IMAZ race report

Total Time: 13:53:19 (goal was 15 hrs.)
Swim: 1:10 (goal 1:15)
Bike: 7:00:57 (goal 7:30)
Run: 5:25 (goal survive, secondary goal beat Katie Holmes' NY marathon time of 5:29)
Toe nails remaining: 9 (goal 7)
Fun level: 11! (goal 5)
Goals achieved: all 6 (goal 2)

Well it has been one week and I have had time to come down off the high and actually think about what happened. The sunburn has peeled and the big blister is starting to heal. I am still in shock. I not only finished, I finished on my feet and smiling. Every step was a blast and I just can't believe how much fun I had. I never once thought of giving up. There were points where I realized I would have to be conservative to not crash, but that was just fine with me. There was no pressure. I was trying something so far out there that if I didn't finish everyone would just be proud of me for trying and I sure as heck didn't need to go fast. This was the least pressure I'd felt in a race in years. I was just relaxed.

The day before the race was perfect. I got to spend it with my friend Sarah, husband Ned and my beautiful God Daughter Sophie and several times through out that day I remember thinking that if the race goes to hell, it was worth signing up for to have an excuse to spend a day like that with them :)

The day didn't start off that great. As Ned and drove to the race site we were late and I was starting to freak out. I think freak out might be an understatement. We had a hard time finding the parking garage and at one point I was so scared I was getting car sick and I believe I might have cried. After we parked it didn't get any better. I got to transition and dropped off the rest of my stuff. As i was trying to get everything in order on my bike my garmin forerunner GPS disappeared. I used it as a bike computer and without it I wouldn't be able to pace right. I wasted so much time trying to find it that I had to book it to drop off my special needs bags and then get in my wetsuit. I managed to get in the swim pen in time but right after I got in I realized I was still wearing my diamond engagement ring and there was nothing I could do but swim with it. Screw the normal fear of goggle loss, I was scared of losing that ring! (I didn't).

The swim was great. I did the old lady thing of slipping into the 63 degree water slowly and then tried to swim up to the front. I didn't have much time before the cannon went off so I stopped close to the first open space I could find. and then, bam, it was on. It was exactly like everyone described, I was in a washing machine and I loved it! What a rush! I had to be careful not to get kicked, but I got kicked and grabbed and poked and everything. I didn't get seriously hurt but I did crack my foot on someone's head. It hurt me so I can only imagine how it hurt them, if you are reading this, I am sorry. It was damn cold in that river. I just remember freezing the whole time and wishing my wetsuit had sleeves. I knew it would be a long way so I just sort of settled in an enjoyed the whole thing, except for the cold. I remember actually swimming into a buoy which made me laugh a lot. I got stuck next to this one guy who couldn't stop making motor boat noises. Like the kind you might make which swimming with your kid. I''m sure some sports psychologist told him to "be the boat" and he just took it one step to far. For the first 1000 yards it was funny, after that I wanted to run him over with a motor boat. And then, just like that, I was making the last turn and it was over. I got out and let the strippers or peelers or whatever do their jobs. In a perfect day I thought I could do a 1:05, I figured a 1:10 flanked by motor boat guy wasn't too damn bad :)

The craziest thing happened as I grabbed my wetsuit and ran to transition, I kept running. I didn't walk to my bag or anything, it felt really good to jog so instead of my usual recovery walk, I just jogged to my seat in the change tent. That feeling, the way my legs just wanted to go, made be realize that I was about to totally own this race. By "own" I mean "finish." The volunteer was great and even loaned me a towel when I realized that mine didn't make it into my bag. I changed, had some Ensure, loaded up on the stuff, took some advil and went on out the door.

The bike was, well, uneventful. The first lap was the only place I think I really broke mentally. I didn't know how fast I was going thanks to my lack of bike computer and I didn't know how far I'd gone or where the turn around was. It was slightly uphill and then wind was in my face on the way out. I really felt bad. Hearing reports from others I think I was imagining the wind worse than it actually was. Half way through the first loop of the 3 loop course I felt the stick that managed to lodge itself in my bike shorts. Ouch. Just plain ouch. I didn't want to stop until special needs on the second lap so I kept going, but ouch. I kept trying to remember landmarks so I would know where I was on the second and third loops, but really, every cactus looks the same. It was quite pretty. Finally I got to the turn around and zoomed back towards town. It was much faster on the way back and i started to feel better. But, damn, the bike just kept going!!!! I got to the turn around in town and saw Ned and Sarah and Sophie who was loving the bikes. She had helped me put mine together the day before:) That gave me one hell of an emotional lift and I zoomed out for lap two. It was about now that the pros started lapping me. One was even kind enough to blow his nose on me. I was honored. I was covered in pro snot! Only other memorable thing about lap two was that I got to stop for my special needs bag and visit the port a potty to address the stick issue. Someone thought that putting the port a potty on a slant was a good plan and that is one pit stop I won't forget. My legs were shot and it was not easy. I then got my special needs bag, which had all my favorite foods, and realized that all I wanted was the cold Diet Dr Pepper I had placed in the cooler with the ice packs. That's right, I took a Dr Pepper break in the middle of my Ironman. Best boost ever! Right after that I got lapped by Joanna Zeiger, a pro hero of mine. Wow is she fast! I went back into town, waved to my Ned, and headed out for one more go. I realized that I might get close to 7 hours which meant I was ahead of my loose plan and that I could pretty much crawl the marathon and finish under 17 hours. Final time 7:00:57. Works for me!

