Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman

BOOM the cannon sounds and off we go. Its more of a saunter into the water than a run really and into the melee. Nothing like an ironman swim. I knew the current was right to left facing the water so I had started about in the middle of the corral a few rows back so the current would push me towards the buoys not inside of them. There was contact but its not intentional or malicious. I took one good shot to the face on the first leg and had to adjust my goggles. The waves were pushing us back quite a bit. I was actually able to swim and get clear water more easily than other years.

The first turn buoy at IMFL is just a hoot. There is a big pile up of about 300 people bobbing on the water hooting and hollering "We are doing and IRONMAN WOOHOO" Loads of fun!! We had a very nice current across the top pushing us and it felt like it was only 10 seocnds to get across the top. Second turn back towards shore. Was able to draft almost the whole way. Seems like the shore is never going to come. Finally I could see the bottom but I know I can't touch there, onto the second sandbar where I CAN touch but its still waist deep so I keep swimming because I can swim faster than I can walk thru waist deep water. FINALLY get to a place I can stand and look at my watch 34:xx not too shabby.

Walk over the timing mat and grab some water to get the salt taste out of my mouth. I actually RAN down the beach and back into the water. It was quite a ways walking thru the water and over the sand bars. I looked at my watch before I dove in and it was 37:4x BACK IN FOR MORE!!! I think I drafted a ton better this year and it didn't seem like the conditions worsened at all the second loop as it did in '06 and '09 so that was very good. My navigation was a bit off both loops on the way out but felt like I was doing OK. Tried to kick hard as Morag would want me to do. Turn and across the top turn and on the way home!!! I saw a jelly fish on the way out and 2 sting rays on the way back in, one big one small. Back over the sand bars stood up and saw 1:15:xx on my watch. By the time I got all the way out of the water and climbed the hill of sand to the timing mat I was at 1:16:27

I think I positioned myself well and drafted well this year. I need to learn to push myself harder over longer distances. More long intervals of 1000 or more. The surf was not horrible woith 3-4 footers at most and the current was not bad this year. I can do better. I know it.

Over the mat and ran almost by the wetsuit strippers. Laid down got stripped and up I go. Saw my mom and dad and waved hello. Got my bag and ran into the Chaos. I gotta say I LOVE that it is indoors now. Its SO much better than a dark tent on pavement. Most of the chairs were taken so I just sat down on the floor. I didn't have a helper but I'm cool with that.

I had a sports bra, tri top and trishorts which I wore the whole day. Dried my face arms and legs, slipped on my calf sleeve, bike jersey on, socks and shoes trying to get all the sand off my feet. Sprayed sunscreen on my face, neck and legs, the only exposed parts. Arm warmers and gloves, head band glasses and helmet, race belt with GPS and grabbed my uncrustable which I ate about 3/4ers of on my run out to my bike. A very nice volunteer had my faithful steed all ready for me to go so off I went. As I was running out I saw my parents and gave them both big hugs.

I didn't take my wind breaker which might have been a mistake, but I'm not sure it would have kept me much warmer retrospectively. I've riden in it in cold weather before and it tends to get wet and stay wet. I wish I had had an under armour under the bike jersey. I did OK. Its a bit of a schlep with the transition inside but I'll take and extra few minutes in return for a well lit warm place to change.

YAY I get to ride my bike :) I do love riding and this is the fun part for me. Came out of transition and thru the chute. Get on my faithful steed and down South Thomas drive I go. Hang a left at the waffle house and onto Front Beach road. Cruised along pretty well here and the cross winds were not too bad. I think there was more of a head wind than a tail wind here but whatever. Turn down the highway and towards the bridge.

Really the first hour on the bike was quite miserable with headwind and being COLD. I passed Jen around mile 10 on the bike. She had a fantastic swim. Over the bridge. It was a little scary for me coming down the bridge in the wind but I just slowed down. Better slower than sorry. I was just cold and trying to go as fast as I could in the head wind until we could turn. I was drinking my accelerade and took a gel about 50 minutes into my ride as I had eaten probably 170 calories of uncrustable in T1.

I did 17.9x miles the first hour which is below average for me but given the wind I was OK with it. We turned out of the wind thank goodness. Not only was it difficult to ride in it was also freaking COLD. It was shady too but the wind was less of a factor here and I was able to pick up the pace nicely. I was a COMPLETE snotty mess the whole ride. I was glad for the gloves and arm armers to clear it away. I blew a LOT of snot rockets. Was trying to be careful there was no one behind me.


