Ironman Arizona - TriathlonFull Ironman

The swim wasn't quite as physical as previous IM swims. Of course there was the hand/arm contact and the occasional getting swim over, but all in all, it wasn't bad. Things thinned out quickly and I just settled in. I was unsure how the swim would go since I haven't felt good in the water for the last month+. My arms and shoulders were burning early on and I was thinking, "oh this is going to be a long swim". I got warmed up and settled into a pace. It was hard to find feet to draft as I felt people were spread out. My navigation was pretty good, but not perfect. I wore tinted goggles and between the dark water and the sun not being really up, sighting was a little difficult at times. Luckily, the buoys were large and they had enough of them. We hit the Rural Road bridge and I thought the turn around was right past that. Nope...a few more yellow buoys before hitting the red "turn" buoy and then the next one to head back down the lake. My breathing was consistently on every 3rd stroke and I felt relaxed and strong in the water. My arms weren't feeling heavy or tired and I just worked my way back down the lake. I jusst continued to remind myself what Kim would tell me - to take long, deep, strong strokes. I had to pee so badly and luckily was able to pee while swimming...not an easy thing to do. Things got a little congested as we swam under the bridges as we were nearing the final turn buoy. I didn't look at my watch all swim until this point where I saw 1:02. I nearly died! I couldn't believe I was that fast! This gave me some extra wind in my sail to have a strong final kick to the swim exit. Hit the stairs and grabbed a volunteers hand to help me up.

I'm not really sure here. I went comfortably hard during this swim. I guess I could always go harder, but an IM swim is long not sure if it would be worth it. For some reason, I just haven't felt good in the pool recently and was a little concerned going into the swim. This is a new feeling for me since the swim is typically my strong suit. Given that fact and the water temperature, I'm really happy with the swim time. It's only 1:30 off my IM swim PR (IMFL 2008). I wasn't ever too cold and very happy I borrowed a full sleeved wetsuit (thanks, Shelly). Just like in any IM swim, there were parts where I was a little bored, but this swim went by the fastest of any previous IM swim. Overall, I'm really happy with how it went.

Oooh...frozen feet! Worked my sleeves off and ran to a wetsuit stripper. Suit got a little caught on my heels, but they were great and just yanked it off and helped me up. Kind of a long run along the outskirts of the TA to the T1 bag and changing tent. I saw Sissy and Sean (not sure who else was there) along the fence yelling I was the second one out of the water. I couldn't believe it! Wow...awesome! Walked a little to get my breathing under control. Got my bag and jogged as I started to untie it. My volunteer in T1 was trying to be helpful, but was a little clueless. I did appreciate having her there to put things back in my bag. Due to the water temp, I decided to swim in a swimsuit and change into my tri top and shorts in T1 so I'd be dry. I knew this would mean some extra time, but given how cold I was during Syracuse 70.3 and TTT, it was more important to me to be dry. Turned my Garmin on in T1 and had a signal by the time I was at the bike start. Peed in T1, on with tri top and shorts, socks, shoes helmet, arm warmers and sunglasses. Chamois buttered and I was off. Got some sunscreen on my arms/shoulders as I ran out of the tent. A volunteer pointed me down the correct row and I got my bike and ran to the bike start. Anthony passed me in TA and we exchanged "good lucks".

Hustle more. I could have saved some time by just wearing my tri top and shorts for the swim.

Love the crowds at the bike start! Started out with a comfortable pace and didn't push it too hard. Knew we had a tail/cross wind on the way out which meant a headwind on the return trip to home. I set my watch timer to beep every 30 minutes to remind me to eat. I started drinking a bottle of GU20 immediately. Skies were overcast and temps weren't bad, but I was a little chilly. I was waiting to have Brad and Laura pass me, but realized a few miles out of town that they must have beat me out of T1. The nice thing about the 3 loop OAB course is that our group would see eachother a lot out there. Craig passed me on the Beeline and we exchanged some words...nice to see a familiar face out there. Saw Tim, Brad and Laura heading back to town and gave a yell. Hit the turn around and had a headwind. Luckily, I was prepared for it and while it was pretty strong, I just stayed aero and kept moving forward. Saw Nate on this section and was so happy everyone was on the course. Continued to eat GU every 30 and 3 salt tabs every hour. I was mixing the GU20 concentrate in my aerobottle w/ water from the course. Came back into town and saw Sissy + all and then Amy/Heidi and the kids. What a great pick me up! Loved, loved, loved the energy of this section!
Lap one down...two more to go. Nice tailwind for the way out again. Was soon passsed by the male pros and eventually Chrissie. Simply amaszing! I passed Craig on the Beeline again and we were singing and joking. We both said we had to pee, but saw the lines at the port-o-potties. I tried to pee on the bike, but just couldn't do it. Maybe if I had hills so I could coast and not pedal, I may have been able to do it.

