Swim: Made my way down the chute with Cin. Walked thru the smoke of an overheating generator---COUGH!!!!!!! OK---now I was seriously feeling the IM nervousness! So many people!!! I kept thinking, ‘get thru the swim’, ‘get thru the swim’. At 5 minutes to 7, I entered the water to get used to it, as it was very cold—I’ve heard everything from 51F to 59F. As I entered the water, “Ironman” by Black Sabbath/Ozzie, was blasting on the PA, and that started to get me pumped as I was on the verge of some tears. Swam in, got my face in the water, and felt the water seep in the neck and zipper of the wetsuit. It was a deep water start, so I tried to figure out my seeding based on that. This was a 1 loop swim versus 2 loops. I heard before the race that a 1 loop swim had more OW than a 2 looper, so I was hoping for that. The course was a rectangle shape.

The cannon went off, it was Go Time. As any IM swim, it was a cluster. It seemed like the first length to the 1st turn went FOREVER!!! Crowded and no OW. Eventually, after the turn, I did get some OW, and it increased as time went on. About 2/3 the way thru, my calves cramped and seized up. I got out of traffic, floated on my back and was pulling my toes toward my front leg to get them out. A kayak was right there and asked if I needed help….I told them ‘no, just cramps, but he stayed with me as I tried to get the knots out. I looked at my watch when it started and until the end, it seemed like an eternity, but it was about 3 minutes until I could swim again. I had to stop a few more times to stretch. It sucked because I thought I was making good time….and I was….but this IM swim didn’t favor me.

I made it to the exit, and as chance would have it, Mike Riley announced my name as exited the watert….I think this happened at IMFL as well. As he said it, I heard Bill H. yell my name too and give me a smile….that was cool.

T1: Got my T1 bag just fine and ran into the changing tent….it was a cluster in there….ran back out to change and quickly and suddenly, my guts hurt…badly!!! I got changed, saw Josh P. and headed to the port o’ potty….figured now is better than on the bike. T1 was so much longer than expected, but it is what it is….made my way to the bike and was greeted by my wonderful, fanatical family!

Bike: I was not able to ride the bike course before the race, but the plan was to drive it on Friday, to see what was on tap. Due to some issues on Friday, that didn’t happen, so I was going to see the bike course (and the run!) for the first time as it happened….. The bike from Sand Hollow to St. G was fine and uneventful. I picked my clothing perfectly for the weather.

In hindsight, I think not seeing the bike actually helped me a bit, in that from what I had heard/read, it seemed a lot harder than it was. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard, especially on the 2nd loop, but it was manageable. Each hard climb, I tried to compare it and imagine it to a similar climb here in SLC, and that worked. The Eagle Ranch climb was no problem. The Veyo Wall climb posed no issues on the 1st loop, but was a grind on the 2nd. That damned climb after Veyo (steep, left handed curvy one) hurt both times! The downhill after the SN bag section was FUN!!! and scary as shit!!! Especially on the 2nd loop when the wind was stronger. I hit 47 mph on that downhill….I kept thinking, ‘if I crash, my bike is toast!” had to be careful with the crosswind. I was still having GI issues on the bike and had to stop 3 times…..ugh.

T2: this went pretty smoothly. I saw my IronFamily going into T2, and that was great! I saw Mako in the tent, and it was great to see a familiar face. Was methodical and out the tent. Got rubbed down with sunscreen, and was able to run out of T2….

Run: the run out of T2 was uphill…..I ran for a bit until it was steeper than I wanted to run up…with my long gait, I can cover some ground power walking…..of course, my Iron Family was up there and I got heckled by my sis for walking. Over the first few miles of the run, I saw BJ, Mike M. and Leslie, and that was very cool! I saw my good friends, Sue and San, at about mile 2, and that was a bitter-sweet meeting, for a couple of reasons…..

Keep moving forward….1/2 way thru the 1st loop, I saw Bill H., and he was kind enough to run with me for a bit to keep my spirits going, thank you BillCo! I could also hear, very well, Mike Riley’s voice at the finish from up on that ledge…..soon. We had to run thru that little detour at the Elk’s Lodge FOUR TIMES!!!! OMG!!!! That’s where the Ford Inspirational Message Mile (or whatever it’s called) is located….I had Landon type in the message for me at the Expo, and it was a surprise for me on the run….my son is a clown….wonder where that came from. At the ½ way point of the run, I saw friends that made me smile and inspired me…thank you!

The 2nd loop was basically a grind, but I knew at this point, nothing was going to stop me. My legs were essentially toast at this point. On the uphills, I employed the tactic of running for 2 cones and walking 1. This went well and I passed a lot of racers who had resigned to walking it in. On the downhills, I tried to run as much as I could, letting gravity carry me down. I saw BretJ, Mako’s family, Mako, Dianna W., and others, and that just kept me going and smiling. Still heard the sounds of IM racers finishing….

Finally!!!! I turned the corner from the Hills onto the main road, and my IronFamily was there to cheer me on!! 2 miles to go! They said they’d see me at the Finish. I made my way down from the flippin’ Elks Lodge detour for the last time!!! Just after that, my Garmin said I had about a mile left….a mile….probably the longest mile ever. This happened in my previous 2 IM’s…..a mile seems so short, but in the mind, the finish line seems so far away. I just kept moving forward, mostly in the dark now. I could hear Mike Riley’s voice, like a beacon in the distance. I finally got to the 1st round-about, and making that turn, I could see a road lined with IM fans on both sides…..this is when the legs go without knowing. The crowd carries you. I can see the first finish arc, the white Ford one, but the one I’m eyeing is the one with the clock. I want to cry, but between being so excited and happy to be almost finished and being dehydrated, there are no tears.
I hear a few pockets of people really cheering for me, assuming they are family or friends, but I can’t stop now to look (but thank you!). I’m in the chute, it’s almost over, I hear Mike R. call my name and my city, and see the flashbulbs go off. The only thing missing is Lan running along beside me.

14 hours and 30 minutes later, I can stop. I don’t have to move. It’s over. I see family and friends, and get escorted back to the R&R area by Jodi P. and fellow-finisher, Josh P. I saw pics from the finish that I don’t really remember and though that Karie U. caught me at the finish, but it wasn’t she. It was a long day.

Thank you to all who helped me that day, whether if you know you did or not. Here’s to IM #3 in the books.

Until next time……