Ironman Arizona - TriathlonFull Ironman

Didn't get into the water until 6:55, a little later than I would have liked, but I wanted to be near the back of the pack, and it took a while to get us all in there. Jumping in to the cold water took my breath (and my goggles) away. Why didn't I remember to put them on between my two swim caps?? I got them situated, then just hung back out of the way trying to get my breath back while more people jumped in. I seeded myself about where I thought I would finish- towards the back of the pack, but not the VERY back. The cold water triggered the usual hyperventilation, and I JUST got my breathing under control before the gun went off.

There was a moderate amount of contact back where I was, nothing too severe. Fairly crowded for the first 10-15 minutes, then some open water, but only for a few minutes at a time. We got pretty bunched up around the turn buoys, and I ended up on the inside. This meant I kept getting pushed inside the buoys and had to correct back out. I finally got a chance to cut diagonally over to the outside so I could swim my own line. I was surprised at how crowded it was on the second half- still a fair amount of contact right up to the end.

The water was cold, but not TOO cold. I was really worried that numb hands and feet would slow me down, or that my core would get cold, but it felt better than my recent OWS. I did get numb, and lost control of two of the fingers on my left hand, but I just didn't pay attention to that. It was just: Swim to the bridge. Make it to the turnaround. Back under the bridge. Back to Mill. Out of the water!!

I was so elated to have that behind me, I felt like I had won the race! I forgot to look for the clock, so I had no idea how I had done. Got stripped and "ran" on numb feet quite a ways up to the changing tent. I ignored advice to change outside and went in because it was warm in there, and I was in no hurry, anyway.

I warmed up quickly but changed slowly due to crowding and fumbling around ineptly in my bag. All I really had to do was put on a jersey, helmet, and shoes, but it seemed to be taking forever. A volunteer came over and helped me sort it all out. I had the presence of mind to refresh my deoderant- it was going to be a long day, after all! The woman to my left was just rocking back and forth saying "I'm so cold. I'm so cold." I helped her get into her tri-top, then turned and saw that the woman on my right was tangled in hers, so I helped her too. Finally got my stuff together and proceeded to go out the wrong door. Noob. Came back through the tent and managed to find the bikes. A volunteer had mine ready for me by the time I got there, and off I went!

Find more space so I could dump out my bag. Be more familiar so I would know which way to go.

Boy, was I happy to have the swim behind me! I puttered along at a comfy pace and warmed up quickly. I tried to start eating within the first hour, but it took me an hour just to get a banana down. The stomach was a little crampy and just didn't want solid food. I kept trying for another hour or two, first with potatoes, then pretzels, before finally giving up and going with Gu from the aid stations and water. Had to stop for a potty break about 40 minutes in- I drank quite a bit of the lake while thrashing around with the other swimmers. One more break about 2 or 2 1/2 hours later, and that was it for the day.

After the turnaround on Lap 1, the wind was at our backs and we rocketed down the slight hill, speeds in the high 20s at times. I saw lots of people drafting. First a couple in matching kits; it was obvious that she intended to stay in his wake all day. Mostly it was fast guys at the front of the pack (they were lapping me by now); sometimes 20-30 of them at a time.

I passed Sarah Reinertsen (though I didn't know her name at that time). She has one leg and was riding a road bike with a prosthetic. I think she only gets power from her one leg, though- she was working much harder to go much slower than me, and she's obviously more fit. There were also two guys on handcycles- one was at the front of the pack, and I don't think the other made the bike cutoff :-( We were all giving each other encouragement at the back of the pack.

The wind turned around, or maybe died down- we didn't get that nice push downhill on laps 2 or 3, but you couldn't ask for a better day for a race. Temps in the 60s and 70s, sunny, nothing but a light breeze, just perfect.

By Lap 3, I was ready to get off that bike! Not as uncomfortable as on my long training rides- thank goodness- but stiff and sore.

More speedwork so I could get off the bike sooner!

