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 Swim
Comments: Well, that was the worst swim I've ever had! After swimming 1 hour at LP, I didn't think I would slow down this much- but, when you take the scenic route around, I guess this is what happens! My only attempt to be even remotely close to the buoys was just too violent, and too frustrating, so I stayed way to the outside. Even then, I had someone on my feet the entire swim. My body is not buoyant, and I am not a confident swimmer, so any time these people hit my feet and calves, they really threw off my positioning. I kept trying to get away from them, but it just was a losing battle. The swim itself is pretty gorgeous. The ocean has 100% clarity, and even at the deepest spot- almost 1.2 miles into the ocean (but sort of diagonally)- you can see all the way to the sandy bottom. That part made me happy :) The taste, ugh- not so good on a sore throat! We will just forget about this swim, mmmkk? What would you do differently?: Swim with a wetsuit :)  Transition 1
Comments: When I saw the time coming out of the water, I almost sat down and cried. I was crushed, and the first thoughts of a DNF trickled into my brain. I got into the changing tent and still had 2 wonderful volunteers help me out, despite the fact that I was practically the last person out of the water. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my race belt, so I had my number pinned to my jersey. It took a very long time to get that on. Wow, do NOT forget a race belt!! Sunglasses on, sunscreen on (almost everywhere!), out to get my bike. What would you do differently?: Not realize you forgot your race belt 20minutes AFTER the expo closes.  Bike
Comments: The first part of the bike course was exhilarating. I felt like we were in the TdF- there were spectators everywhere! They were lining the streets, pushing onto the course, cheering everyone on- cowbells, yells, loudspeakers- so much excitement!! There was one big hill, then a turn, then you are out onto the Queen K. Riding on this road was awesome. Such smooth pavement! The scenery is cool too- you get the lava fields in your immediate surroundings, then to your left is the ocean, and to your right are the mountains. Up ahead- lots of cyclists! The aid stations were constant, which was a good thing because I think I drank 10 gallons of water! After the excitement wore off, I battled a lot of negative thoughts for the first 30 miles of the course. If I weren't doing an Ironman, I would've been curled up on my couch, watching movies and eating comfort food. Hmm...almost the same! Ha! The more positive part of my brain was creeping in, though, and reminding me of all the people out there supporting me. I had worked SO hard to get to this race, and SO many people were thinking about me, cheering for me, and were so SO proud of my accomplishments. I had to stop the self pity and just FINISH this race! When we turned to start the section to Hawi, I had a new force to battle- THE WIND. I could finally focus both positive and negative energy to battling my nemesis. It worked like a charm :) The most important thing to say about this section of the race is that I am truly grateful to be alive, and have all of my skin still attached to my body. That was the scariest ride I've ever done. I LOVED the headwind- so predictable, so steady- I was just staying aero and pushing forward, passing tons of people, but there was hardly any of it. BAM a huge gust would blow from the other direction and try to slam me and my bike across the lane, into oncoming cyclists. The crosswinds were insane- everyone was on their horns. The pros that were coming back down the climb were all on their horns. At some points, you couldn't even pedal because you had to squeeze your legs together to stay upright on the bike. It as bad as I thought it could be. At least Madame Pele didn't dissapoint! There were two frustrating things (besides the fear of death) about this section. First of all, there was no way to eat or drink, because taking even a pinky off the bars was too risky. Also, it was really difficult to really power through this part, because if you were pedaling, you were just a bit more out of control than simply coasting. And it seemed to last forever. The good news was that I no longer felt sick and knew I could finish the race. After Hawi, I just focused on eating and drinking, but my power was fading and my stomach was in a very bad place. The whole ride actually passed a lot faster than I expected. The first time I glanced at my speed, I couldn't believe that I was averaging almost the same speed as LP, but with 6 fewer watts. Not too bad, considering the struggle! What would you do differently?: Not get sick and fix my stomach! Transition 2
Comments: I don't really remember this part....  Run
Comments: When I got onto the run, I finally felt good. My pace was way too fast starting off, and I kept trying to slow down. It just wasn't happening, so I went with it. Aid stations were constant, and at each one, I grabbed a sponge, took some water, and dumped the rest on my head. I hardly even noticed the heat. The first 8 miles just sort of went by. I saw my parents and Ryan, which was a boost, and the crowd support was great. My stomach was still acting up, and I started to fade way too early. The first clue was when an ocean breeze came by, and I felt freezing cold. Like, goosebumps cold (it was 85 with 90% humidity). You can see the start of my fade in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yltnysNRdW0) hehe- I was really out of it! And I still had almost 16 miles to go :) The rest of the run was just plain hard. I started walking the aid stations to work out my stomach cramps and get my lungs to calm down. My feet hurt like crazy, but I was in a pretty good mood. It was a lot easier to not be racing, but I kept myself from walking too much because I just wanted to be DONE. My stomach finally relented at mile 16 and I was farting for the rest of the run. It was hysterical to get comments back from the other athletes- most were jealous :) Ha! The first part of the run is awesome- tons of crowds, and you're by the ocean. The second half just plain sucks. You are out on the exposed Queen K with the sun beating down and reflecting off the pavement. The only scenery is lava and the only cheering is from the aid stations. It was really pretty brutal- especially because you can see a lot of the course, so you know just how long and far you have to suffer. Welcome to Ironman Hawaii!! :) I finally got close to the finish, and I just hung on and stopped walking. The final mile of was pretty incredible- everyone's still out there screaming and cheering, and you get to just fly down to the finish. I was truly soaking in the moment- waving to everyone in the crowd and high-fiving as many kids as I could. My smile was ear to ear as I crossed the line at Ironman Hawaii!! What would you do differently?: See comments after the bike section Post race
