Ironman Canada
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Ironman Canada - TriathlonFull Ironman
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Swim
Comments: Just amazing. This was the part that I had stressed about for months. I panic in a crowd in the water. But that didn't happen. I headed down to the water just after the pros started. It was a sea of people. I scanned the crowds looking for my family or a familiar face in the mass of soon to be Ironmen but couldn't find anyone. It's funny how in such a large crowd you can feel so alone. But I reminded myself that this entire day was a test...a test of personal strength and I was the only one that would get me there. And off we went. I was left of centre and took my time wading in until the water was chest deep. I was surprised at how much open pockets I could find, and just settled into a groove. I even managed to try drafting a few times. I did get a good smack in the back of the head rounding the first turn, but it didn't shake my spirit. I kept marveling in how good I felt, and how different things turned out to be. I swam right in to the shore and got up with a huge smile. First goal of the day completed!! I thought for sure that I had swam 1:30, and was really happy when I found out what my swim time was :) What would you do differently?: Not a thing. Transition 1
Comments: I sure took my time here. Why not? It's a loooong day. I found a chair right away and was shaking. I was so cold. Arm warmers on, socks, shoes, number belt, helmet and sunglasses. Took a gel and some water on the way to the potties. I didn't want to have to stop at the first aid station for a pee :) Headed out and saw some friends right away, then my folks further up. I was sad that I didn't see Darren and Matthew but it turns out that Darren missed me coming out of the water. He even stayed until the last person came out of the water and then started panicking that I had come in on one of the boats. What would you do differently?: Not much, maybe go a little faster. Bike
Comments: Ok. Not a stellar bike time for me, but then I am NOT a good climber. But what I beautiful course! Heading out of town, my legs felt fatigue from the start. I worried a little and hoped that this was not a sign of things to come for the rest of the day. I put my smile back on and reminded myself that ultimately the goal of the day was to finish, upright and smiling before 17 hours were up. I had never ridden the course so I didn't know when/where the hills were coming. That might have been a blessing in disguise. I got passed quite a bit on the way out, and I think that I saw DrLeah go flying by too. But as we hit the hills I started to perk up a little and actually passed a few going up hill! The out and back part of the ride was tough mentally for me. I think one lady riding by me called it the "pout and back". I was pouting. I stopped to grab my special needs bag and replaced my Infint bottles and grabbed some more water. there were a few people lying down and eating or stretching. One guy looked like he was having a snooze :) By Yellow Lake I was starting to really have trouble with burning in my feet. But I was determined to keep smiling and enjoy the energy from the crowds. My friend Donna surprised me at Twin Lakes. I was soooo happy to see her. Loaded up with encouragement I put my head down and headed into the wind again. Back into town after having some fun on the downhill winding bits. I saw my family and Matthew had a big smile for me. Energized again. Finally found the dismount line and a crowd of awesome volunteers. My friend Cathy had my bag ready for me to grab and a huge hug to go along with it. And then I saw Crazypop and just had to run over and say hello and give him a big hug. Off to the tent I went. What would you do differently?: Nothing for my first Ironman. I stuck to the plan of the day. Next time though, I am going to be a little more aggressive on the flats and I will definitely need to do a hell of a lot more hill training! Transition 2
Comments: I took my time here too. Changed my shoes, put my visor on, fuel belt and off I went to the potties again. What would you do differently?: I could have gone a lot faster here. Run
Comments: Well....not much running got done here. But I didn't give a rat's azz. The first half of the run, I tried to run between the aid stations but by 10 miles that wasn't working as well as I had hoped. My stomach was starting to retaliate. By this time I couldn't stomach any more Infiit, so I stuck to chicken broth and water for the rest of the run. And then I ended up walking more and more. It seemed that when I ran, my stomach would get really upset and then I would walk until it settled down. Weird. BUt I didn't care. I was having a blast! I loved the crowds, I loved the volunteers, I loved that I was so close to becoming an Ironman. What would you do differently?: More running in training. Different nutrition plan for the run. Post race
Event comments: I'll be honest. I looked at the time and did the math. I could have sucked it up and ran more to try to make my super secret goal. But then, the end result would have been completely different. My plan for my first and maybe only Ironman was to smile the entire day, have a great time, and finish feeling good and with the biggest shit eating grin ever. I did that. And I have never felt so proud. For me, Ironman meant crossing the finish line. The time was secondary. It meant seeing new friends (Haz, DrLeah, Crazypop) and sharing the day with my family. IMC was amazing. The volnteers were awesome, and so were the crowds of supporters that stayed out in the dark and the rain to cheer us glow sticks in. It's a day in my life that I will never forget! Last updated: 2008-02-22 12:00 AM
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2008-08-28 1:24 PM |
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2008-08-28 4:18 PM in reply to: #1635304 |
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Canada
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Age Group Rank = 3539/
Up at the crack of sparrow farts, I mean 4:00 am. Tried to get down a bagel with peanut butter and a cup of green tea. Put together my bottles of Infinit for the bike and special needs bags and then got Matthew ready for the big day.
Does standing in the pottie line for 30 minutes count? I was starting to think that I wouldn't make it to the start in time.