Ironman Coeur d'Alene - TriathlonFull Ironman

SUMMARY: loved the swim!! :) choppy/wavey, but clean path the whole way through. slow, but LOVED it...really enjoyed myself!

PLAY BY PLAY:
i think i had the cleanest swim in ironman history. what washing machine? what kicks to the face? what goggles coming off? seriously...NONE of that. so the course is counter clockwise. i breathe right. plan #1 - swim inside the bouys so i can sight right. plan #2 - when canon goes off, wait on the beach for :45 so i don't get caught up in the craziness that is ironman swim starts. plan execution - flawless! seriously. the first lap, really nothing notable happened. the water was cool and choppy, but i had practiced in it and was ready for both. in fact, i really loved the feel of the cold water on my face each time i put it back in the water. i sighted great. i swam relatively straight. when there were feet in front of me, i'd draft for a bit. all in all...clean with the exception of around the bouys, but i expected that. got out of the water at 47 minutes to start my second loop. i was pleased with that, seeing as swimming usually freaks the crap out of me. :) i looked for my family, but goggles were foggy, sun was shining and i really didn't have loads of time :). they said they saw me...but i missed them. :( second loop, pretty much a repeat of the first, but not as crowded around the bouys. slower...and i knew that, because i felt it...but i didn't care. before i knew it, i was making my way toward the finish. are you kidding me? i finished the swim? it's almost time for my favorite part? i'm in heaven!! absolute euphoric heaven at the fact that this most nerve wracking part is almost over and i ENJOYED it...holy crap!! :) :) :) got out of water and smiled the whole way up the beach....i was DONE WITH THE SWIM!! yeah me!

nothing. it was flawless. the only thing i can do is continue to practice to swim faster. but for my swim ability - this was perfect.

SUMMARY: todd, jenny and beth were waiting for me after my suit was stripped with big JJ signs and i woo hoo'ed and yelled and smiled to them. LOVED them being there. volunteers in the tent are AWESOME!

PLAY BY PLAY:
i run up the beach, onto the grass and there is a LINE of volunteers. my wetsuit is half way down and i run up to the volunteers yelling 2205, 2205. i get one guy who is motioning for me to run over - so i run over to him and say 2205. he says - wetsuit. i look down and OH YEAH...they're wetsuit strippers, NOT bag grabbers! DUH!! i started laughing and told them i forgot. they got a kick out of me! i dropped down and off went the wetsuit. grabbed it and started running to get my t1 bag. all of a sudden i hear "JJ, JJ over here"...i look to my left and there are Todd, Jenny and Beth yelling at me...i started woo hoo'ing to them, raising my arms and smiling...i was so happy to be done with my swim...and even happier that they were there waiting for me!! i wanted them to know that i was really really happy...i think i made it clear!! :)

got into the tent and Ronnie, my volunteer, helped me out. she didn't dump my bag bc the grass was wet and she didn't want my stuff to get wet, so she went through it with me asking what i needed. she was awesome. she put my compression socks on me, my real socks, my shoes, my arm warmers, got all my gu's together for me...just awesome. these people are the best. i am soooo totally volunteering sometime at one of these because they make the day so much easier for the athlete. they were awesome. put my jacket on bc it was threatening rain and a little bit cool out and figured i could always take it off...and off i went. less than 10 minutes...even though i predicted 8...and i was out of there. got my bike, ran out and again, on my left here "GO JJ, GOOOOOOOO JJ!" there were todd, jenny and beth again. AWESOME...how FUN to have my favorite people there waiting for me and making themselves known! this is going to be a great day!!!! :) :) :)

nada. dude, it was my first im change tent...had no clue what to expect and wanted to be warm out in that cold wind. was perfect!

SUMMARY: flat at mile 5 on tubular 808's. used fix a flat to get it going again. 10 - 15 minute delay. flat again at mile 80 going uphill. used my 2nd can of fix a flat i took out of my special needs bike bag, got back on, made it up the hill to the next aid station where we ripped of the tubular and put on the spare tubular that i carried with me. 30 - 40 minute delay, i think, but really, i lost track of time.