It's weird how different the weather in town was versus the turn around. Town was typically sunny and breezy while the turn around was cloudy, kinda dark and windy. Soon before the turn around at mile 56, it started raining. I previousy took my arm warmers off and had them on my aerobars. The wind was blowing and it started to rain harder and was getting cold. I made the U turn and was now being pelted with a steady/stiff headwind and rain and hail in my face. No line at the port o potties here so I stopped to pee and put my arm warmers back on. I knew I'd be cold going into the rain with the wind. The wind on the second lap was so much worse than the first lap. I just told myself to keep pedaling, stay areo and continue feeding. It is amazing that despite the crazy conditions, I was mentally in such a good spot. I kept taking myself back to all of the tough rides I had - whether it be because of hills or wind or riding solo. I was able to pull from my training and use it in such a good way on race day. I actually found myself riding into the headwind and rain singing and smiling. Seriously - who was this?! This was so different than any previous past Ironman. I remember Kim telling me during training that we were training to make race day seem easy. And here I was on race day having a fantastic time and smiling ear to ear.

Got to special needs at round mile 65 and stopped to get more chamois butter. Not sure if the volunteer minded me relubing right there in front of her, but oh well. Also got really nice cards from Amy and Kim and it was a nice lift and also remember all of the people watching and cheering us on from the east coast.

I wasn't feeling great starting the day before the race and had cold medicine with me that I took on the way back into town. I wasn't feeling really sick during the race (head/throat/nose), but moreso took it as a precaution.

Came back into town and saw our cheering groups again. On the way back out, I yelled to Sissy that the headwind back into town was fucking brutal. Saw Tim, Brad and Laura nearing the end of their last loop and while they were riding into the wind, they were freaking crushing it! Uneventful third lap. Started to get a side stitch and dialed the GU20 back a little and that seemed to help. Hit the final turn around and the wind wasn't as bad as the 2nd lap, but was still strong and a mix of a cross wind. I stopped again to pee since there was no line and heard the volunteer say the wind was blowing up to 30 mph. Wow! The third lap had a lot less athletes. I told myself I had to stay aero on the way back into town, despite how over I was being in the saddle. It was a nice thought to know I was on the final lap. And here I was...still singing Buffett, smiling and having a great time. The wind got a lot worse the last few miles into town as the direction shifted between the 2nd and 3rd laps. At times, I was barely going 10 mph. Got back to town and saw Sissy and the rest of our group screaming and cheering like crazy. It was such a great feeling to see them and know I was getting off the bike. Gladly went straight to the TA instead of following the sign that said "to laps 2 and 3". And even happier to hand my bike off to the volunteer.

Not sure. I rode conservatively based on the wind and wanted to have legs to run after getting off the bike. My splits were really consistent so I am really happy with the pace. I'm even happier with where I was mentally. No real dark moments on the bike at all which is so very different than any previous IM bike leg. I am sure part of it was seeing friends on the course, but I know a lot of it has to do with the training, both mental and physical, I put in leading up to the race.

Miles 1-37: 15.83 mph average
Miles 37-74: 15.33 mph average
Miles 74-112: 15.77 mph average

Got into T2 and legs were feeling good. A volunteer grabbed my bag and I started to untie it as I ran into the tent. Stopped at the port-o-pottie before going into the tent and continued to untie my bag while peeing. Had a great volunteer who dumped my bag out and asked what I needed. Changed into the FeXY tri shorts, put body glide on feet and arms, on with running socks and Newtons. Had 2 GU flasks, one in each pocket along with salt tabs in one pocket and a ziplock bag of meds in another. Read Kim's card which was again a nice pick me up. Filled my water bottle in the tent and then hit the road running.

