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 Swim
Comments: So, where were we? To say I was nervous about the swim start would be an understatement. I knew I had to keep myself calm and focus on breathing. I felt a little panicky as soon as I got in the water, but then everything settled down. I was in the water for maybe 2 minutes before the cannon sounded. For the first few minutes it was insane. People everywhere and not moving much at all. I just tried to stay clear of the flailing arms and legs. Finally started to move. There was some minimal contact but nothing too bad. I guess that is one advantage of being so slow. For the most part I stayed clear of people. I would rather give up the few minutes in total time to avoid the contact. I was definitely groped a few times and did some groping myself, but pretty minor. I did have this one guy who kept swimming into me. I know it was him because he would be on my left then show up on my right. At one point when he bumped me for about the 50h time I put a shoulder into him and sped up. Did not see him again! The swim down the canal was very cool with all of the people. I knew I was very slow but I also knew that I had lots of time and did not worry about it. I just kept making forward progress! On the canal, I saw Steve. That made me feel so happy since I know he was worried about me having problems in the water. The best sight was that last red buoy to turn to the steps. I was not last out of the water. There were lots of caps behind me! Great volunteers helped pull me up the steps. I heard them call my name and that made me smile! Saw Steve, gave him a kiss and headed to the change tent! What would you do differently?: I think my strength with swimming became a liability in this swim. What I lack in speed I make up for in navigation skills. I can hit every buoy spot on every time. The problem with that for this swim was that the course snakes a bit so I think by hitting the buoy's I actually swam a lot longer. What I should have done was spotted off further buoys. I realized this after making the first turn and did it on the way back to the canal. Other than that, I was not unhappy with my swim. Of course I wish I was faster and I could have pushed harder. But I knew I had a lot of time to get out of the water and a long day ahead of me so I just kept making forward progress. That phrase became my mantra for the rest of the day!  Transition 1
Comments: First experience in a change tent. I heard my number being called out as I ran towards the tent. I actually passed the girl holding out my bag and had to run back to get it. No biggie. Got into the tent and there was lots of space. Probably only 10 others there. My awesome volunteer asked if she should dump the bag. I told her yes. I was a bit discombbulated and sat for a sec to get my head back on straight. Got my swim suit off and shorts on. Put my tri top on and realized I had it on backwards. My volunteer helped me get it of and on the right way. I was concerned about having issues putting in on while wet but it went right on. While I sat down to put my socks and shoes on she read a note that Scott put in my bag. It was awesome and so thoughtful! Dressed, helmet and gloves on. out of the tent and had the sunblock brigade slather me up. Even though it was cloudy you never know when or if the sun would come out. Took a GU while going to get my bike. Had another awesome volunteer grab my bike and off I went! What would you do differently?: Other than not put my top on backwards and not have to run back for my bag, nothing!  Bike
Comments: Are you still with me? Do you need a potty break? I love riding my bike. For me, time seems to go very quickly and I am happy to say that this was the case with this ride. Headed out along Woodlands Parkway. Lots of people lining the street cheering. I saw the BEST sign along this route. There was a kid holding a sign that said "Worst Parade Ever". Loved that! Miles 0-20. These miles went fast. I just focused on getting into a rhythm and getting some fluids in. Plan was to eat every 25 minutes and salt tabs at the top of every hour. I also tried to play with some math during this time. I decided that I needed to get off of the bike at no more than 10 hours race clock time. I wanted to have a very comfortable 7 hours on the marathon. I took water and a cold Perform at the mile 10 aid station. Awesome volunteers knew how to do a handup and never had any issues grabbing what I needed. Stopped at mile 20 to use the port-a-potty. Miles 20-40. Just kept pedaling. The road conditions were great. At mile 30 I had to go again but there was a line so I decided to keep going. About a mile in I realized that was a mistake because I really had to go. I said I would never pee on the bike, but if I had a bottle of water for rinsing purposes, I think I would have. Backed off the fluids a bit and had a hard time being in aero. Of course the mile 40 aid station was at mile 42. Stopped there. Then was the BEST part. Right after the mile 40 aid station we made a sharp right turn. At the corner was Steve waiting for me!! He was on the left side of the road. The volunteer was telling me to go right but I pulled off on the left for a quick kiss. Got a bunch of "awwww's" from people. That put a smile on my face and carried me for a while! This was probably my favorite stretch through the forest. Very pretty and we got some light rain, drizzle really that felt great! Miles 40-58. Don't recall anything specific about this time. Kept getting water and Perform every aid station, eating every 25 minutes and salt on the top of each hour. Special needs - At mile 55 passed Haley (comet). She was not feeling great. I asked her if she needed anything. She said she could not eat or drink and would meet me at special needs. Got to SN and got my bag. There was absolutely nothing in it that I wanted but grabbed my extra nutrition, some peanut butter crackers and some cookies in case I changed my mind later. Haley came up while I was going through my bag. I offered her anything she wanted from my bag. She took a V8 drink. After stuffing my pockets I headed off. Miles 56-80. If I could call it that, my "dark" time on the bike was this stretch. It was the hilliest part of the course, but really the hills were nothing. I never even had to get out of my big ring. I think it was more that I was getting bored and uncomfortable. At about 60 miles I tend to get fidgety. I would alternate between being in areo and then up on the hoods. This section just seemed to go on forever. 