About 20ish miles in I refilled the aerobottle. I started with 2 servings in the aerobottle and 2 more in each bottle on the bike with plans to grab water on the course to water it down. Next aide station I threw off the empty bottle on the bike and watered down the accelerade throwing the water off at the trash station. Kept moving but I was having a ridiculously hard time trying to move the bottle in the front cage to the rear cage. I was serving all over the place going like 5 MPH. I took a glove off to finally dislodge the bloody thing and got back up to speed.

After a while the race kind of settles in that the 2% body fat people who are crappy swimmers have raced by you now and you are with people of fairly even biking ability and you are leap frogging them back and forth. There was one girl who was very nice and we chatted a few times. She would drop me on the hills and I would pass her going down the hills and on the flats. She came up behind me and says "this is a weird question but are you Socks on BT?" I was like YES who are you? She is Trish and she knows trixie so we chatted about that for a while. We went back and forth a while and I think I lost her when she found a porta potty.

I rode with one glove on and used the gloved hand to sheild my other hand from the wind plus it was a good snot rag. Also this allowed me to get into my bento box a ton easier as managing the velcro with the gloves on both hands was really difficult. Ate 2 orange slice candies and worked out an eating plan in my head. Plan was over the course of the bike to use 6 servings of accelerade which amounted to 720 calories.....some went on the ground but this actually worked out well and I didn't have to venture into the powerbar drink. Also to take a gel and an orange slice or 2 per hour which would work out to about 250 calories or so an hour. Right on target. I didn't take any electrolytes as I was hardly sweating at all due to the temperature. I also took about 5 pieces of banana.

We turned onto a GLORIOUS section with a kicker tailwind. I was doing like 23 MPH and by the second hour was able to increase my average speed to about 19.5 MPH which pleased me. Unfortunately we turned out of the tailwind all too soon for my taste but at least it was more crosswind than headwind. Turn turn turn wind wind wind. UGH. Turned down to the out an back.

OMG. The road was AWFUL. Not only was it ridiculously bumpy it was steeply banked in places. It curved so we had tailwind in some places and head wind in others. Really the road was so ridiculously bumpy I was out of my aerobars for most of this section trying to not knock a tooth out and save my upper back and neck. It was bad enough to sacrifice speed for comfort. FINALLY the turn around. Seriously I could not get off that road soon enough.

I didn't stop at special needs. All I had were some extra tubes and CO2, which I thankfully did not need, some vanilla oreos (its my race treat) and licorace and extra electrolytes in case I had dropped mine. I didn't want or need any of that stuff so I just kept riding. About this time I was in search of a porta potty without a line. No luck at SN.

Ka bump Ka bump Ka bump. Geez o pete would this stupid road EVER END? FINALLY we get off the road from hell. Short twisty turny section then onto route 20.................and into headwind for ETERNITY and some hills. OK if you climb in colorado they are not hills to you but to me they were hills. The wind was gusting up to 30MPH and I'd be cruising well over 20MPH get hit by a gust and get knocked down to 16-17. ARGH. My hamstring was hurting me almost the whole ride and the harder I pushed the worse it got.

After the section of route 20 it was much smoother sailing. I finally found a porta potty without a line about mile 90 so that was my only stop. There was another out and back with some headwind but it was only for a little bit. Back up over the bridge and back home. Cruised back along Front Beach road at quite a good clip. Down South Thoams drive and back into transition. A lovely volunteer took my bike at the line and I got my bag and ran inside.




Ride more hills in the wind? Wear more clothes? I was a cold snot machine the enitre ride. I am actually really proud of this bike ride even tho it fell short of my sub 6 hours goal. It was very windy and the hills came later in the course due to the course changes and were accompanied by a stiff headwind. I pushed as hard as I could and maintained a decent pace, taking advantage of tailwind where I could. I came off the bike not feeling tired or drained just a bit sore. I think the cold took a bit out of me and the wind would hit your wet sweaty body and make it worse. I'm not sure what else I couldhave done clothing wise. I didn't take my wind breaker because I had riden in it thursday and got too hot and also I have riden in it before and when it gets wet with sweat it stays wet then you are twice as cold. Maybe a layer of under armour under my bike jersey?

