Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman

When the gun went off we all tried to run in and I remember thinking bring on the UFC swim! I thought that being so far right I wouldn't get battered as much, but I still did! I didn't mind the "normal" hits/kicks and slaps, but the purposeful grabs pissed me off. One person actually grabbed my feet to try and pull me back, but that brought out my inner breastroker and managed to whip my frogs legs and really kick them. They didnt try again. Somehow, after the first buoy I ended up directly by the buoys and not far right!? ugh... I ended up in a group of mainly red capped men and only a couple women. One guy actually managed to grap my rubber boob...? still dont know how he managed that/? and I swear someone bit my foot.. The first lap was stupid! By the time i got to the turnaround my watch said 32 minutes... and i needed a break from the constant pounding so I walked the sand bar bit... should have ran/swam it or something because it took me over 5 minutes to start swimming again..haha! I ended up passing a girl with a hot pink cap and thought that I wanted one like that!!! didnt realize right away that it was a pro woman. The second lap was actually worse?!? i was still surrounded and getting pounded. I got elbowed pretty bad in the quad that hurt for half of the lap! At this point it was kind of funny... a UFC fight with actual headbutts, elbows, and knees... got hit with everything possible! :) i think someone actually picked up the sting ray and hit me with it. :) Boy I was glad to get out of that swim or "fight". I was disappointed with the 1:09, but considering... it was the best I could do at the time. And I didn't have that choking/panic attack like normal and I didnt throw up 7 times like at R.I.! :)

dunno? Join a club and get back to my college swim and turbo blast around the course? Couldnt have gone farther right, so I guess I would start in the same place, but just train more swimming...

and remember its all in the elbows...they are way worse than fists/hands...

and maybe get a black eye so I could look purty in my swim picture instead of just dazed...ok not really but my swim pic was bad!

walked around like a deer in headlights.. didnt know which way was up/down/backwards. Was happy I didnt do another lap out of habit. Wetsuit stripper had to tell me to sit down because he couldnt pull it off with me standing! haha :) no, really? Saw Dan, gave him a super salty smooch, had to grab my own bag and ran into the change tent. Threw on my arm warmers which I wished I didnt, put on my bike jersey, and blew my salty nose, and managed to go out the right side of the tent. Still dazed, and grabbed Poodle and got ready to ride. Yay bike yay! now that horrible beating is over it couldnt get much worse, could it? but that is the failure of imagination. :)

do some brain training and practice getting beaten up and walk around !?

cant believe it took me 9 minutes? hmmmmmmm.. must be those darn arm warmers!! they are evil when wet.

Think everyone and their great grandma passed me in a peleton!! !no really... trying to figure out where it went wrong, but decided it was the whole bike!!! lots of little things that just multiplied. My time wasnt as bad as it could of been, but i felt HORRIBLE.

I started out at 22 mph and kept holding myself back...back to 20-21 thought that this was going to be fun if I can hold this!!! ?! I know I can hold at least 20 mph because of my long bikes, so I thought I was doing great@! What do they say: If you feel good in an Ultra... dont worry, you'll get over it. :) I noticed that a few of my gels that i taped on had fallen off already and some of my nutrition out of my "shopping basket" aka bento box was gone as well@?? dont know what happened, but must have been in the hand off and maybe it was torn off. HUMPF. Not a good sign. I know that with my hypoglycemia that I can really get messed up and bonk like crazy with little changes. And I noticed my quads were really cramped up right from the get go. Don't know why?? But after 5 miles it was clear that this wasnt going to be as fun as I thought. Little did I know that my legs were going to get worse and I was going to do a world record bonk. I was constantly getting passed by people, was surprised at how many were drafting? It wasnt that hard to avoid it. I think people just used it as an excuse to go faster? I saw the official nail a few people in the first 20 miles or so. At least some got busted, but it seemed random. I just told myself that it was Karma and if they can cheat and live with themselves so be it. When we passed the bridge and turned right it was clear I was in trouble. There was a strong headwind and it seemed to just go uphill the whole way?!! not a large hill but with that wind it made it pretty ridiculous. My legs were still cramped and I tried the thermalytes which normally help but didnt. The wind was getting on my nervevs!! I knew we didnt turn until around mile 50 and I was annoyed. Wind wind WIND... FInally I hit Special needs so I could get some more nutrition that i was used to, and IT WAS RUINED. The only thing still good was my cold coke wrapped up with ice and foil... COKE LOVE IT!!!! but everything else was melted and mushed together and couldnt eat it. THe potato chips I packed were gone and I really wanted the salt!! OH crap I thought. Guess I will have to do with the gels and the stuff at the aid station, but I do so much better with real food. Gels affect my sugar too much when eaten alone... I saw Dan at mile 60 and it brightened my spirit...even though I knew I was way off target. So this is when bonkarama hit. When we turned on that camp road and the bump bump bump bumpy road and back into wind, I was crying and screaming at the wind like it would help. THe bananas, gels and power bars werent helping. I tried to tell myself to suck it up, but until I get my blood sugar back up, pep talks wouldnt help. AM I dead yet? can you just kill me ? I am never doing an Ironman again!!! haha

thump thump, bump bump.... my bike sounded like it was falling apart. :) I just wanted to get onto that smooooooooooooooooooth road that they just repaved. WHen I finally hit that, I was happy because I knew once I turned back onto that hill it was only 12 milesish left!!

So i sucked it up and just biked the best I could with my screaming legs and unwilling body and managed to get up that hill/bridge thingy and tried anything I could to keep busy and not get upset. When we turned back onto the beach road into that wind, I actually started laughing... of course.. wouldnt be an Ironman without that extra wind. At least my spirits were up? Just couldnt wait to get off the bike.. kept asking myself are we there yet? just to bug myself. finally reached the transition area!!! woohoo!! and it hit me that my bike wasnt as bad as it could have been because I have 9 hours to do the marathon. That thought was awesome because I am a slow shuffler, but even I can finish if i can keep moving!!! maybe just maybe??????????????

everything? choose better nutrition that wont mush/melt, and put all food in bento box or pockets so they dont fall out.

