Ironman Coeur d'Alene 6/24/12

My first Ironman...

I've sat down to write this post about 5 times now.  I honestly don't know where to begin.  This has been more than just a race for me.  In the process, I've been through more emotions than I knew I had and I've learned so much about myself and what I really want out of life.  Way too much thinking and feeling for me :P

When I started this blog in early 2011, my plan was to dedicate 2 years to becoming the absolute best triathlete I could be.  I wanted to find my potential in the sport so I could look back and not have to wonder.  Ironman was not necessarily a goal for me, but I came to the realization at the end of the 2011 season that, if I did want to do Ironman at some point, this was the time.  I was well aware that the training would consume my life and I knew that the community I've surrounded myself with here in Chicago and at VisionQuest Coaching would play a vital role in my success.  The support of my family, friends and loved ones absolutely made this experience possible.

Me and Michael

I want to start by giving thanks.  First and foremost to Michael... I constantly get reminders from people of what a great guy I have.  Trust me, I know!  Michael has been nursing a running injury for almost a year now, which would bring anyone down.  But, he never complained and was nothing but supportive of my long training days, weeks and months in my quest for Ironman.  In the last couple months of training, I was so overwhelmed by the volume and struggled with the decision each weekend of whether it made sense to travel out to D.C. to see him.  A couple times I even wasted 4 hours of my day traveling to the O'Hare airport just to have an emotional meltdown and come right back home. Michael would always take the pressure off me.  I knew he wanted me there, and I wanted to be there, but he cared too much about my well-being to put me through the extra stress of standby travel.  I'm actually getting choked up writing this and thinking back to just how supportive and amazing Michael has been throughout this entire process.  I feel like the luckiest girl out there ;)

I also want to thank all of my training buddies, especially Shannon and Katie, without whom those 5+ hour rides would've felt a whole heck of a lot longer!  And thank you, Shannon, for the many days you got me out the door and to the pool... your effortless swim stroke inspired me and surely had an effect on my improvements in that aspect.  And to Ken-Ichi, you got just as excited about my Z4 running efforts as you did about your own.  That positive reinforcement would ring true in my head for the next session and keep me focused on the task at hand.  Thanks to everyone who tracked me, texted and called to wish me a great race and to congratulate me on my finish.  Your gestures have more meaning than you realize.

A huge thank you goes out to my Physical Therapist, Mike Kelly of NovaCare, who fit me in for three sessions in the last couple weeks before my Ironman when my hip injury decided to resurface. Mike has fixed me up right before my last three 'A' races without fail (I probably wouldn't have to visit him this often if I kept up on my prescribed exercises :P).  I recently found out he is sometimes referred to as 'Magic Mike' and that does not surprise me in the least.  He is, hands down, the best Physical Therapist to ever work on me- professional, personable and darn skilled!!!

Relaxing pre-race at Dave and Emmy's

Thank you Dave and Emmy (and their house guests, Ronda and Sam), for opening up your beautiful home to me and making me feel so welcome.  For offering a ride on race morning and for coming out to see the start and taking such great pictures!  You truly helped to make this an unforgettable experience for me.  I am overwhelmed by your generosity and kindness.

Saturday swim with Veronica, Elisa and coach Dan

To my coach, Dan, I am, without a shred of doubt, in the best shape of my life.  I went into this race with complete confidence in my fitness level.  Your solid training plan got me there.  I knew it would.  Under your guidance, I have gotten to a level higher than I could have imagined.  My confidence and comfort level in the water is leaps and bounds from where it was when I first started training with you.  I never thought I would ENJOY swimming.  When I signed up for Ironman last August, the scariest thought for me was the swim.  When I toed the line last Sunday, it was the part I was most excited about and set the tone for the entire race.

Lastly, my family... Mom, Dad, Margaret, Jen and Lindsay... thank you for getting so excited for me and wanting to be there.  For the record, Michael and my entire family wanted to be at the race to support me, but I thought it was too much money and travel to put on others just to see me race.  It wasn't until I actually arrived in Coeur d'Alene that I realized what a huge deal this experience was and that I needed emotional support.  Each and every one of them immediately started doing research to try and swing a last minute trip across the country.  Thank you all so much!!!  It means more to me than you can imagine just that you WANTED to be there.  I feel so loved ;)

Race Report:

