Ironman Wisconsin - TriathlonFull Ironman

whew! I love the swim and was still wary of my first mass swim start. Lined up on the front line to the left of the ski ramp. After hearing others' stories, would recommend this spot. It was crowded most of the way, but managed to get into a tempo that felt comfortable. Kept to the inside of the buoys and then paid the price when turning the corners. First lap felt good, but the leg cramp hit 2nd lap when I stopped to adjust my goggles. Thankfully, the wet suit gave me some help to float while I stretched it out. Both legs continued to threaten for remainder, but just kept flexing my feet to stretch out the calves and that helped a lot.

Figure out how to swim 2.4 miles without leg cramps. Happened in IMKY too.

So much fun! Knew I should take it easy going up the helix, but that crowd was having none of it! They were awesome and I felt like a rock star.

Quick change with the help of Mary Frances into my dry bike stuff, slathered with sunscreen, and down the transition to my bike. Didn't put shoes on until I got there- smart move. Too long to hobble in my cleats.

I had heard the stories and read the book, so was prepared for a hilly course. I train on hills, so it actually wasn't that bad. The crowds on Old Saulk, Timber and Middleton are AMAZING!!! They somehow managed to iron out those pesky hills. Stopped to pee at Mt Horeb 2x. Nutrition was good- but started to lose interest in shot blox around mile 80. Kept at it, and the crowd support kept me smiling through it all. Noticed the wind picked up on the 2nd lap, but it gave us a nice push in for the last stretch. Note- last few miles are pretty tricky when you've been out there for 6 hours. Had a reminder to keep my head in the game until I could pass the bike off at the top of the helix.

I left a lot of calories on my bike (like 1/2)- oops!

Again, amazing volunteer helper (Amy) who was gracious as I stripped off the bike shorts, threw on the run shorts, slicked up my feet and dashed out.

I knew coming off the bike, that the run would be a challenge. I was having a great day- well ahead of my projected times, so I felt good, but wondered, "when is it going to hit me?" First few miles were 8:30 pace- way too fast to maintain. Held off walking for the first 4 miles, then started to take short breaks here and there. Just kept telling myself to take it easy- there's still a lot of ground to cover. It was warm, so water and ice at every aid station. Managed to suck down 1/2 a Gu at mile 4 and that helped. Camp Randall loop was fun and then out to the lake and around campus. Wow! beautiful, shady section and then the hill. Walked up it and then to State St. You can't walk it- the crowd simply won't let you do it. Had a blast down that stretch and then back to the lake and into town to finish loop 1. Turnaround didn't bug me much- at least we're getting closer to the finish right? Started to realize that I may have a shot at breaking 12 hours- well ahead of my expectations. Tried to pick it up on the 2nd loop, but the pace wasn't going to get me there. Remembered all of the hours and months training and that helped keep me focused and positive. Finally saw my parents and hubby at State St- huge lift! Hit mile 20 and thought- 1 mile for every month of training. Talked to a few folks, saw all of my training partners, and kept moving forward. Hit State St for the final time, and the crowd just pushed me up that hill, around the Capitol and down the chute. Had adjusted my goal to 12:15- and saw the clock ticking down. Made the decision to slap every hand I could see and savor the moment. Missed it by 6 seconds, but well worth it.

start out slower!

Learned a valuable lesson at IMKY- you must walk around after race! Found my family, downed a few diet cokes, got the post race massage (thank you Jessica!) and collected bags and bike.


2nd IM race and it was awesome! The crowd support in Madison is truly amazing. IMKY was good, but this was truly incredible. The energy level from the volunteers and crowd kept me going and made me smile the entire time.