Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman

Mental preparation for this swim started months before. In December, we're going to Sandals (Jamaica) with Craig (cpjohnson), Amy, Heidi (hdhtri) and Nate. Craig and I made a bet...if I came within 10 minutes of his swim time, he had to get me drinks for the full week. If I didn't come within 10 minutes, I had to get him drinks for the week. Even worse than not winning and actually having to be his waiter while on vacation would be the verbal harassment I'd take.

This was probably the roughest IM swim and my best IM swim to date!
The cannon went off and we didn't have much of a "countdown". The first "out" was so physical. I was getting punched, kicked, hit, clawed. It was crazy! I got kicked in the face and my goggles flipped at one point. Managed to keep it together and get them back on. My navigation was perfect and I was actually drafting off of people. Before I knew it, we were at the bouy to make the turn. I wasn't 100% familiar with the swim course and didn't know how many bouys we had to pass. Made the next turn and was headed back towards the beach. The water was pretty calm, but there was a little chop. You could tell you were getting some help from the waves on the return trip which was nice. When I got close to shore, I could hear Mike Reilly announcing which was cool. It got pretty shallow and I kept swimming as far as I could. I stood up and I could tell my balance was off. I just walked up the beach and over the mat. I saw Nate who had a VIP pass as he was filming on the beach. I walked over the mat and made the turn for the 2nd loop. Again, the water was pretty shallow...to shallow to swim. I walked the 100 yards or so out before starting to swim again. This lap, my plan was to go steady on the way out and then push the return trip. It was definately less physical the 2nd lap as it wasn't so congested. I made the turn at the final bouy and started back to shore. In other IM swims, I usually get bored pretty quickly, but it wasn't the case in this one. I wasn't a huge fan of the saltwater, but the water was a great temp and very clean and clear. I was swimming into shore and it was getting more shallow. You can again, hear the crowds and Mike Reilly. I stood up when I couldn't swim any more and walked up the beach to the timing mat.

Nothing at all. This was my best IM swim to date! And I now have a waiter for Jamaica. ;)

My body wasn't used to standing so I walked up the beach. The wetsuit strippers were awesome and very organized. There was clean water running through shower heads. I barely got dripped on, but kept moving. I now picked up the pace to a jog and heard Sissy, Barb and Bill cheering as I came out of the walkway to get my bag. I found a spot in the changing tent and started getting all my stuff out of my bag. I knew I would be cold if I got on the bike right out of the water so I did a full clothes change into my dry Zoot GU Team jersey and bike shorts. As I was finished, I saw Laura in the tent and were exchanged "nice swims". Got sunscreened before finding my bike and running to the dismount line.

Maybe wear my jersey under my wetsuit. It probably cost me a little time, but I started the bike dry which I was more concerned with.

This was where I thought my day was going to end in a DNF.
I felt good off the start and began to sip water. Brad passed me almost immediately. Laura passed me soon after and then Tim. Since Tim broke his hand a few weeks ago, I was glad to see he not only survived the swim, but had a great time!
Around mile 8, something didn't feel right. I stopped on the shoulder and my rear tire felt soft (not flat yet). I couldn't effing believe this! I am not very confident at changing flats the way it is! And my wheels' rims are thick which make it extra challenging to get the tire off in the first place. I got the wheel off and laid my bike down. I think at one point, my water and GU20 was pouring out of my aerobottle, my timer was beeping for me to eat all while I am trying to change a GD flat tire near a dead bird and a pile of poo. This is fabulous. I tried to remain calm and just work the tire off. I think it took me 20 minutes to get it off. I found a small nail/pin in the tire. Got the new tube in and inflated. As I was getting ready to put the wheel back on, I realized I couldn't find the "nut" for the skewer. I finally found it when a nice athlete by the name of Dave stopped to see if I needed help. He helped me get the wheel back on which in my frazzled state, I couldn't figure out. My tire felt a little soft, but not awful. I really thought my race was going to end at mile 8 of the bike. I got going again, but was very stressed worrying about getting another flat. To keep my mind off of it, I sang all of "100 bottles of beer on the wall". Went over the bridge which was the biggest hill on the course. Right before mile 24ish near the aid station, my rear tire/wheel felt funny again. I stopped at the bottom of the small hill and it was getting soft. I rode to the top and could tell it was getting worse. I just wanted to get to the aid station. At the end, there were 2 volunteers who held my bike while I changed flat #2. They had a floor pump and I thought maybe the tire just needed air which wasn't the case. This time, I managed to get the tire off a lot quicker and found another nail/pin in it. Damn it! I used their pump and got the wheel back on and tried to go. Somewhere while changing my tire, my rear derailiur cable came out of place and we fought for a few minutes to get it back where it was supposed to go. FINALLY on my way now. I was so glad I put an extra tube on my bike on Friday (so I had 3 total). We had quite the headwind for the next stretch and it was hard for me to overcome it mentally. I kept on my nutrition of GU every 30 minutes. And I took a banana at nearly every aid station. We made another turn and got some relief from the wind. Not only was this turning out to be a tough mental ride, but both knees were very achy and my left periformis was complaining. I kept doing math in my head to figure out if I would make the first cutoff. I hit special needs and took my 1 tube and 2 C02 just in case. I told myself after the 2 flats that I paid my dues and would have no other bike issues.
I expected a mat at mile 56, but it wasn't there. The bike course was boring and lonely now. There were few spectators and athletes. I looked forward to each aid station just for a change of scenery. I saw Sissy, Barb and Bill driving around my mile 65. What an awesome sight! I was in a low mental spot then and said I felt awful and never wanted to quit a race more than this one. The OAB was on a bumpy road with a headwind, but that meant I'd get wind relief on the return trip. Hit the turn around and soon after, my stomach wasn't feeling well. I had an awful side stitch and couldn't ride aero. I kept sipping water and taking small shots of GU when my watch beeped.
The miles of the 2nd half were going by so much faster! I went over the bridge and knew I had around 10 miles left. I hit the final road and it seemed to never end! I didn't remember it being that long in the beginning! I FINALLY started to feel good around mile 105. I was now holding a decent pace and could ride aero. I took a final hit of GU and saw the Waffle House for my final turn. I was almost in tears. I was so happy to have made it off the bike! I snaked through the chute and heard Barb, Bill and Sissy yelling and cheering at the dismount line. I never wanted to see my bike again. And I was never happier to run a marathon.