PLAY BY PLAY:
get on my bike and am ecstatic. i cannot wait to ride the fox. i get 5 miles into my bike and here thud thud, thud thud. i think...NOOOOOOOO and look back at my rear wheel. i can't really see anything while i'm riding and the thud thud goes away. it's at that point that dude passing me says "back tire looks a little low..." i say thanks, think shit and pull over. yep....low. not blown, good news, but lllloooowwww! so i whip out the fix a flat, throw it on the stem and voila...all better. hmph. i pull out a co2 cartridge, just to make sure it's as filled as possible and i think SWEET! i'm in! here's the thing...i surprised myself a little at my calmness in this situation. i was ONLY 5 miles into the bike and i got a low tire and could've easily been pissed. but my brain, for some reason, was very rational and thought...try everything you can first, then get pissed. well, the everything i can worked...so back on the fox i got and rode away. just hoping that it would last.

another 3 miles down the road and i hear "GOOOOO JJ" to my left. i woo hoo them, smile and yell "already had to use the fix a flat..." just so they were up to date. heard todd yell NNNNOOOOOOOO! but i gave the fist pump to let them know all was well...and went on my merry way!

i had a nice tailwind on nice flat surfaces out to the golf course and was really enjoying my ride. got to the golf course and knew that's where the hills started. braced myself and just went with what was around each corner. felt pretty decent. i knew they were going to be tough, but i also knew that there were downhills and flats to get myself back in check after going uphill, so i wasn't too worried. i chatted a lot along the course with both other athletes and the volunteers. it was fun. leap frogged back and forth with a couple different people and got their stories. it was fun and i was truly soaking in every moment.

all of a sudden, up one of the climbs, i hear my favorite "GOOOO JJ" and see my JJ signs begin held up ahead. SERIOUSLY? they came out to the hills to cheer me on? THEY ARE AWESOME! yep...there they were, todd, jenny and beth...AGAIN...this makes the hills so much nicer. as i'm climbing, we chat a bit - they ask about the flat - i say i think i'm ok - jenny tells me that when i come back around i should give her my jacket - i say ok - then i say bye and i cruise down the downhill. and i start thinking about my jacket...and realize i'm kind of cold still, so i'm going to keep it on! :) did that bit of the loop and get back up to them where they are still waiting for me and thank them again for being there. then it's time to start heading back into town....into the cold headwind. YUK...but it's ok because i train in wind all the time...so...it's time to suck it up and just go...cuz really, what else am i going to do?!?!? :)

make it to special needs, hit the bathroom and grab my needs bag. i look in the bag and low and behold i put another fix a flat in there. go me! i grab it, along with my other stuff and am yet again, on my way. head back out to the hills again. along the way i hear "JEN JEN" and i give a fist pump. john was waiting for me in town and saw me going out for my second loop. awesome. then on government, i saw todd, jenny and beth again and yelled out to them "I'M DOING AN IRONMAN!" i was so happy! i wanted them to know i was so happy!!

around mile 80ish, i'm going up a climb and think i hear another thud thud. NNNNOOOOOOO! i start climbing past a girl and say "does my back tire look low?" she confirms. i ask if i can make it up the hill - she says "no, it's getting lower by the second." shit. so i pull over, on a hill and bust out the SECOND can of fix a flat. make it up the hill to the aid station where i yell out..."bike pump?" dude has one, so i pull over. explain to him what happened, he pumps me up and says i should be ok. i get to the very end of that station and here "tttsssssss" shit...seriously? pull over and yep - effing puncture in the tire. grrrrr. so, i go back to bike pump guy and ask for help. he rips off my tubular, glue and all and starts to put back on the spare one i had been carrying with me. in the meantime, we call for bike support...you know, just in case. 30-40 minutes later and several tears and emotions thinking i'm sooooo close, my new tube goes on and i'm good to go with the warning of "take corners very slowly..." see...i've got no glue on my tubulars and apparently, if i go around corners too fast, my tire can actually just pop off...not good. guess who was cautious?!?!?! :)

up that next hill - my best crew ever was waiting for me with knowledge of what happened. i pulled over to chat with them for a minute and they were soooo encouraging. todd said - you're fixed...your race isn't over...keep going, you're going to do this....and i was...i was fixed, i was going to do this. heard jenny and beth yelling out encouraging words as well and kept all of that in my head. was awesome. made it back around to them again and jenny was yelling how much time i was making up on the people in front of me...she was so cute...they were soooo encouraging and i kept that with me the rest of the way back into town.

the rest of the way back to town i passed a pile of people. made me feel good because at least i still had legs after the hills.