Warm down: Finishing felt amazing. I was happy, upright, not sick and not headed to the med tent! Going slower does have benefits :) After gathering my finisher stuff, I ate some ice cream then found my family. My mom was SO happy I was alive- she had already told Ryan that I should probably quit, and was freaking out about my mental state after seeing me on the run. Poor mom! What limited your ability to perform faster: Whew! That was a hard one! Even though I raced a lot faster at Lake Placid, this race was a greater struggle. Although I've been racing triathlons for 4 years, this was my first year at the Ironman distance. Tackling 2 of them in the span of 2.5 months was an incredible challenge, and I am thrilled to have been able to toe the line, and complete Ironman Hawaii. Thank you to all the BTers out there supporting me and tracking my progress throughout the day. It kept my spirits up, and helped keep me going forward- I didn't want to disappoint my friends and family! And thank you so much to my amazing family for their constant support in my crazy triathlon adventures! This was the best year of my life, and I don't know what could top it. To have the year/season end with Ironman Hawaii and my honeymoon with the love of my life is storybook perfect (well, for me :) ). Thank you, Ryan, for being my absolute best friend in the world, and supporting me through every step of my race and my life. Sunday, after hanging out at the beach with my family, Ryan and I flew to the island of Kaua'i for our real honeymoon :) Event comments: This was simply the best of the best. Everything was done with an incredible amount of professionalism and attention to detail. The volunteers were absolutely incredible- I think they took a training course, or something, because they were seriously perfect. The course itself is stunning in its stark beauty. The ocean is the most gorgeous I've been in. The bike course has LAVA, the ocean, the mountains, and a brutal countryside to destroy your spirits. The run course is, well, unrelenting- no really hard climb, just heat, more heat and no escape from the radiating heat, except to lull you into a walk. It's Ironman Hawaii- it is the world championship. The level of talent here blew my mind more than anything else. Every single person is one of the best in the world, and on race day, they really were- everyone was incredibly fast- I am still in awe of the incredible talent at Kona. What an experience! Last updated: 2010-08-02 12:00 AM
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United States
World Triathlon Corporation
84F / 29C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 1182/1927
Age Group = W25-29
Age Group Rank = 32/46
First and foremost, thank you Coach Jorge. Thank you for getting me here, thank you for your incredible coaching, knowledge, support and friendship. Personal Best Coaching rocks.
Wow! What a year this has been!! A brief recap: The first half of the year was pretty stressful because I had to teach, write a grant, and get a ton of research done for my thesis. Oh yeah, and I was training for Lake Placid, and planning my wedding. It was a blast! In July, Ryan (yeats) and I decided to do our first Ironman together, then get married while still in Lake Placid. It was one of the best weeks of our lives. We had both family and friends around to support us through both events, and to top it off, I qualified for Kona!! Perfect- Hawaii in October is an ideal time for a honeymoon :)
I eagerly signed up for Kona, booked the flights, made plans for our honeymoon, then patiently waited for my mind and body to recover from the first Ironman. It took a LOT longer than I expected- my body felt depleted, and it was getting tougher and tougher to muster the mental energy to train. I also had to work my tail off in order to be able to leave for 11 days without totally screwing up my projects. To get back control, I had to let go of any goals, relax and enjoy every part of the trip to Kona- especially the training.
Luckily I didn't train like a maniac, because on the flight over on Wednesday, I caught a nasty cold that kept getting worse as the race got closer. Yuck! I ignored it completely, and tried to pretend it would just go away....it is now Tuesday, Oct. 19th, and I'm still sick.
My parents came for the race, so they arrived Wed. night. We had a frustrating encounter with Budget, who ran out of cars (even though I had a confirmed, paid reservation), but luckily got a Jeep from Dollar (the manager actually gave me his own company car!). On Thursday, after witnessing the underwear run, I got registered and swam in the bay to get some yummy Coffees of Hawaii. We then took off to see the Volcanoes! We hiked about 4 miles to see a rainforest and a crater formed by the Volcano, and had a blast with the family. On Friday, we got some snorkeling gear and headed to the beach to swim with some fish and relax a bit before the chaos of check-in. Snorkeling was amazing- I could've stayed out there all day, watching the fish, floating in the water, keeping an eye out for sea turtles- it was awesome! I hardly thought about the race, and just enjoyed my time on Hawaii.
The night before the race was pretty bad. My cold finally went full-blown and I was awake a lot of the night coughing because my sinuses were on full force. It was hard to stop the negative thoughts, and I had a real hard time fighting the urge to not start. Once I shook that feeling, I was fully committed to finishing the dang race. Being sick sure helped get rid of my usual pre-race jitters, and I had no problem keeping down my breakfast! Sweet!
Getting to the race site woke me up, and it was very exciting to be surrounded by this insanely talented group of athletes. When we got body marked, they stamped our number on and then filled in the spaces with a marker- so serious! It was great! I got in the water about 5 minutes before it was about to start, and just soaked in the moment of floating in the ocean, watching the Hula dancers, and listening to the crazy crowds cheer us on. Without even a countdown BOOM the cannon went off, and I had to survive this Ironman!