I guess hustle again. I feel like that's the story of my life in transitions. Truth is, I wanted to be comfortable for the run and if that meant taking a little extra time to change shorts and body glide, so be it.

Plan was to run from the start and walk the aid stations. The crowds around the TA were just awesome! My Garmin was reading my pace to be ~10:10 and I kept trying to slow down knowing it was a long day. I hit the first aid station and walked. My stomach wasn't settled, but my legs felt great. I was also having some trouble taking a deep breath. Not sure if it was because I wasn't feeling sick or what. I tried to start running again, but my stomach just wasn't happy. My left achilles was starting to bother me a little so I popped two Tylenol Arthritis. I was still on the schedule to eat every 30 minutes as my watch beeped. Despite my stomach issues, I knew from previous IM experience I needed to continue to eat. I've been on that derailed train before and by no means wanted to go back there. After crossing the bridge with the lights and going near the TA, I saw Heidi and Amy with the boys. I stopped to chat with them and it was so awesome to have them on the sidelines cheering (although I am really excited for Heidi to be back with us in 2011). Saw Brad running the other way and gave a yell before starting on my way again. Around mile 5, I saw Sissy, Sean and Mr. Straub. I was complaining to Sissy about my stomach and she said, "you need to keep eating" which I knew. Somewhere between mile 6-7, I readjusted my run plan as I was having a hard time running the full mile between aid stations. I switched to running 8 minutes and walking 2. I had my intervals set and ready to go on my watch and knew this plan worked for me in past marathons and IM runs. It was absolutely liberating when I decided to do the 8/2. My stomach finallly got settled and I was running feeling awesome! I was having a great time, smiling, singing, thanking volunteers. I circled back to finish lap 1 and saw our cheering crews again. Having friends and family on the sidelines was the best. I can't express how uplifting it was to have them there. I know the day of an Ironman spectator is exhausting, but I really appreciate them more than they know. It was also great to hear Brad, Tim and Laura were having good races and Craig and Nate were off the bike.

Start of lap 2 and I was still feeling good. I was grabbing cups of ice at the aid stations as I was getting warm. I continued to use my waterbottle on my head to keep my temperature down. Also continued to eat and take salt tabs (2 every hour). For the most part, I kept with the 8/2. At some aid stations, I would take some coke or Ironman Perform and walk a little extra to keep things from feeling sloshy. Got to the Ford Inspiration Station and read Brad's message to me "Captain says to rum harder". Love it! Crossed the bridge to finish the first half of lap 2 and saw Heidi, Amy and the boys again. I was having such a great time out there and stopped to chat for a minute or two. On the second half of lap 2, I found myself really thirsty, despite sipping water from my running water bottle. I was drinking a decent amount of Perform at each aid station and really craved the salt. As I was finishing my second lap, I saw Sissy and Brad (with his finishers medal). I stopped to talk and was in such good spirits, joking around and ready to attack lap 3. Finished lap 2 and running by the finishers area knowing I was on my last lap gave me a burst of energy. I thought I'd hate the 3 lap course, but actually really enjoyed it and was able to mentally break it up into smaller pieces.

By the time I was on my third lap, there were a lot more people walking. And here I was...still running while doing the 8/2. I was feeding off the energy of the crowds and in a weird way, was getting so much energy from the people walking knowing I was still running strong. At each aid station, I was smiling and thanking every volunteer I could. Crossed the bridge with the lights to finish the first part of lap 3 and was feeding off the crowd. First saw Amy, Heidi and the kids and then saw Brad and Sissy. I stopped to talk to them and was at mile 20.5 knowing I had less than a 10k left. I was feeling good and ready to have an IM PR in the books. I said I'd see them at the finish line and kept on running. I saw Craig at around mile 22 and while he was walking, he looked happy and seemed to be in good spirits. We exchanged words and hand slaps. Ran through the aid stations, one of which was playing Tone Loc's Funky Cold Medina and I couldn't help but smile, sing along and think of Ernie.