Not get 2 flats. Or change them faster. I knew how to do it, but just couldn't work the tire off.
I also wouldn't hold the wheel between my knees to pry off the tire. I have numerous huge black and blue marks from the wheel.

I ran to grab my T2 bag and jogged into the tent. I had another awesome volunteer helping me. Changed my shorts, socks and shoes along with my GU flasks. I hit the port-o-potty before leaving the TA. As I crossed the mat, I saw Nate filming who made some jokes about my wheels.

Hustle.

I filled my water bottle at the first aid station at the start of the run and hit my watch for an 8 minute run: 2 minute walk intervals. I felt great from the get go and was hoping the feeling would continue. I saw Craig who congratulated me on winning our bet. I then saw Brad who looked good, despite how he really felt. I saw Heidi and Laura all really close to eachother. I kept going with the 8:2 and took GU every 30 minutes. There were a few times in the beginning of the run that my stomach just wasn't happy. I took some extra time to walk and get my stomach under control. I was starting to worry about Tim since I hadn't seen him yet. I finally saw him and he, just like everyone, looked strong. My goal for the first loop was to get out of the park before sunset. I didn't want to run the park twice in the dark. I hit the turnaround and still felt really good...keeping up with the 8:2 thing. I wasn't sure how long it would last, but just took it mile by mile. The crowds were awesome! The aid stations were well stocked and had grapes which were so good! My favorite spectator spot was these women dressed up in sexy little costumes. One had a whip which was hitting people's asses. Too funny! The sun had set, but the temp was still nice. I hit mile 8 and told myself I had 18 left. At each significant mile mark, I remembered back to when I had a strong training run at that distance. The last 1.5 miles before the 1/2 way turn around were awesome! Running down S. Thomas was great...lots of lights and cheering fans! I saw our group along the fence right near the mat, but couldn't get over to say hi as the finishers were running that way. I hit the half way mat and still felt awesome! I grabbed a long sleeved shirt and food out of my SN bag and kept going. I thought the 2nd loop would be mentally hard, but it was suprisingly pleasant! I stopped to pee at mile 15 and my body was in a little shock from not moving. I saw Craig 2 more times which was nice to see a familiar face. I made it to the park and told myself I just had 6.55 left. I am awful at math under normal conditions, let alone during a race. But I thought I had a shot at breaking 15 hours. I had cola at mile 21 and stayed with the grapes and GU. I was soon down to 5 miles. In my past 2 IMs, I am walking by mile 6 and the rest of the marathon is a death march. Here I am still running!!! I hit mile 23 and knew I had about a 5k left. I thought that even if I was running/walking 13 minute miles, I could break 15. I hit mile 24 and could hear Mike Reilly. At mile 25, I ditched my long sleeved t-shirt (never ended up using it) along with my GU flasks. I decided I was going to run the last 1.2 miles and ditch the 8:2 intervals. I made the left turn onto South Thomas and felt so good! The crowds were screaming so loudly, blowing horns and ringing cow bells! I could see the huge Gatorade bottle and kept a steady pace so I wouldn't "die" in the last mile. I passed a few people and was finally in the chute! There were 2 people in front of me who slowed down considerably. I put on the breaks a bit so the volunteers could put a new finishers tape across. It was so loud and exciting in the chute!!! I saw Nate filming on my left as I crossed the line! IM #3 down!!

Nothing at all. I freaking rocked this run! It was a marathon PR by 13 minutes and an Ironman PR by about an hour 22 minutes!

A volunteer took my chip and gave me a space blanket along with my hat, finishers shirt and medal. He helped me over to the photo area and I got my picture taken with my medal. I found my family and friends and then headed over to the massage tent. Also had the most delicious chocolate milk after the massage (thanks Heidi)!


Two GD flat tires.


Being my 3rd IM, I expected to have good and bad points of the day. I had a great swim! The bike was mentally challenging. I only felt good from miles 1-8 and miles 105-112. I kept waiting to have a "high point" on the bike, but it didn't really happen. Maybe that's why I had such a good run. I felt like I didn't ride to my potential and took it out on the run. Usually the run is my weakest leg where it is both mentally and physically tough and I throw my nutrition out the window, but not this race. I felt amazing the entire run and never once hit a low point!
Looking back on the day, it was a good race. As said in the 2004 Kona trailer, "You can usually think of at least one hundred reasons why you should actually stop, but there is always one reason why you should keep going".