2.4 mi Swim - 112 mi Bike - 26.2 mi Run
It all started at 4:45 am when my alarm went off. I didn't sleep much but felt awake and alert. I laid down at about 9:30 the night before, but just wasn't tired. All of the rest i had been getting the few days prior, with no exercise to tire me out, had left me with tons of energy, lying there awake. At 12:30 am i got up and had 1 Benadryl. This is not something i have ever done before a race, and it was definitely breaking the golden rule of don't do anything different before race day, but i had to get some sleep. I think it helped because the next 4 hours i drifted in and out of sleep.
So we were up and walking to the transition area by 5 am. I drank a half of a cup of coffee and ate a half of a muffin and that's all i could stomach. i felt full. I had stuffed myself the entire day before in preparation of the race. we got to the transition area and filled up our bike tires (where they sat inside the olympic oval in anticipation), then headed to Mirror Lake. To be honest i wasn't nervous, i had the mind set that i was going to take it easy, have fun and finish the race. We came out to New York for this race, I was going to bang it out and that's how it was gonna be. The distances weren't intimidating, I knew i could handle them and that's it.
They say "Think of it as a long, supported training day with 2000 of your friends"
Before we got in the water I ate 2 Gu's. I remember feeling hungry at that point too, kicking myself that i couldn't get more in my stomach; it may have been nerves. So we enter the water and swim across the bay to sit on shore until the race was close to starting. The water was packed. My dad and I waited while someone sang the national anthem.
At that point we hugged each other, said I love you and then at 6:59:50 I floated into the water towards the start line. At 7:00:00 AM the cannon went off, and the mayhem began. At first it wasn't so bad...but it got worse. There were people everywhere, kicking and slapping all over the place. Anytime i popped my head up to try to find an open gap to swim in I could see there were people surrounding me for as far as i could see, with no open spaces or gaps. I did my best to focus, and just keep swimming. That is a mistake i had made before, is letting the chaos distract me and then slow me down.
I just kept swimming, when would run into someone, try to find a little gap, swim to that one, run into someone, find another gap, and so on.
About half way through the first leg of the swim i heard screaming...alot of screaming. when I popped up. I heard "help, swimmer down!" There were at least 50 people that stopped and were screaming at the top of their lungs. At that point i could see the swimmer being held up by 3 other swimmers, he appeared to be unconscious, on his back, head tilted back and he appeared limp. That's when I started screaming. screaming for a boat, kayak or paddle board. Through my foggy goggles I could see a kayaker on the inside of the swim course loop looking around confused. He could hear something but from his position so low in the water he couldn't see what was going on. The splashing was so loud from the swimmers that he couldn't figure out what was going on, plus he had hundreds of swimmers in between him and the downed swimmer. After what seemed like 5 minutes of screaming the kayaker was headed over. I took off and kept swimming at that point, not sure if the swimmer was dead or alive. Hoping they were okay I tried to refocus on swimming, and regain my motivation, which proved very difficult. It left me wondering what happened to that person. I knew it wasn't my father due to the color of his swim cap.
So i rounded the corners and was headed back; space opened up a little bit and i found my ryrhm and relaxed. I got to the turn around ran out of the water and right back in. I was feeling good, relaxed, heart rate wasn't too high, I felt like i could swim all day :)
I swam another loop in a good rhythm, staying to the outside to keep out of chaos. I felt good. When i got out of the water i was relaxed, the clock read 1:19. i was happy with that time having not pushed myself in the water. I striped my wet suit off and began a slow run up the beach which was a long transition run. The spectators were going nuts. I was smiling and ready for transition 1. I ran up to my bike gear bag and started pulling my stuff out and changing...when I was about done a volunteer informed me there was a changing tent I was supposed to change in. :) whoops. To get to my bike and out to the course I had to run through the changing tent, which was pure chaos. I was happy to be able to run through and skip it. I grabbed my bike and was off. Feeling great! I saw my
Mom and aunt Ginny on my ride out of town, which was really nice to hear them screaming my name. It's amazing how i can pick my mother's scream out of a crowd of screaming people. :)
I knew i needed to take it really easy on the bike. The first 10 miles had a decent climb so i took it nice and slow. Then came the screaming decent into the town of Keene. I maxed out at 46 mph...which is the fastest I've ever gone on a bike!!! wow! i was still getting passed too. After the decent, there are some flats that we had some tailwind on, those felt great, felt like i was flying. The last 25 miles of the loop is all climbing, I felt like I wasn't pushing it too hard and was passing people and keeping my heart rate low (mostly below 150). I was eating 1 Gu every 30 min, 1 endurolyte tablet every hour and eating bonk breaker bars and pro bars every chance I got. I was consuming over 400 calories per hour. In my research, people are supposed to get 200 - 300 calories per hour.
When i got back in to the town of Lake Placid, I was feeling really good.
I stopped for my special needs bag, which I placed a peanut butter and honey sandwich (bees knees local mpls honey....thank you Kristy) As i rode through town and tried to swallow the half a jar of peanut butter I smothered my sandwich with, the spectators were going crazy. I saw my Mom and aunt Ginny again and waved to them. It just so happened that when i waved the crowd went nuts. Hehe
I then started my second loop. Feeling great. I knew i still had to take it easy...I had a 56 mi ride (most of it climbing) and a marathon to run. hehe.