Hit the next aid station where everyone was dressed up as cops, prisoners, hookers, etc. Loved it...but kept on running. It was great to have volunteers, spectators and athletes tell me I was looking strong and running great. Hit Rural Road bridge for the final 2 miles and ditched my GU flasks. On the final gravel section, I passed Nate walking finishing his 2nd lap. I didn't realize it was him until he yelled for me. I got him to run for a litte with me. Saw Bill, Nate's dad, who was telling me the clock was at 13:30. Saw Amy and Heidi right near the TA and threw them my water bottle. I started to get teary eyed at this point (and am actually tearing up as I type this). I kept telling myself I couldn't cry because if I did, I would have trouble breathing when I ran. Smiling ear to ear, I ran on the left side of the path which pointed in the direction of the finish. The people lining this section were great!! I could see the lights and sounds of the finish line for nearly the entire run and here I was. It was my time. Before making the final turn for the chute, I turned around to make sure no one was behind me. I made the turn and the lights and cheers were just amazing. There is no place on earth quite like the finish line of your Ironman. I saw Tim, Laura and Mr. Straub screaming on the front row and ran over to give them a high 5. I ran down the chute soaking it all in, smiling ear to ear and knowing I earned every second of my 1:14:37 PR.

Not sure if starting with the 8/2 from the start would have mattered. Similar to the bike leg, I am in complete awe on how good I felt mentally and phsically. Yes, the marathon was hard phsically, but it was so different than previous IM runs. And despite some brief dark points in the first 6 miles of the run, the last 20 were awesome. I was having fun and positive the entire time. Another first for me. So, overall, I'm really happy with the run. I would have liked to have a faster time, but am pleased with how I felt. I was able to draw from the energy of the crowds and our cheering section along with the people watching back home and all of the training miles I've logged.

Volunteers got me a space blanket, my medal, hat, shirt, etc and a picture. I immediately found Laura, Tim, Mr. Straub, Sissy and Brad and was crying I was so happy with how the day went.
Got morning clothes, our T1 and T2 bags and bikes. Brad and Sissy waited in the tri bike transport line as I got a massage and food. We all went back to the house to shower and change. Me, Brad, Tim and Laura returned to the finish line to meet up with Amy and Heidi and to wait for Craig and Nate to finish. This was the first IM I was able to actually shower and return to the finish. What an awesome time! Mike Riley, Chrissie Wellington and Lindsay Corbin were in the chute dancing and cheering on the finishers. We were singing, dancing, cheering (and the boys were drinking). Simply an awesomely fun time!! Watched Craig and then Nate finish and we hung out until 12 to see the last finisher before going to In-N-Out Burger for post-race food.


The day went as planned. Everyone would have been faster if there was less wind on the bike, but it was an even playing field.


Despite the cost, WTC knows how to put on a spectacular race. No detail is forgotten. More importantly, the ability to race with Brad and our friends is absolutely priceless. We all had great days out there which made everything a little sweeter.

As you're out on the IM course, you have a lot of time to think and reflect. Before going into the race, I questioned whether or not I really wanted to continue to do the IM distance. And during the race, I decided that the answer is yes.

This was an interesting season. Doing a late IM adds some new challenges with training. I was also self-coached from the end of April through the end of July. Since the beginning of August, I was working with Kim and can remember our first meetings where I got the first 2 weeks, and freaking out at the volume and intensity. I learned so much about myself during my training from August through race day. I realized I am stronger than I think and can endure more than I think. I have never worked so hard for something as I did for this Ironman. Looking back, I know that all of those long, hard, intense training workouts made race day that much easier. I've never felt so prepared or confident going into a race. Every previous IM had many low points in the day...and you know you'll pull yourself out of them. IMAZ had so few low points that I actually surprised myself with how positive I was all day. I had an absolute blast out there. IMAZ was by far the most fun Ironman I've done to date - not because of the course, but because of how the race went for me. I was excited to race, confident and finished feeling really great about how the day went. Race day left me energized and really looking forward to what is in store for 2011. In the past, I often set low goals for myself so I didn't disappoint myself. I've since learned to raise the bar and expect more from myself.

In the 3 short months of working with Kim as my coach, I can't imagine not having a coach. While I understand it isn't for everyone, I was able to achieve so much more than I ever thought possible. I put the time and energy in over the course of trianing and was able to enjoy the entire day on race day. When I started racing this distance in 2006, the goal was to just finish. And to a certain degree, that is still the ultimate goal today. The difference is where I am at today versus not just in 2006, but how far I've come in this season alone. Onward to 2011...