Was a little nervous starting in the front. Big beefy men all around. I went pretty close to shore and found a pack of women and moved over there. I saw the clock at 9:45, so I knew the cannon was going to go off. I swam the first few strokes with my head out to figure out where I was going to go and not get hit. Was perfect! Some arm banging. I did feel like someone was trying to swim over my legs at first, but I was faster - or they gave up. I am a swimmer, so I do kick. I really stayed pretty wide. I knew the buoys get bunched up, so I went around the mess. I probably could have swam this faster had I moved in for more of the race, but SO worth it to not have contact! I moved in a bit on the 2nd lap and tried drafting some, but then someone would swim crooked and I would end up passing to get around people. Oh - I did once get a foot to the face but it was not very hard - just startled me.

Nothing really. It was slower than what I was capable of, although not by much, but to have very little contact - I wouldn't do it differently

I really thought I would walk the helix. It just seemed like it would suck. It was SO fun! I think I heard my name a few times, but there are so many people cheering, it's hard to know where to look. I found my bag right away and a volunteer put her hand on my back and guided me to a chair. Dumped my bag and helped me put my bra on, opened my butt-butter for me. Just a rockstar volunteer! So great! I decided beforehand to put my shoes on in transition. My bike was close to the bike out and I didn't want to run that whole distance in my socks - especially if it meant a rock in my shoe or something.



nothing. I wanted to change to start fresh, and I did. I could be faster, but in the grand scheme of things - it's a really long day and I am not going to Kona, so I don't really care how long it was.

There is a point where we go on a narrow bike path in town and there is no passing. I got passed. The guy behind me went ballistic on the guy! I wasn't annoyed. In the grand scheme of things, it is narrow and could be a potentially dangerous area, but I don't really see the point in getting worked up about something so early in the day.

I started out trying to get my HR under control. I'm used to biking with it pretty low and it was 10-20 beats higher. The good thing is it didn't spike higher than normal on the hills. It was fun with so many people out there. I got passed A LOT! I was happy with my effort, although I was thinking I was pushing it a little. I did well with all of the hand-offs. I refilled my aero bottle with water at every aid station. The 1st one, I wanted to throw the bottle so I could get a banana and I hit a boy in the chest! Oops! I yelled sorry, but the guy passing me at the time was sure amused.

I had my garmin set to beep every 20 minutes to remind me to eat. I had Raw Rev bars cut up. I also tried to take a salt tab every hour. I did also drink gatorade. I took bananas and at one point took a gel. On the 2nd loop, I realized that I was not drinking enough. I stop to pee 3 times. The 2nd 2 stops - not much was coming out. Tried to catch up before I had to run with a sloshy belly.

The start of the 2nd loop is always a little bit of a bummer. But, I was REALLY working hard on Hwy G. Then when I took the corner onto Hwy 92, my back tire skidded a bit. A little down the road, I was wondering what was happening to me. I had steadily been going down in speed for about 5 miles or so. Finally looked down - I was getting a flat! UGH! And I really was intending to change that tube last week. Decided - nothing new on race day. Really wish I could change that pre-race decision! I had a tough time popping the wheel. The tube got twisted and I was really struggling with it. A friendly competitor - I think he was 1376 - asked if he could help. I was SOOO relieved. This was a really low mental point for me and I was cramping under my rib cage. He couldn't figure out the twist either and it turns out it seemed to be made that way! So - we put the other tube I had in. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO grateful for his help. In all, it took 30 minutes to change this tire! UGH! But - I plugged along after this. I did get stung by a bee, but it was a minor irritation. Itches today though. The hills were GREAT! I thought it would be annoying, but it was something to look at instead of focusing on the difficulty of the hills. It was funny too that my bib said "Gwendolyn", and up the last hill 2nd loop, a woman start a chant to get "Gwendolyn up the hill". I'm not used to hearing that being yelled at me! The tail wind on the way back was so nice, but I was ready to be done. I knew my hydration was going to be an issue and I was a little worried about that. I kept trying to stay in the moment, and I did okay overall with it.

Practice changing tires. Drink more.

I was happy to have my friend Wade catch me. Had a brief chat with him and then grabbed my fullest bottle of gatorade and garmin, and ran in to get my bag. They pointed and said straight out, but it was the wrong door. The crowd just parted and let me through. My volunteer was great, she helped me with my bra and put my compression socks on, I was SOO appreciative for her help. I could tell she didn't know a lot though - she was trying to figure out what a few things were. It was kinda cute. I was happy to sit.

Nothing. I needed the break and I really was concerned about cramping, so I wanted to put my compression socks on. I just kept cramping under my ribcage.

Well - I knew I was dehydrated. I ran the 1st mile and decided to walk a bit. I ran through Camp Randall - how often does one get to do that? I then adapted a .5 mile run/.5 mile walk. I drank my gatorade and then refilled it at the aid stations at least 6 times. I also took orange slices and grapes. I did eventually take some perform - the orange is much easier to drink. Chicken broth was like gold! The chips also went down easier. I tried "coke" - only it was pepsi. NOT the same thing PEOPLE! I'm more of a coke girl. It was okay, but they were out at the next aid station or 2. So I stuck to water and chicken broth.

Jen caught me at about mile 12, so I decided to stick with her. We shared some tough training days, and it was nice to share this too. That was a lifesaver for me. We parted around mile 19 or 20? She stopped at the porta-potty before the State St. turnaround and I stopped after. I thought she would catch me. I was getting anxious to be done, so I started running more. I ran a good chunk of the last mile. People on State St. were SO fun. Everyone cheers and says "just ahead you will be an Ironman". It started to hit me then that I was going to finish before my end goal of 10:30 pm. I saw Wade at the corner by Starbucks and gave him my water bottle so I didn't have to cross the line with it. He told me where my family was -slapped hands with them - ran to the other side where my friends were and ran through. I passed 2 guys to the finish. I really debated slowing down - but the momentum just carried me. I did not hear Mike Reilly say anything. Wade captured it so I heard it today. I was SO happy to be done!

Not get dehydrated on the bike. I would say run more, but considering I ended up in the medical tent, I don't know that I would have finished. I think my decision making let me finish both hot races this year.

Had pictures and hugs. Walked to the spot where my son was sleeping on the side of the street along the finishing area. I had to keep moving. My mother-in-law was taking the kids home and my sister was leaving, so we hugged and parted ways. I rapidly went downhill - stopped to try to pee and told Rob I needed the med tent. I was very close to passing out. Turns out I lost 16 pounds! They had a very hard time finding a vein and took forever to get an IV started. My fingers and lips were tingling and going numb. My HR was 60, which is normal for me (actually a little hight) - but I'm guessing right after a race it is not. My BP was good though. I ended up not being well enough to leave on my own when the med tent closed at midnight, so I had to take an ambulance ride to Meriter. In all, I had 3 bags of fluid. I also drank chicken broth in the med tent and had pedialyte at the hospital.


Heat/hydration


Overall - this was SUCH an experience! A once in a lifetime - for me. I could probably do better, but that isn't what Ironman is about for most people. I think we all have goals and try to better them, but the overall experience and the majority of the people you share it with are what make it phenomenal. There are some super serious people that are a little too intense, but overall everyone develops such a camaraderie. Congrats to anyone who even tried this. It is an experience just training for it.