2600+ athletes lined up for the swim start

Swim:  It was a beach start.  There were ~2600 athletes piled onto shore.  As directed by Dan, I lined up on the far left in the front.  The plan was to swim on the inside of the buoy line.  This being my first mass swim start, I was expecting the worst.  We were all just hanging out, watching, as the pros were coming around for their second loop.  We got a 1 minute warning announcement and then, all of a sudden... Boom!  I don't think I was the only one who was completely surprised at the sound of the cannon.  I heard a couple of "oh $h*t's" as we all ran and dove into the water.  I started swimming hard and was totally shocked by the fact that I was not getting beat up.  I was completely surrounded by green and pink caps and fast-moving arms, yet I felt like I had my own space. The water temperature was somewhere in the mid-to-upper 50's and did not feel too bad.  Sure, my feet were numb and the water felt cold... but, I was comfortable.  All I could think was... 'this is not bad at all!'  Before I knew it, I was rounding the first turn buoy, made the short 150 meter stretch to the next turn buoy and then started back towards shore.  On the return stretch, I swam wide... not on purpose, as I usually have the tendency to drift to the right in open water swimming.  I could see everyone to my left on the buoy line and corrected a little that way.  I found feet a few times, but for the most part, I was on my own.  It was easy to sight back towards shore with the overcast sky and the large, red blowup thing on shore (where the timing mat was).  The swim seemed to be going by so fast.  As I got closer to shore, I could hear the music, announcer and spectators.  Very exciting ;)  I exited the water and saw the clock reading ~37 minutes for my first loop... not bad!  This was about what I expected and as I ran around and jumped back in the water, I was thinking a 1:15 sounds respectable for me.  I would be happy with that.  And then the chaos started.

First loop of the swim

Apparently the wind had picked up quite a bit.  The current was moving towards the shore and the water was very choppy.  I found myself in a terrible position... I got kicked in the gut, punched in the face and I was sucking in huge gulps of water with every breathe.  I started choking and couldn't breathe.  I stopped to try and cough it out, but everyone was swimming over me.  I tried crossing over to the far left, but that was not any better.  Then I tried swimming to the far right with no reprieve.  These were seriously scary moments for me and I went into survival mode.  I just started swimming again and told myself I just need to keep going and get through this.  I eventually made it to the turn buoys and once I started the stretch back towards shore, it was better.  I could feel the current aiding me on the return.  I felt I had lost a lot of time after what I just went through, but I still felt strong and was swimming hard.  I exited the water with a swim split of 1:11:50!!!  I was totally shocked and excited!

T1:  Brrr!  My hands and feet were numb.  I pulled off my caps and goggles and started pulling off the top half of my wetsuit.  As I ran by the wetsuit strippers, one of them called me over.  Normally I just bypass and do it myself, but I knew with how cold I was that these guys would do a much better job.  Sure enough, he pulled the wetsuit off in one quick swipe!  I told him he rocked, grabbed my wetsuit, rolled it in a ball, grabbed my Bike Gear bag and ran into the changing tent.  I sat down on the first chair available and a volunteer came over to help me.  She dumped my bag and I asked her to help me put on my arm warmers as I tried to put on my socks and shoes.  I was moving very slowly.  Numb and shaking.  We eventually got it all done.  I thanked her, ran out of the tent, grabbed my bike and off I went.  Time: 4:37

Bike:  Again, brrr!!!  The sky was still overcast with light drizzle, the wind was blowing, the air temperature was barely 60 degrees and I was soaking wet.  The first 1.5 hours on the bike were miserable.  I was shivering uncontrollably and my feet were numb.  I wanted the sun to come out so bad.  That's all I could think about.  I pedaled, drank and stayed tucked.  The first hour on the bike was relatively flat with a couple short climbs.  I was looking forward to that first big 2-mile climb so I could warm up a bit.  As I started up it, I recognized Katie (fellow Chicagoan and training buddy) up ahead.  I rode alongside her for the majority of the climb and we talked about how cold it was and how brutal the swim was.  She looked strong and steady and I knew she was going to have a great race.

Finishing up the first loop on the bike

The sun started to come out shortly after that climb and I was starting to warm up.  I regained feeling in my left foot about 2.5 hours in.  I was drinking about 1 bottle per hour of Ironman Perform and also supplemented with 1 sleeve of shot blocks spread out through the middle few hours on the bike.  The amount of calories seemed right on (~210 calories per hour for a 42% replacement... I averaged 141 watts), but because it was so much cooler than anticipated, I think I could have relied a little less on liquids and more on solids.

Anywho... I was feeling good on the bike.  I finally got feeling back in my right foot about 4 hours in and eventually threw out my arms warmers.  Everything was feeling really good.  The saddle was comfortable.  The aggressive aero position was comfortable.  My legs still felt strong.  The power numbers were right where I anticipated.  I stayed steady throughout and my mind was filled with positive thoughts.  On the last out-and-back, I started to get curious of my position.  As I was approaching the 90-mile mark before the final turn-around, I started counting the amateur women in front of me that were passing in the other direction.  I counted 15 or so.  They all looked powerful and strong.

Finishing up the 112 mile bike ride

On the return stretch, heading back into town, I finally passed the 110-mile marker.  What an amazing feeling that was.  I couldn't believe I only had 2 miles left.  I was surprised at the time, as I felt like I was riding a solid race and anticipated 5:30-5:45 bike split, but I finished in 5:51:18.  That didn't bother me though because my power and perceived exertion is most important.  I felt completely happy with my performance and was ready to finish it off with my strongest discipline.  I rolled into transition and Michael yelled my name and snapped a picture.  I was so excited to see him!