80-100. Steve was waiting for me at the mile 80 aid station. My friends Joe (freeswimmingfish) and his wife Bonnie (mrsfish) and the little fishes Zack and Kathryn were all there. It was so great to see some friends. Stopped for about 5 minutes just to get off the bike and relax for a minute. I knew I was so close to home! The traffic during this stretch was really bad and drivers were getting very impatient. There was one point where the riders had to make a left hand turn so cars were stopped at the intersection. The backup had to go on for several miles. This is also were we hit a 3ish mile section of brand new chipseal. Not fun at all. But, putting it into perspective 3 miles of bad roads on a 112 mile course is not too bad. I thought there would be no way Steve would make it back to the transition area by the time I got done and started running. 100-112. By now I just really wanted to be off the bike. Once we got back to Woodlands Parkway, the wind seemed to kick up. Not nearly as bad as I trained in, but by then I was just over riding. There was a guy in front of me so I just followed him (at a legal distance) the whole rest of the way. As tired as I was, I passed a ton of people on this stretch. Finally heard the crowd and hit the dismount line. Saw Kurt (Haley's husband) and gave him an update on where she was. Gave my bike to a volunteer and headed to the change tent. I wanted to be off the bike by the 10 hour mark and I was off at 9:20 What would you do differently?: Hard to say. I was actually really happy with the way the bike went. No mechanical issues. No flats. Nutrition and hydration were good. I guess if there was one thing it would have been waiting to use the port-o-potty at mile 30! Transition 2
Comments: Handed the bike off and headed down to the change tent. My awesome volunteer opened my bag. Sat down. Bike shoes and socks off. Copious bodyglide on the feet. Socks and shoes on. Shoot, I need to get out of my bike clothes! Kept my shoes on. Bike clothes off. Run clothes on. My volunteer read another note from Scott (thanks again!!) and filled my Amphipod with water. Hat on, race belt on and out of the tent! As soon as I got out of the tent I heard my name. Steve made it back :). Got a kiss and headed out on the run! What would you do differently?: Put my shorts on before my shoes and socks!  Run
Comments: Still hanging in there with me? Wow, this was hard. I knew it would be! Loop 1 - I had gone into the run with the plan to keep with my 4/1 for the first 2 loops and then see how it went from there. Loop 1 started OK. Legs actually felt pretty strong for just getting off a 112 bike. I actually did remember to switch my Garmin to Run before I left the change tent. Wish I would have remembered to set the intervals. After what felt like an eternity running (it was actually 5 minutes), I realized I had not gotten my walk break beep. I had to stop my watch and reset it for the intervals. Not a biggie. Scott (smeador) heard them call my name coming back from the bike and was waiting for me by the 1st aid station. He was volunteering there. It was awesome having my personal volunteer. To be honest I am not sure what he got me. I remember taking oranges. I also carried my Amphipod so I could drink on my schedule and not have to wait for an aid station. And OMG the ice cold sponges were amazing! I took one at every aid station but was very careful to not get my feet wet. I think this saved my feet as I did not get 1 blister the entire time. For about half of the first loop I did not want to eat anything. My stomach was tired of Perform. The cookies and pretzels were too dry so swallow. But the oranges were fabulous. At each aid station I would grab 4 orange slices. At about mile 2 I came up to the Hogan siblings. They were walking as Todd was cramping. I talked to them for a few minutes and started running again. They were on lap 2. We would continue to leapfrog each other for awhile. Steve was waiting for me at about mile 5 on the Waterway. It was so amazing to see him. He walked with me for a few minutes and then I started running again. It is a real tease on Market Street. No matter what loop you are on, you have to go right to the finish line. Straight through if you are done, turn to the right to keep going. On to loop 2 I go. Loop 2 - Things were getting harder. I started taking a gel at every other aid station. It was hot. I was tired. I pretty much just wanted to be done. But the worst was that my lower back had tightened up really badly. At each walk break I would stop and stretch. That would help for a few minutes but then it got painful again. At about mile 15, after the short out and back section, I realized that I was done running. I tried to do some math in my head. I had 4 hours left and had about 11 miles to cover. Logically I knew I was fine with time, but I had a hard time believing it. I saw Steve in the finishing coral and handed off my Amphopod and