I got back to transition, handed off my bike to the volunteer and headed to the tent. Everyone was so nice. I had stuck to my nutrition plan perfectly on the bike and as feeling great. I took some advil and some water and chatted with the volunteer who promised me the marathon would be nothing but fun. I was feeling great so I chose to believe her. In to time at all I was shod, clad in DC tri gear and read to go! I left the tent and headed out on the run.

Well, those of you that know me and my deep hatred of running will know by my time that I am just over the moon about my run. It was better than I could have hoped for. I ran out of transition and about .25 of a mile out, my calves and shins cramped, which was fine because I absolutely knew that would do it. So I walked. No big deal, I walked until I thought I could run and then ran until they loosened up. The first aid station was amazing and as I ran up they asked me if I needed anything. The coolest part was that my name was on my number and everyone called me by name. How cool is that! My plan was to walk three miles and run one. Well when I finished my first 3 miles, I still wanted to run, so I did. Then I sort of just kept wanting to run. So I did. It was the strangest thing, my body just kinda took over in a way I'd never seen so I just let it do what it wanted. I just kept running. I walked the aid stations to make sure I was eating and drinking and then ran the rest. It was great being able to see Ned so often and I felt great the first 2 laps. Though at the end of the first part of each lap you had to run down this carpet and each time I almost bit it. Pretty embarrassing! I kept drinking and eating and walking when I wanted to, but mostly running. My half marathon pace was 11:00. That is faster by far than the 5K part of the first 3 sprint tris I did. Wow. During the second lap I talked to a nice woman from Edmonton who was doing her second Ironman and trying to break 14 hours. She said she was on pace for that so concidering I was with her, I was on pace for that too. Cool! I asked her what finishing felt like and she said it was amazing, she felt like she could do anything. By the third lap I was getting pretty tired and slowing down. If you look at my splits you can tell. My stomach stopped digesting and I was getting bloated. My legs were starting to cramp. All the standard stuff. I was still so high off just being there that it didn't really notice too much. At the beginning of the third loop I made a port a potty stop which was bad because sitting down was hard. I felt really drunk and I didn't want to get up. I never though about stopping, but I knew that the last lap wasn't going to be as much fun as the others. I kept going and well, just kept going. I walked a lot now because I felt my stomach rebelling and a large blister forming on my toe. I knew that the only way i was not going to finish was if I puked or my blister popped. Both of those things would only happen if I pushed it, so I didn't, I walked. Then I got to that magic sign that said 1st 2nd and 3rd loops right, finish left. And I went left! I walked for a bit more and then started to run. It was there. I saw the magic blow up arch and the supporters and heard Mark Reilly say my name, and slapped hands with people from the bleachers and then ran under the finish line arch at 13:53:19. I had done it. What the f*&*! I did it!

Some very nice catchers gave me my finisher's swag and delivered me to Ned who sat me down in a fold up chair. I just sat there dazed. I felt like I had the best alcohol buzz ever. Picture were taken, I talked to Flip, and then I ended up at Sarah's trying to eat mashed potatoes. When your stomach has shut down, don't try to cram any more in. I puked. I felt better. I still felt high. I still feel high. My fingers were swollen so much that I couldn't close my hands. My feet were so bad that I had cankles and didn't wear real shoes for 4 days. I have a blister that is just amazing. I am proud of all of it. Every moment of that race was a blessing. I am so lucky to be able to do a race like that. Every moment I just kept thinking how happy I was to be there. I rarely feel like a did a good job after a race. I always replay it and find where I could have done better, gone faster, or pushed harder. For the first time I feel nothing but pride and excitement. Could I have gone faster, maybe. Could I have pushed harder, who knows. Do I care, no. I totally kicked that race's ass. I surpassed all expectations. There is nothing about that race I want to take back. It was the perfect day. To finish was amazing, to finish in a time that had all my friends (Flip for one...) staring at their computer screens in amazement was I feeling like nothing I have felt before. Thank you all for everything you have said. All the support and praise is just amazing. I loved looking back though my facebook page on Monday and seeing what everyone was saying. Thank you all. I am the luckiest person alive. I have the greatest friends on earth.

By the next day I was doing great. Still had the cankles but I could walk and I saw that as a good sign. It has been a week and I got in the pool yesterday and felt fine. I'm excited about some time off, but also excited to go back to working out. Maybe at a little lower level.....