Handed my bike to a volunteer, jogged through to get my bag (another volunteer had it ready for me) and back into the changing tent. I wanted fresh, dry clothes and had bought a new outfit just for the occasion. I still felt energetic and started running as soon as I was out of the tent.

Nothing. I could probably get by without the clothing change, but feeling fresh was worth the 2-3 extra minutes it took.

Saw my family and gave a couple of high-fives and off I went. Some friends of mine were working Aid Station 1, so I got to see friendly faces each time I passed.

The first mile went by in about 9:30- oops, too fast. Started putting in some walk breaks in the second mile- aid stations and hills only. Felt mostly ok- stomach still crampy but would settle down when I walked. The first loop went by pretty easily. The fast kids were out there on their last loop- you could tell by the grim looks on their faces. I had to ignore them, I was still in good spirits.

Loop two went by pretty much the same. I guess I slowed down a little, but I wasn't aware of that. I wasn't checking my pace anymore, just taking in a Gu every 3 miles and drinking as much as I could force down (not enough, as I didn't pee for 10 hours...). At the end of Loop 2, I looked over at the "Turn left for finish" lane and smiled, thinking I would be there really soon!

About a mile into Loop 3, I got a sudden stabbing pain in the side of my right knee- ITB, I knew, though I had never had it like this before. I tried shaking it out and running through it, but it was clear within half a mile that I was all done running for today. I was kinda pissed at first, because I had really wanted to run to the end, but couldn't do anything about it, so I accepted it and fell into a power-walk. My pace was pretty fast- I even passed one runner who made a joke about my walk being faster than his run! I blamed it on long legs- he was a good bit shorter than me- and carried on.

A couple miles later, it got a lot worse and I could barely walk. I kept stopping to rub it and stretch- I really wasn't sure what to do for it- but it didn't help. Herbert, the running guy I passed power-walking, passed me back and said some encouraging words. Back at the beach park around mile 21, I was hobbling along the railing past transition, crying, wondering if I was going to have to crawl the rest of the way. Spectators were super-supportive, trying to help in any way they could. Turned the corner and saw my family and my husband said "You're going to finish this thing," and that picked me up. I also didn't want them to see me crying! Just beyond them was Special Needs. I had bypassed it the first two laps, but stopped this time because I had an extra knee brace in there (I was already wearing one on my 'bad' knee). Once I got the brace on, I could walk again without pain! I was on a mission, then, to get this thing over with! Back to power-walking at a 14:00 pace. At this point, most people were walking, and those that were running were slow enough that I passed a few more of them. I saw later that my walk pace was only about 2 minutes slower than my last run pace, so it only added maybe 15-20 minutes to my marathon time. Toward the end, I saw a friend that I ride with and some old coaches from my Team in Training race two years ago.

End of the third lap, and there it is: turn left for finish! I don't get excited yet, because I have a few hundred yards to go - it's even chalked on the pavement: 300 yards to finish! I'm seriously wondering if I even have that much left in me! Then there was "150 yards to finish," then the turn for the chute. Blinding lights, music, couldn't really see the faces well enough to find my family, but took it all in anyway, SO elated to have made it to the finish. I was running by now, just barely, high fiving random strangers since I missed my family. Heard my name called, felt like I was floating 10 feet off the ground, and I was done!

I felt fine as soon as I stopped moving. Got the shirt and hat, had the presence of mind to take a look at the shirt and swap it out for a larger size. Got my picture taken, got in line for a massage right away, ate some pizza and fries- boy did that salt taste good!

Get more serious about my rehab exercises to avoid the ITB flare-up.

Being slow ;-)


Just can't say enough about the volunteers and the spectators- all the energy they give to random strangers is amazing! We all really looked forward to the aid stations with their crazy costumes and music, and the transition workers were like gentle nannies for us "special needs" children who were always lost and confused. Everyone seemed invested in helping us have a good race. What a day!