I started pretty close to the front, since I'm usually a pretty good swimmer. Man, did I regret that. With the beach start, people immediately started sprinting to get ahead of me, so I was stuck behind hundreds of feet that all seemed to be kicking me at once. I took an elbow to the top of the head, a kick to the gut, and another kick to the jaw. I swam head up the majority of the time so I could avoid getting kicked in the teeth. That made for some serious chafing with the wetsuit on my neck. I also swallowed a bunch of salt water...blech! On the return part of the first loop, some guy who couldn't swim straight kept trying to swim sideways over me and decided to use my back to push off. The funny thing is that it wasn't really that crowded on the way in! I kept to the inside of the buoys to avoid the crowds and got out of the water when the clock said 42:00. I thought I was way behind my goal time, but I found out later that the clock was still timing the pros, so it added 10 min to the age group time! The second loop was uneventful except for a small jellyfish sting, but the waves had picked up a bit and I stuck with the head up swim to avoid seasickness. I got out of the water feeling great and headed up the beach to T1!

Start on the outer edge.

This year they set up the changing tents inside the Boardwalk Beach Resort, so we had to run up the beach, past the bikes into the changing tent, then backtrack to the port-o-potties to the bike area. I liked the indoor tents, and the volunteers inside were very helpful in getting my socks, shoes, and armwarmers on quickly. When I ran out to grab my bike, they called out my number to the people near the bike, but nobody made a move to grab it so I ended up just grabbing my own bike. I ran it over to the mount line and heard a spectator say "nice bike!" before I got on and rolled away.

Nothing!

Not much. I stayed on my nutrition plan, avoided drafting, and just had a good time. I think next time I'll skip the good arm warmers, since I put them in my special needs bag when I got hot...and never found the bag again after the race.

I got my Garmin off my bike while I was riding, so all I had to do was hop off the bike and hand it off to a volunteer. I grabbed my bag and went to the change tent. The volunteer saw my t-shirt and asked if I was changing, but I was undecided. She helped convince me that a fresh shirt would feel better once the sun went down and it cooled off. She was right! I changed socks, put my running shoes on, grabbed my hat and medicine (in a little pill baggie) and was off.

As I headed out on the run, I shoved my Endurolytes and medicine in my bra, since I changed shirts and no longer had a pocket. I don't know where I'd keep things if I was a guy! I started at a 10-11 min/mile pace and eventually settled into a comfortable shuffle/trot. My left knee started to bother me, which was strange because it never really bothered me in any training runs or rides! I had to stop every so often to stretch it, but I managed to push through it and keep going. As I went through the park, I ran a bit with a woman who was on her 11th Ironman and we talked for a mile or so. It was nice to be occupied with thoughts other than what parts of my body hurt and how many miles I had left. I eventually broke off from her when she stopped at an aid station, so I went the next few miles on my own. When I got back to the street before the turnaround, I was laughing at the drunken spectators and their costumes when I saw my parents! I yelled "hi!" and they were surprised to see me. I had forgotten to tell them what I'd be wearing on the run. They had run into someone my dad used to work with, so they introduced me as I jogged by. I hit the turnaround and saw that finish line, so close but still 13 miles away. I finished the first half in around 2:40, so I figured if I could keep a steady pace I could still make it in under 14 hours. I headed back out toward the park, saw my parents again around mile 14, and just put my head down and ran (if you can call it that). My stomach started to give me problems in the park, so I had to slow to a walk there for a half mile or so. I'm not sure what happened...maybe my stomach got tired of semi-solid food and just wanted to eat! Around mile 22, I realized that I could make my time goal if I kept up the pace. With 5k to go, I realized I was going to blow that goal out of the water, so I picked up the pace and gutted through it. 5K...that's less than an easy training day! I'm sure I had a goofy grin on my face for the last 5K, but I was going to enjoy it! About a mile from the finish, my parents' friend ran beside me for a few feet and told me "you're looking strong, your parents are waiting for you at the finish line!" I rounded the corner where the music was blasting and the spectators were partying, and high-fived everyone who put a hand out. As I rounded the final turn to the finish, I saw my dad cheering for me. My mom was further down, taking photos of my finish. I was grinning from ear to ear when I crossed at 13:42:01 as Mike Reilly announced "YOU are an IRONMAN!"

Gotta say, not a whole lot. I wish I could've run faster, but I was surprised by how good I felt throughout the run. Definitely a change from IMAZ '08!

Got my photo taken, grabbed some pizza, and found my parents. They wouldn't let families into the finisher area, so there was a huge cluster of people right outside the barricades. We managed to find a table so I could eat my pizza and sit down! My sister called to say congrats, so I talked to her for a few minutes. After I picked up my bike, I was starving again so I had my parents drive to McDonalds for some salty, fatty goodness. I haven't had a Big Mac in years, but it was sooo good at that moment.


I think my run training could've been at a faster pace, but overall I'm happy with my race. I dropped 2:15 from my last time, so I know I can do it again.