told him I was walking the rest of the way. He also told me I had plenty of time but again, I had a hard time believing it. Right to the finish line I go. Hear Mike Riley telling people they were Ironmen, and then had to make that turn to the right to start loop 3. Loop 3 - I was walking, but walking with a purpose. As soon as I got up onto the street, I cam upon a guy who was also walking with a purpose. Not believing myself or my husband at that point, I asked random stranger if he knew that we were OK with the cut-off by walking the last lap. Random stranger was named Jack and he was power walking a 15 minute mile. He had been walking this pace the entire marathon and told me I should walk with him so off we went. Jack was a tall guy so it seemed like for every step he took, I had to take two. But I kept up and the miles started ticking away. My back was feeling better. It was on this loop that I started taking in the cola and chicken broth. OMG, the chicken broth was the most amazing thing ever. I heard about how wonderful it is but until you are in the moment, you cannot comprehend the magnificence that it really is. So Jack and I walked, talked, drank chicken broth and kept trying to figure out if there was any way we could make it under 16. At each mile marker we would look at the time and it soon became very clear that we would be close, but we should make it! One of the coolest things on the last loop. There was a section where we left the road and went on a very wooded path. Once the sun went down, they placed glow necklaces about every 3 feet along the path. It was so dark that you could not see your hand in front of your face, but the glow sticks led the way. It was really cool! Right before hitting the finishing chute, Steve was there! I was so happy to see him. He called my mom and told her to watch the live feed because in less than 5 minutes I would be an Ironman! Once we hit the chute I told Jack to go. He pulled me along that last loop and I wanted him to finish first. Finish - The crowds were so loud. They were yelling my name. Rounded the corner and the lights were so bright. It was an something I never experienced before. Nothing hurt anymore. I started to run...fast. I was high fiving people in the chute. My legs were moving faster than I thought they were capable of, but there was nothing I could do to slow them down. At that moment in time, I had no control over my legs. I heard Mike Riley call my name. Next thing I knew my arms were up over my head and at that moment at 10:51:57 on May 21st, 2011, I was an Ironman. What would you do differently?: Only 1 thing. Slow down at the finish. But like I said, I had no control over what my legs were doing at that point! Post race
Warm down: Had my own 2 personal catchers. Thanks so much Scott and Whizzzzz for not letting me hit the ground! Got my medal, shirt and hat. Some water and lots of hugs. So many great friends there to congratulate me. I felt so amazing at that moment. Walked around to try to keep from tightening up. Got a burrito but was not able to eat it. The Sprite was good though. Got my morning bag and Steve went to get my T bags while I got a quick massage. Walked back to the hotel for a much needed shower. Scott called and offered to pick us up some food. THANK YOU SO MUCH. Ended up with Whataburger at 1am. Managed about half a chicken sandwich but all of the fries! There are so many people who made it possible for me to do this. All of you down in The Woodlands, my friends at home tracking me. My mom. My dad looking down on me and keeping me safe even though he would think, and these would be his words, that I was f---ing out of my mind. But especially my best friend, biggest supporter and world's greatest husband. If it weren't for some very bad luck, we should have been crossing the finish line together. But things happen and you deal the best you can. Having Steve's support during this journey made it possible. What can you say about a man who drove 90 miles while we trained on the bike course during a practice ride making sure we had everything we needed to keep riding. A guy who met me in the middle on countless long runs with fresh water and nutrition. This is his victory as much as mine, and someday I promise to return the favor. What limited your ability to perform faster: Considering I was figuring on a 16:59:59 finish, I do not think there were many limiting factors. Yes it was hot but I hydrated and used the cold sponges to keep cool. My back hurt but in reality I walked almost as fast as I "ran". My feet hurt but so did everyone's. So I have to say that nothing limited my ability. I raced to 100% of my potential and there is not a shred of disappointment anywhere. I had a plan and I executed it. I never got over my head. Not once. Event comments: The volunteers were beyond words incredible! This was such an unbelievable experience and I am so glad I did it. I am still sticking to my 1 and done though. Congratulations to all my friends who toed the line. Whether you finished or your day was cut short by circumstances beyond your control, you are a winner in my eyes! Last updated: 2010-06-25 12:00 AM
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Overall Rank = 1820/
Age Group = 45-49
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Sit down and get comfortable kids, this may be a long read!
I guess my pre-race routine started in June when the race was announced. At the time Steve and I signed up, I had my right leg in a boot after breaking my tibia falling off my bike at a local rally. There had been rumors for quite some time about a Texas Ironman, and we both decided that if it really happened, we had to sign up. So registration opens and we drop our $1200 on entry fees.