Get a leg transplant... :) my boyfriend has super biking legs.

train in a wind tunnel or invent warp speed on my bike

seriously, more bike training? practice with wind? somehow learn to control hypoglycemia in race conditions..try to simulate nerves/jitters and the effects of food needs ? practice makes perfect?

changed into my run kit and had to explain that those sandals are my running shoes! :) then went up to my room at the Boardwalk hotel, did some horizontal jogging to get warmed up for real jogging and managed a little nappy too.... ;) ok not really, but don't know what I did with the 15 minutes? everything was moving snail speed anyways, guess my mind was in super slow motion as well.

not take so bloody long!?

started out walking around the corver, seeing Dan and talking to him for probably about 15 min. Guess i needed even more rest??? felt stiff as a board but hopefull. Tried running and it wasnt too bad?? had a stomach ache/cramp that didnt go away until mile 3, so I ran for a bit, walked for a bit. When I ran I was going around 11 min mile pace which is about normal for a brick. Walked at every aid station and drank coke...love coke!! the aid stations were fun and loved the guys in bikinis.. Saw Kristin at around mile 5...she looked strong! yay Kristin. Hit the park and ran around it yay... only 3 more to go. Saw the motivational section and my message was "suck it up princess" nice... thanks dan. :P

it was starting to get dark at mile 10 and I saw some people with glow thingys but I never saw any to get? I guess they have then at mile 13? i had slowed down a little bit at around 12 min mile pace... wasnt happy about it but there was nothing I could do. Then i saw chicken broth... hmmmmmmmm. Tried it, not the biggest fan but it was salty. Always followed it up with coke though. Bad aftertaste! hit almost halfway and saw Dan... boy that felt good to see him... Im halfway through my marathon!! and i still have lots of time. :) He said there were glow thingys right around the corner.. hit the turnaround and picked up special needs. Looked around and there were no more glow sticks!! i saw kids running around with handfuls of them... wtf/? one approached me and i said hey were did you get those? and he looked at me and said I dont know and I asked if I could have one and he said yes.. Boy did I feel bad taking "candy" from a kid. Wont make that mistake again! will get my own. made it to the park...my pace fell even further. THe park sucked! WIth my disorder I can't see in the dark and my eyes cant adjust to bright lights in the dark and I just cant see! So this part was very scary and thoughts of stepping in a big pot hole and falling and breaking my leg or something came to mind. I felt so alone!!! just one foot in front of the other... i FINALLY made it out the other side!! 5 more miles..kept shuffling/walking. 4 more miles... can i make it??? right around 3 miles left I think? I saw a guy right on the side of the road and he was in a bikini/thong and posing like a male model. I blinked and I swear his eyes were following me, and I asked him "aren't you cold in that" ?? and then i realized, that it was a cardboard cut out!!! haha... a few people behind me laughed as well... at least i can make someone laugh with my blonde moments. :)
then i came up on two miles left!!!!! i LOVE THAT SIGN! MILE 24. 2 more long miles, but I can make it!! I wanted to come in under 15 hours and if i hold pace ill make it! I can't believe this??? Im going to do this!!! the thoughts of me laying in that bed, wishing I was dead and almost killing myself flashed in front of me. Struggling for years just to walk, and bike and just even be able to run.. seeing that Ironman Kona program on tv that saved my life. And now Im going to be an IRONMAN>.. 1 mile left!!!! and then I heard the music and the noise and saw the bright lights... i started running... so fast... not wanted to fail now, I ran so fast... faster than i ever have ( ok prob not) but it sure felt so fast. People were high fiving me, cheering me on.. and i turned that corner and saw the finishers chute.. and i ran over it screaming!!! Kate Conklin, yes you, get over here, you are an Ironman!!!! Mike Reiley finally saw me as an Ironman. I CANT BELIEVE IT!! i got my picture taken and stuffed my face with food and wanted to sit down so bad. I was in shock and wondering why I wasnt crying? everytime i imagined it in my head i cried, but there were no tears. Still in shock. Hugged and kissed Dan, poor guy, must have been ironsweaty. Got back to the hotel somehow and I couldnt sleep. I didnt cry the next day or the next, but when we made it to Disney World, the place dreams come true... i balled my eyes out. my dream came true!! i know its cheesy, but it did!! :)

cure EM and wear normal shoes? :)

give cardboard cut out a kiss/punch to see if real? haha

not stay and chat for 15 min at a time? get my own glow stick/thing? (in fact already have my next ironman's glow.. :) bought it at Disney world! but at this point of race still certain no more ironmans! wink wink)

still manage to have fun just at faster speed. But hey, I did almost the exact same time on the bike and the run!!?? pretty cool

ate pizza and wished i could lay down and sleep on the concrete but couldnt even sit down. All i did was stuff my face with cookies.


sandals, and extra taper fat. Not to mention the fun factor on the run. :)

having a ruptured appendix that almost killed me so close to the race!! luckily that wont happen again, unless i grow it back.


I am finally an Ironman!!!!

this is to all the doctors and people who told me I wouldnt walk again let alone do an Ironman. How do you like me now???? :)

Night of Ironman: Never doing another one
Day 1 after IM: No, not doing another one, but never say never
Day 2 after IM: I dunno, maybe?
Day 3 after IM: which one should I do?
Day 4 after IM: which one which one??
Day 5 after IM: cant wait to my next one!!! haha

"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle -- victorious."