got off the bike with a HUGE smile on my face. bike issues and all, i was well ahead of the cut off and all i had left was 26.2 miles. 26.2 miles and i was joining the club. seriously? holy crap!



stating the obvious here...not flat. BUT - in the big scheme of things i got very lucky. fix a flat worked for 75 miles. i had another can in my special needs bag that i would end up needing - genius move on my part to put it in there and then to grab it. :) also...the puncture happened at the perfect place. i was at an aid station, i was able to call for bike support...it soooo could've been way worse. i took the positives and ran with them and finished the bike with 2 freaking flats. that was going to make my finish so much sweeter.

gail from gorilla sports helped me. that was cool to have a familiar face. we chatted that all her team was accounted for and looking good. we chatted about jenny, my sister in law, cuz she coaches for gail. she was awesome. again, cool to have a familiar face.

completely changed except kept my jacket on...which would later be worth it's weight in gold. sooooo happy to have kept it on!!

bring my puffer with me. didn't think i needed it, but turned out i did.

SUMMARY: i hate the run. felt decent through 12 - walked the last 14. was cold, rainy and i needed to go back into t2 for my puffer bc i was having trouble breathing. todd, jenny and beth were EVERYWHERE and it was my saving grace. they walked a lot with me. jenny for at least 3, beth for at least 8. they got me through it!

PLAY BY PLAY:
got out of t2 and my quads felt like they had been punched a thousand times over. wtf? i've never had this "bruised" like feeling before. every step - walk or run - felt very bad. shit. i jog/walked out to the turn around and thought "this is going to be a long 26.2" it's at this point that i realized that my lungs weren't cooperating and i needed my puffer. shit. i left it in my t2 bag thinking i was ok. grrrr. then i see craig. he's starting his 2nd loop. he stops to talk to me. i cry. yes, i cried. i couldn't breathe and my legs hurt and i had 26.2 miles to go and i didn't want to. he kissed me, gave me some encouraging words and told me he'd get me when he turned around. thankfully, i got to pass t2 on my way out to the main part of the course, so i stopped and grabbed my puffer. i was elated. sucked down two puffs and started to run. my mood immediately lifted. in the meantime, i see john with the video camera cheering for me. poor guy was trying to be encouraging but i was so focused on getting my puffer and my breath back, i couldn't even pretend to be excited! :( i gave him the thumbs down when he asked how i was doing. sorry john!!!

then it started to rain. grrr...like it wasn't cold enough as it was. good thing i had my green jacket on!! :) this thing was the best last minute purchase ever!!

once i had my breath back i started running. well, ok, shuffling. :) but i was moving faster than a walk...and feeling decent. saw buehler on his way back from the first loop as i was about 3/4 of the way to the first turn around. was awesome to see him. he was running along and a good clip. was happy for him! plan was to feed off the course. so i chicken brothed, i cola'd, i pretzeled, i watered and gatoraided...in no particular order. the combo was working great through mile 12. saw todd, jenny and beth several times between 1 and 12 and they were awesome and encouraging and telling me how great i looked. i was feeling ok too and was enjoying it. at the turnaround near higgins point to go back into town, i saw craig again. he was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't caught me sooner...that made me happy because i was going faster than we all expected. he passed me and said he had an hour to break 12 hours, so he was going to go but he'd get to me after he finished...i yelled a good luck to him and he was on his merry way. i watched him shake his tail feather for a mile or so...nice view! :) i was chatting it up with EVERYONE! volunteers, other runners, other spectators. i was determined to make this day memorable. and it was working...

..then i hit the turn around back in town and realized i still had a whole other loop left. emm effer. i sooooo did not want to do another loop. the wheels had fallen off and my legs and my brain did not want to cooperate with me. grrrr. got to special needs and read my notes that my family and friends had made for me. made me cry! :) but in the good way. my sister in law had sent messages to friends to write me encouraging notes and then she put them all together in a book...sooooo stinking cute. funniest part was at the 1/2 way point she wrote a note in there that said "you're still reading this? seriously? put it down and get moving!" i laughed out loud...she's a funny one! anyway, to john, craig, fitz, marcy, hilde, sara jo, tommy...and anyone i forgot...thanks for your notes....too sweet and much appreciated!! :) had notes from my mom and dad and other non bt friends too...it was awesome...i have very good people in my life!!