Ran in to the transition room and I got a chair this time. A volunteer got me a tissue which was heavenly at that point. I am best left to my own devices really. It was nice to be warm and out of the wind. Snotty arm warmers OFF, bike shirt off, under armour under my tri top. Hat, socks, achilles brace, shoes. Washed my face with some wet ones. I mixed my accelerade/lavasalt mix and took my uncrustable out with me. I came out of the building eating my PBJ and my mom and dad were there and I gave them big sweaty hugs.

I would have had the volunteer mix my drink for me. I spilled a bit and made a mess and it would have saved me a minute or so. Otherwise I think I did everything right. Even if I had had more clothes I don't think I would have taken them or worn them.

Pretty much every step of this run hurt, but that is nothing new for me. It just hurt MORE than usual. I came off the bike in 29th place in my age group, so even tho 6 women were faster than me on the bike I guess I passed 6 people. I ran out and saw Wendi. I was determined to do my 3:1 run walk. Did 2 rounds of that. Thing is I had had a side stitch for the last 3 hours or so on the bike. I needed to get rid of that so I dropped to a walk when I caught back up to Wendi and Jeff and she gave me the best diet coke of my life. I dumped the accelerade which didn't taste good anyway and filled my hand held with the diet coke. Went thru the crazy drunk people and across thomas drive into the neighborhoods.

I had dropped to a 1:1 run walk then tried a 1:30-1 but the math was too hard at that point in the day so I went to a 2:1. Tried to go to 3:1 but I'd get too winded. My hamstring felt like there was a knife in it. My right foot was KILLING ME. And in a place it has never hurt before. I stopped to use a porta potty and when I came out my right foot stopped hurting for good. No idea but I'll take it! I had some more accelerade mix which I made up with some water at the aide station

On I plodded doing my 2:1 and sometimes trying to get to 3:1 which wasn't working very well. I was bound and determined to get to 3:1. After getting thru the park I was starting to get cold again. I became driven to get to special needs and get more clothes. I got tired of carying my hand held and dumped it about mile 10. I tried the sports drink but it was some bizzare flavor so I stuck to water, cola and chicken broth with grapes.

Back thru the drunk people and by Wendi and Jeff, to the turn around and to special needs. Long sleeved tech shirt on, wind vest which I have had in special needs for the 2 previous races and never wore, went on. Took my diet coke, and vanilla oreos and left the rest. I was carrying a snack size baggie with blister bandaids, tums and electrolytes none of which I used and eventually dumped as well. Got my head light for my hat and my finger lights all of which worked brilliantly.

Walked back out for round two and sipped my diet coke. I was bound and determined to get to a 3:1. I was very successful with this the second loop. I was plodding in a forward direction slowly but according to plan at least. Went back by Wendi and Jeff and thru the drunk people and even they were wearing sweatshirts my now. Across into the neighborhoods and the darkness. Stopped at another porta potty but my bladder was lying to me and I didn't listen to the lie after that.

I ate an oreo on a walk break but it was taking me more than a minute to get one down so I threw the rest out and ran my 3 minutes. I was able to maintain the 3:1 consistently the entire second loop. Ironically I ran more the second loop but was slower. Whatever. It was kind of pitiful there were guys out there walking faster than I could run but is what it is.

Back into the park and I took some broth, grapes and cola because there was only one aide staion in there. Continued with the run walk plan and was happy to have the finger light to look at my watch, thus making that plan a TON easier.

I didn't talk to very many people on the run this year. I was just extremely focused on sticking to my plan. I saw KathyG 3 times and Jen three times. I knew Kathy had passed Jen somewhere on the run. I looked for Betsy but she had about 150 twins on the course. I looked for Mimi but I knew she would be well in front of me and was not sure where she would be.

