I don't know where to begin here ---- it was surely a race I will not forget for a long time. It was the best end to my triathlon season :) I've double and triple .... well maybe a few more times .... checked my race results. I cannot believe my time, I cannot believe my place, I cannot believe what I did last Sunday!! I've been torn since IM Boulder on August 3rd, quite honestly, frustrated and disappointed at how I raced in Boulder. I really thought I could race a PR that day. But when I look back, I know the altitude and my nutrition had something to do with the outcome (14 hour finish time) that day in Boulder. I found myself mid-race realizing how nice it was to actually be able to breathe the air and control my heart rate :)
As usual, I was a nervous wreck in the days before heading to Madison - would I have another marathon failure? would I get a flat tire on the bike portion? would I find myself doing the death march of walking once again at the end of the IM? --- fortunately I had a busy first week of school with the kids and Helen's birthday on Thursday before I made my trek to Madison. I checked my gear 1,000 times - bike - check!, bike shoes - check!, running shoes- check!, wetsuit - check!, goggles - check!.... you get the idea .... the list of items required for a triathlon goes on and on and on :) I made the comment to someone at bike check in on Saturday that I was looking forward to running the Chicago Marathon in October - I could wear my running shoes and clothes to the start of the race and just "RUN" - no extra baggage required :) But there is something strange that my OCD, Type A personality loves about doing Ironman triathlons :)
The photos below are credited to my sis-in-law, Erin, who came up for the race to support me and cheer me on. She got up super early with me on race day and followed me around from swim to bike to run! I am so thankful that she could come and I looked forward to seeing her familiar face at each point throughout the day. :)
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some race notes: swim start was rough - we had to tread water for about 20 minutes or so. i found the ski ramp to cling to for at least 15 minutes and that was great. it was filled with lake barnacles (yuck!) but I didn't care - I didn't have to waste my energy treading water. with the shot of a cannon at 7am, all 3,000 athletes were off! i positioned myself about 3 rows back in the swim line. it was a rough swim - very crowded - to be expected, i guess. i couldn't seem to find a good line to swim in - swimmers were on top, to the sides, and grabbing at everything. one guy even socked me in the goggles - ugh! the turns were the worst! i felt like i pretty much came to a complete halt around the turns. i swam a 1:10, which is comparable to my Boulder time - but this time I didn't feel out of breath like I did in Boulder and best of all - my wetsuit did NOT rub on my neck! i have some room for improvement here - some things to work on over the winter.
the swim to bike transition was long - we had to run up the helix of the parking garage which was lined with people cheering (that was awesome!) and run into the hotel conference room to get our gear bag and change into biking gear. then after getting the bike, we had to bike DOWN the helix on the other side (i was so nervous about doing this - i didn't want to fall in the first half-mile!). i made it down the helix safely and out on to the bike course. it was a 2 loop course and i tried to be conservative on my first loop because i didn't know what to expect in regards to the hills. IM Wisconsin is known for it's tough bike course but honestly I didn't find it much more difficult than Boulder. My time was a little slower in Wisconsin but it was because I took it a little slower not knowing what to expect. There were a a few long, steep climbs but Ross would be so proud of me - I changed between my small and big ring effortlessly :) after completing the 2nd loop - we were headed back to the parking structure and the dreaded helix! i was so worried that my legs would be tired and i wouldn't be able to climb the helix on my bike. i made it - it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be :)
on to the run --- the most anticipated part of the Ironman for me ---- would i blow up again? would i end up with a run split the same time as my bike split again? would i end up walking most of the marathon AGAIN? i started out very conservative --- like 9 to 9:30 minute miles conservative. i watched my heart rate, as directed by my coach. i put away the miles, taking a drink of cola at the aid stations and gel in-between. as the miles when on, i was feeling good ---- unusually good --- i kept waiting for the wheels to fall off the cart - for me to hit the famous "i must sit down, i'm SO unbelievably tired" point. i didn't - i kept going ---- drinking the "magic" cola and gu ------ and it worked!! i eventually picked up the pace a bit around the 15 mile mark - watching my heart rate get a little higher but knowing i was almost done! i did it! i finished the Ironman marathon in 3 hours 52 minutes!! I still can't believe it!! I am so happy!
picture of the kids watching me online as I finished
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