Having some idea that the race would be announced, we made our hotel reservations the day before the official announcement. One of the smartest things we did as within a day of registration opening, most of the local hotels were either sold out or had jacked their prices up so high that a Motel 6 was priced like the Four Seasons.
Training started for real in October with the lower volume base building stuff. Nothing too exciting until late November when Steve hurt his back. A few days later we learned the severity when an MRI revealed a severely herniated disk in his back. We both tried to be optimistic for a few days. A steroid shot was scheduled and we hoped for the best. We did not get what we hoped for as his pain worsened to the point where a trip to the ER led to back surgery 2 days later. At that point, the only thing I cared about was getting him better. Training meant nothing. Fortunately the surgery was a success. The pain was gone but any hopes of being able to race were off the table for him. I considered dropping out at that point. We got into this together. Did I really want to continue on this journey without him? After a lot of soul-searching and many many talks, we decided that I should continue. I knew that just because Steve was not going to be racing, I would not be doing this alone. He was still right there by my side the entire time.
So, training really ramped up. Lots of laps and miles. Early morning runs and swims and late nights on the trainer. One of the best things to happen was meeting Shannon Puphal (spuphal). We spent lots of time together over the weeks leading up to the race. Lots of time going around and around at TMS and back and forth on the Trinity Trail. We went through a lot together. Severe sunburns, insane winds, falls, almost falls, flats, parking tickets, car break ins, car problems... the list goes on and on but I am sure that having a partner in crime made me a better, stronger triathlete.
OK, forward through all the training to May 19th. Headed down to The Woodlands at about 7:30am. Straight to the Expo to register. No one in line! Buzzed through in about 10 minutes with all my stuff. They set up the registration like a ride at Disney World. After picking up your stuff they funnel you straight into the IM shop! Poked around a little. You have to buy something right. The line was so long that I sent Steve to wait in it while I shopped. Ended up getting 2 water bottles, a hat and some stickers. In line ran into Andrew (Big Red). Had not seen him in about 4 years so it was great to catch up. Haley (Comet) and Kurt met us there. I had her race wheel and was hoping that Kurt could get my Garmin to work. (Long story but replaced the battery in my HRM strap and it stopped working).
Thursday night was the Athletes dinner. Food was much better than I was expecting. Mike Riley was great and got to meet lots of other BT'ers (FatyFatFat, TJFry, TriPatrick and Dgunthert). Early to bed and slept pretty good even though the hotel bed felt like I was sleeping on a marshmallow.
Friday was up pretty early to get to the practice swim. I was nervous getting into the water. They said the temp was 77ish but it felt a lot warmer than that. Swam out to the third buoy and back. Had a bit of panic/hyperventilating for the first minute or so but just slowed down and controlled my breathing. After that I was fine. Back to the hotel to shower and get dressed. Then breakfast with Whizzzzz, Coredump and the rest of the crew. Apple cinnamon granola pancakes...YUM! Back to the hotel to pack my transition bags. Steve was going to take the bags and meet me at transition while I rode the bike over. So glad I did as it was not shifting well. A quick stop to the mechanics at the Expo and I was good to go. Best $8 I spent! Dinner at 4 with Shannon and her family, smeador and a few others at Buca de Beppo. Early to bed. Slept great until about 2 then tossed until 4. Up and in the shower. 2 chocolate chip waffles and a bottle of water and off to transition.
Wow, is that enough pre-race info for you? Let's get to the actual race!
So, where did we leave off?
Steve to dropped me off at transition and went back to the hotel to grab his bike so he could easily get from swim start to swim out. Because of road closures it would have actually been quicker to walk from the hotel to transition but who knew?
Got to transition. My tires were fine and did not need air. It was actually pretty cool they had air lines running through transition so people could air their tires. Got water to fill my aero bottle. Attached my Bento Box and made sure all my nutrition was there. I wanted to drop my Garmin in my T1 bag but the line to get to the bags was so long that I just fastened it to my bike. I was at least smart enough to make sure that it was set to bike. Glad I checked because it was set to run! BTW - Kurt did get it to work!!
Walked the mile to the swim start with Steve. Although the walk was not bad, having to lug the special needs and morning clothes bags was a bit of a pain. It would have been better to be able to drop SN at transition. Got right in line for the port-o-potties. Lines were long but there were plenty and it moved quickly. Got body marked. Dropped my morning clothes and ate a bag of Power Gels waiting to get into the water. I was going back and forth since Friday night whether to wear a wetsuit or not. I brought it but decided not to wear it once they said the water temp was 79. I was comfortable yesterday at 77 so knew I would be too warm at 79. Kissed Steve and headed with the rest of the heard into the water. Was in the water probably about 2 minutes before the canon went off. Holy Crap, I am really doing an Ironman!