Out of the park and the home stretch. I didn't really think about much besides getting to my next walk break. Run to 48....walk.....run to 52....walk and on and on. Thru the neighborhoods, back by Wendi and Jeff ONE MILE!!!! Back onto Thomas drive WOOHOO I was trying to run more. Took a walk break at Alvins then was running. My legs hurt so I took a mini break before entering the chute so I could run thru. Heard my name and Kevin caught me. This is the first race where when I finished I almost felt like I would fall down. I was spent and a little dizzy but Kevin kept me moving forward and directed me where I needed to go. Saw my mom and dad more big sweaty hugs :)

Got my dry clothes and headed straight for the massage tent


Have more layers available? Not be injured all season. Be able to run more. I probably should have eaten more on the run. I had 2 diet cokes (OK no calories but cafffine and fluids!!) 2.5 oreos, probably about 12 grapes, an accelerade/lava salt mix, lots of chicken broth and cola. I was just so cold eating wasn't something I wanted to do. I have an iron stomach and had no GI issues at all it was more I wasn't hungry and didn't want to eat.

This is more warm UP than warm down. I was a popsicle. I got a space blanket and head straight to the massage tent. They covered me with 2 more blankets. They kept saying "You are really cold" Like I didn't know. And "Dont fall alseep!! If you fall alseep we have to send you to medical" My friend Pete runs the massage tent and he came over to say hi. I got done but as soon as they stopped working on my calves they cramped up and could barely dorsiflex my feet which made walking a challenge. I got my LOVELY DRY WARM sweats and recovery shoes on and limped towards the condo with my parents. Seriously sweats and recovery shoes are the most brilliant thing!.

We cut thru the lobby of the hotel where we sat for a bit so I could warm up some and my dad rubbed my feet for me and I had a diet coke. We limped the rest of the way back and I stood in a warm shower for about 20 minutes. Piled on a ton of clothes and ate. It took me about 3 hours to warm up and I was coughing like crazy. I had wanted to go see everyone finish but I was too darn cold to go back outside. People were texting me from everywhere giving me updates. Kathy finished, Betsy, Jen. Jen came back and hung out til she could drive home and Kathy called and gave me a re-cap of her race.

Finally TO BED!!! I could not sleep because my legs hurt too much. When I was finally warm I got up and got some ice packs and ace wrapped them on which helped and I was able to sleep for a few hours.


Lack of run training. Seriously under trained here but I was fighting some injuries all year and it finally got to the point where rest wasn't helping, running wasn't making it worse and I needed to run so I ran. I was sick for the three weeks coming into the race. I missed a little training and it resulted in an early taper. My airway was still not 100% well but it was much improved. It was quite cold and I think that really hurt me.

I wish I were lighter but I can say I absolutely tortured myself trying to loose wieght and it was coming off at a snails pace. I got tired of feeling like a slave to food and just started eating when I was hungry and stopping shen I was full and was a happier, if heavier, person. I've had a lot of stress this year and I can only be stressed about so much at a time.


I think this was my best executed IM of my four and I'm quite proud of the whole thing. it was my second fastest all around and faster than last year in much worse conditions. I could have navigated a little better on the swim and have room for improvement pushing myself over distance but I drafted well, handled the conditions well and I'm pleased with it.

I'm very proud of the bike. I pushed hard the whole way and dealt with the wind and cold well. Certainly I think it wore me down over time but I came off the bike feeling pretty good energy wise, although my right hammy was quite sore. I came off the bike 29th in my age group. I adapted well on the run and did my best. My best is pretty slow but I was very focused and I am good with it.

Thanks to my mom and dad for coming out and cheering and my dad for schleping my stuff and Jen's back to the condo and her truck. Its a long day for them but being at Boardwalk this year helped a ton. They seem to have come to terms with me doing this crazy ironman thing now.

Thanks to my Coach Will Kirousis or Tri-hard coaching. He always believes in me even when I don't believe in myself and is always helpful and supportive despite my crazy stressful life and my sometimes broken uncooperative body. He rocks

Thanks to my swim coach Morag Betz of Blue wave swimming. She is the best! Also my friend and swimming companion Julie.....poor Julie did almost all my long swims with me at masters but she did get to come along for the ride on the taper as well!! She was a good sport.

Thanks to everyone cheering in person and online!! Big thanks to Wendi and Jeff for the diet coke on the run and all the friendship and cheerleading. Thanks to KevinG for catching me at the finish. It was so much fun to race an IM with KathyG and Jasha and Jen and Betsy and Mimi and all the other BTers!! Congrats to everyone who toed the line!!

We are all so lucky to be able to do this crazy sport. Fast or slow, we are just plain lucky to be healthy and be able to toe the line.