Side note:  2 days before the race, I got really emotional and wished Michael was there.  He barely hesitated, booked a flight and was at Dulles airport the next day.  I was SO excited that he was coming, but... his flight was cancelled, another one was delayed and he wasted the day at the airport and never made it.  Now, we're both sad.  Then... he bought another ticket for the next day!  He landed in Spokane at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday and made it to CDA in time to catch the last half of the race :)

T2:  Volunteers were AMAZING!  They grabbed my bike from me, handed me my Run Gear bag and I ran into the changing tent.  Again, I sat down on the first available chair.  A volunteer came over to help.  She was awesome!!!  Totally on top of it.  I changed my socks and shoes and she turned on my Garmin so that it could start finding satellites.  I grabbed my gels and visor and was out of there.  Time: 1:15

Heading out of T2 and onto the run

Run:  As soon as I ran out of there, I saw Michael in his green shirt.  I gave him a big kiss and said, 'I love you so much!".  He was totally shocked by this since that's not my usual M.O. while racing.  But, this was more of a celebration for me at this point.  I was so happy with how my race was going and I felt so confident that I was just going to polish it off with the run.

Once my Garmin found satellites, I saw I was doing 7:45 pace... just as planned.  It felt easy, as I knew it should.  I had two gels tucked into my pockets and carried a third.  The energy of the crowd as you run through town is amazing!  I may have gotten a bit sucked in as I had a few faster mile splits.  The run course is two out and backs on the same portion as the beginning of the bike course.  It's pretty flat through town and then a couple ups and downs.  I was feeling good and took water and Perform at the aid stations.  A few miles in, a bicycle carrying the sign 'First Female' was riding alongside me.  In my happy, delusional state, I thought, 'surely I'm not leading... I know I counted several women ahead of me???'  Ha!  The fact that I was delusional enough to even have that thought gives you an idea of how cloudy my head was at that point ;)  And then Meredith Kessler pulled up alongside me.  The ACTUAL first female.  She looked strong and I said "great job!" as she pulled away.

At about the 8 or 9 mile mark, I just couldn't stand the thought of Perform anymore.  But, I didn't want anything solid.  So, I grabbed Coke and decided to give that a try.  This is when my day turned sour.  Shortly after that, I started getting pretty severe GI issues.  My stomach hurt and I felt nauseous.  The pain permeated to my lower back- a pain I've never experienced before.  My pace slowed.  I knew that GI issues was a possible deal breaker for me in the Ironman, but with how good everything was feeling to this point, I thought I was in the clear.

Coming back into town after the 1st loop

I shuffled through town at about an 8:30-9:00 pace.  I saw Michael and Dan.  I told them I was hurting.  Dan said that I was doing good and to just keep running.  Never stop running.  I really wanted to follow direction, but knew I probably wasn't going to.  The pain was getting worse by the minute.  I couldn't stand the thought of any nutrition besides water.  I took that at the aid stations.  My pace slowed even further to 10:00-10:30.  My ego was crushed and I felt like my race was over.  At about the 16-mile mark, I walked :(  After a couple miles of walking, I got passed by another guy walking.  He was walking a lot faster than me and we chatted a bit.  He got me moving faster.  He told me that he was a runner and this was super rough on his ego.  I said, "me too!"  After a couple more minutes he said, "ready to start running again?" and I said, "I'll try."  I ran very slowly for a couple minutes.  I unzipped my race suit and lowered my race belt around my hips to take any pressure of my stomach.  Once I reached the next aid station, I walked through it and just took a little bit of everything.  I was so hungry and just hoped that something would make me feel better.  I had pretzels, orange slices, grapes, bonk breakers, water.  Another mile or so down the road I decided to pop into the port-a-potty.  I peed... A LOT!  And then someone offered me warm chicken broth.  That sounded good.  Within a minute or so after taking that, I was magically better!  I couldn't believe it... all the pain was gone!!

On the home stretch

Now at ~mile 20, I started running again.  I felt good.  I started running faster.  My watch is reading 7:45 to 8:00 pace.  Going uphill.  I felt amazing.  My legs were strong.  I was flying.  I started doing math to see if I still had a chance at breaking 11 hours (or 4 hour marathon).  Realized it was not possible.  But, I decided to just have a fast final 10k.  I wanted to recover as much as I could.  As I approached town, I picked it up even more.  I looked down at my watch and I was running sub 7:00's.  As good as it felt to be running this fast at the end of an Ironman, it crushed me at the same time.  It just reaffirms the fact that I did not race to my potential.  I crossed the line with a run split of 4:09:06.

Feeling the energy of the crowd!

I finished in 11:18:06.  10th in my Age Group, 25th Amateur and 33rd Female.

Although the result was a disappointment, the experience as a whole was incredible.  I'm glad I did the Ironman and I'm glad I did THIS Ironman.  I've grown so much from this experience, both as an athlete and as a person.  I feel like I have unfinished business in Ironman, but I am undecided as to whether I will actually DO another one.

I'm looking forward to having fun with some shorter distances (Chicago Triathlon up next), supporting my fellow athletes and living the good life ;)

I am an Ironman