I had hit my 56 mi split at 3 hours ...which was really good, ahead of schedule for my goal. So i knew i could slow down and do the next loop in 3.5 hours. I kept riding and kept up with my nutrition plan, ahead of my nutrition plan actually. At the aid stations i would swing in, catch a water, gu and bonk breaker bar and keep riding, with out stopping or getting off my bike. I hadn't even gotten off my bike to stretch or anything yet.
It was at mile 80 that i started to feel the fatigue. My stomach was starting to hurt and Gu's were beginning to taste like rancid snot. A few times i caught myself riding too fast in the flats. My legs weren't tired, they felt good, but my energy level was waning. I took it easy on the 25 mile climb into town, and thinking back I'm glad i did. If i would have kept pushing it I would have paid dearly at mile 3 on the marathon.
Pulling into town, It felt good to get off the bike. I wasn't completely sick of the bike but glad to get off and run. The bike aid stations had been great. Volunteers would hand you anything from Gu's to bananas to water bottles, I don't think i missed a hand off once.
So on to the run...at this point it was 3 pm, the hottest hour of the day. I began my marathon at exactly the time i wanted to. My recently acquired exercise induced asthma had started acting up around mile 90 on the bike, and I was really starting to feel it. I was running at a good pace but my stomach was starting to hurt really bad; it was more than my stomach too, my insides were in severe pain. I couldn't eat anything solid and Gu's were starting to not be possible to eat. I made it one loop, stopped at my special needs bag and changed my socks, the ones i wore were soaked from putting ice in my hat and cold sponges in my shirt. When i sat down to change them was when i noticed how bad my legs were cramping, I've never had cramps like that in my life.
From there I got up and carried on...i was feeling worse and worse and stopping and walking frequently.
Around then a middle aged man passed me, and said "Wow,... 28 and gonna be Ironman, ....wish i woulda done that"
I was extremely surprised at my response, but it went like this:
"yea if i make it"
he shot back "Don't even say that!"
That should be a testament for what was coming next, and how i felt.
When i think about that memory, i am very thankful for that man.
When i think about that memory, i am very thankful for that man.
It was about then, at about mile 16 when I stopped, i was dehydrated, at severe caloric deficiency, and was having a hard time breathing with my asthma.
I felt like I couldn't walk,
I felt like i couldn't stand,
I was on my knees heaving, in the ditch... surrounded by a beautiful field of horse pasture, surrounded by the gorgeous Adirondack mountains. The horses had seen this before, the other athletes as well. Everyone knows, the ditch is not the place you want to be. Coming out of the rhubarb is even harder, regardless of the sport, that is not where you want to be.
At that point I was in a world of hurt. My vision was construed, and i was not sure i was going to finish the race. i was not sure i was going to live.
I thought i was going to die - and I'm not kidding.
With the heat is beating down on you and you feel like you can't walk, you feel like you can't stand, you feel like you can't breathe, the next stage, naturally would be death. If there is no going further, returning to the dirt is next.
I was expecting to feel like i may die during this race....(ha! I came prepared. hehe)
But I was not expecting to doubt myself.
My mouth felt like a desert. I thought I had no nutrition on me until i stuck my hand in my back pocket and pulled out a blueberry roctane Gu. I knew then, that i was getting enough electrolytes but not enough calories. My stomach hurt so bad I didn't think I could eat anything. I knew i was going to have to force something down, that was not going to be fun. I knew one thing, I was not going to turn around, I pulled myself up, and I walked toward the next aid station, over a mile at that point, taking little drops of the last Gu I had, gagging each time, but feeling a bit better. I knew when I got to the next aid station i would have to force some food down. I got there and looked for what i thought had the most calories per volume, which was a chocolate chip cookie and some pretzels.
Now most people that know me, know that I LOVE chocolate chip cookies, but during Ironman, no way, they were hardly palatable.
I took a bite of the cookie and gagged, my mouth was still like a desert. I was able to keep everything down fortunately. It was just after then, that I started to feel better, actually i felt AMAZING. i couldn't believe how quick i popped back. Before i knew it i was running again. i also succumbed to trying the chicken broth on the course, which i thought would be terrible, but a volunteer convinced me to try it.
The chicken broth was actually really good and proved to help. Onward i ran feeling better and better.... i felt like i had a whole new life in me. I felt amazing, i knew i was going to finish Ironman, and i was going to feel good at the end of the race, and not need medical attention. I had pulled an entire 180. I was alive again!
I caught alot of people that had passed me..
Then the eating began....fruit, sandwiches, pizza,
In the morning i ate 2 huge omelette's, tons of veggies, a pile of potatoes and bacon and sausage.
Took a nap, got up, ate a huge salad and some Guinness,
Took another nap, got up ate an entire pizza, drank more Guinness
Wow
Unforgettable experience
:)
Yes, I will do it again
I will never stop pushing myself
