for it to go down. I had my 3 bottles and salt tabs on the bike. I followed through with my nutrition plan and watched my heart rate especially up the hills and I continuously felt good. I swapped out my bottles at special needs once I finished the first loop. I saw the Bikeway Support Crew here and told Timmy how much fun I was having. He didn't want to talk and rushed me along. Second loop was just as much fun. My bike split was 5:57.
Run: Bike to run transition was just as crazy. One volunteer was spraying me with my aerosol sunscreen, while another was putting on my sneakers. Starting the run I was just thinking about pacing myself and controlling my heart rate. Within the first couple miles, I met a new friend and we both agreed we would help each other out over the next 26.2 miles. We chatted for over 15 miles which made the time go by quicker and the pain not as bad. At mile 18 I hit the wall, the fun was over and I was ready to be done. I was sick of the gels and the thought of another made my stomach turn. Around mile 20, I overheard two ladies rave about the chicken broth. I figured at this point it wouldn't hurt so I had a cup at the next aid station. It was fantastic, everything I needed. Mile 21 started the hills back into town and my legs couldn't handle running them. I power walked up the first but once I saw the oval at the top of the second hill I knew I only had less than 2 miles left. The crowd was going crazy so I picked it back up. Coach Cliff was standing at mile 25 and was reading all his info from his iPad. He told me I had a couple in front of me and I had to pick it up. Coach's order so I gave it everything I had to come in and finish strong. Right before I entered the oval I saw team mate and friend Erica Ruge and the tears started. The crowd in the oval was amazing, all I could do was cry. I have been thinking about my finish for the last year, cartwheel...might hurt myself, dance to the finish...don't know how well those hips could move after 140.6 miles, so I just cried. I had no idea what my time was so when I saw 11:08 on the clock, I was amazed. I couldn't believe it. One of the best days of my life.
What made it so great were all the people up there to support me before, during, and after the race. From friends helping my husband watch the kids so he could support me, to teammates Paul, Justin, Tim, and Erica cheering for me the ENTIRE day; it was an amazing day.
I finished 4th in my age group out of 104, 20th female and 181 out of 2556 overall.
Thank you to everyone for joining me in a workout, bringing spare tubes on rides because I never bring them, letting me eat your food because I'm alway hungry, and most of all the support.
I am so grateful to Team Bikeway!
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