i met up with two girls during this next loop. they were wearing matching outfits and come to find out they were sisters who swam together, rode together and walked together. it was their first im. we walked a little together. it was nice. also met a pile of other people, like i said, i chatted it up with everyone. i joked to todd, jenny and beth that i would've won miss congeniality had their been an award. :) i'm telling you, i was determined to make this day memorable, in a good way, even with all the issues.

at mile 18 ish, i met back up with todd, jenny and beth. for the next 2 miles, jenny and beth walked alongside of me and we chatted about the day. mine and theirs. we ran, er shuffled, a bit but mostly walked. todd would drive ahead and then get out and get pictures. it was great. then jenny and todd left together to get good spots for the finish and beth...saint beth...my best friend in the entire world...walked the last 6 miles side by side with me. it was dark through those neighborhoods and would have been a very lonely lonely walk. we chatted the whole way and she kept me sane. it was awesome. i heard all about the day she had with my brother and sister in law and was so jealous that i didn't get to hang out with them all day. hahahaha. she was greatness. it was perfect.

then we turned on to sherman and sure enough, there was the end line. hmph...there it was...FINALLY. soooo, with 2 blocks to go, i shredded my green jacked that had kept me warm and semi dry all day, shredded the arm warmers, fixed my pony tail and my visor, put my number on straight and started running. :) had to get a cute finisher photo after all, ya know?!?

i did it. i finished 140.6 miles by swimming, biking and running. i battled the elements of both the day (wind, rain and cold) and mechanical issues and still finished a freaking ironman. how can you NOT smile at the end? seriously!!!!

run fitness. plain and simple. if, IF, i ever do another ironman, it will not be until i like running...even a little. i have never been a runner. have tried and just never really loved it. i will focus more and more and continue to try and enjoy it and we shall see what happens... :)

i was on cloud nine. got my FINISHER hat, my FINISHER shirt, my medal and my picture taken. :) then craig got to come back in the finisher area and we took a photo together. his was the first hug i got. :) then i saw john, beth, todd, jenny and buehler. the whole crew was together again. so awesome. we chatted a bit about how everyone was feeling. i got some warm clothes on and we made our way to get our transition bags and give bikes to tri bike transport. shuffling along...of course. :)


me...i'm my biggest limitation. i'm just not fast. but i'm determined and that's what got me through...well, that and the help of my big brother, my sister in law and my best friend being EVERYWHERE! :)


SUMMARY: awesome day! hands down, one i'll remember forever!

LONG VERSION:
ironman truly is about the journey. i'm guessing i could've pushed myself to run more in that last 14 miles than i gave myself credit for, but it would've compromised my mood. i would've been miserable. i know it. as long as i knew i could finish, i went with being comfortable and i've got no regrets about it at all. my goal throughout this whole training process was to START, HAVE FUN, SMILE, FINISH. i accomplished every single one of those goals and for that, i'm elated. i wanted this to be an experience filled with pleasent memories, and every single memory i have from that day, including the weather issues, the mechanical issues, the soreness in my body during and after...is just that, pleasant. i made the most of every minute out there and am so happy with myself for doing just that! would i have liked a faster time? hell yeah, but am i disappointed? not even one iota! no way. i LOVED IT!

this day would have never been the same without todd, jenny and beth being EVERYWHERE on that course. the support that i felt from them came at the most perfect times and gave me just the right amount of pick me up. you guys are the best ever and i appreciate everything you have done for me leading into this day and on this day. thank you thank you thank you!

seeing craig right before the canon for the swim start, twice during the run and getting to hug him first after i finished was incredible. it was so much fun to have him with me from sign up last year (in an airport during a layover, hahaha) through the training, at the start and at the finish. it made the whole thing so complete and i loved it. loved experiencing it with him. thanks baby for all the little things leading into this...the encouragment, the belief in me, the pride in me. you're the greatest and i appreciate you!!

knowing my mom, dad and all my friends and family were getting updates consistantly through my brother and through facebook was a total motivator too. that was in the back of my head a lot as well because again, how could i NOT finish with all these people tracking me?!?! jeesh, the pressure! :) it was cool to know though, that todd was keeping them posted and everyone knew in real time what was going on. loved it and really really appreciate all the comments and support...thanks guys!!!

so i guess that's it...the play by play of the LONGEST DAY OF MY LIFE. :) i wouldn't change it for the world. it was incredible. it was emotional. it was simply amazing. it was worth every minute!

i am an IRONMAN. for the rest of my life. how cool is that?!?!?!