Ironman Wisconsin : Official Thread (Page 24)

Originally posted by strikyr



Peter thanks and can you please lobby for someone out there to repave Stagecoach Rd. We have some bad roads here on Long Island but man Stagecoach was as rough as any road I ever road on LOL! I think I'll need to check every bolt on my bike before I get back on it to ride after this IM.

Originally posted by sthoresen

I did it! I am an Ironman. Wow, what an incredible experience. I can honestly say this was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. It was transformative and makes me believe that I can achieve anything I set my mind to.

Training went in fits and starts. Swimming was the only constant. Running was okay although a right foot neuroma caused quite a bit of discomfort. I basically started biking from scratch in January. I did my best to try and follow loosely one of the Be Iron Fit programs. I looked at it as a general guide more than a must do directive.

Race day was exciting but uncertain. I had no idea whether or not I had the strength to complete the event. I knew I could do each individually but consecutively was a huge unknown. This would be my longest bike rider ever, too.

Swim
The swim went better than I expected. I have been suffering from persistent, severe calf cramps in every OWS starting around mile 1. My goal was to get through the swim with no cramping. I concentrated on maintaining a smooth stroke, sighting, and trying to find bits of open space to swim. I had a couple of near cramps and one major cramp at the exit area. Thankfully two volunteers helped me out of the water and pushed my leg down to relieve the cramp. Off I went to get peeled and run to t T1.

Bike
The bike leg was my main concern. I wasn’t certain I would meet the 1:30 cut time, especially given the hills. I had never ridden or even driven the bike course so it was a complete unknown. The first loop went well and I thought the course was not too bad. Yes, there were three substantial hills but nothing terrible. I made the 1:30 cut time with an hour to spare! Hooray. One small victory. I was going to be an Ironman!

Things changed around mile 70. Another rider came up beside me way too close clipped my wheels and took me down really hard! WTF! It was an open stretch of the course, flat and no obstructions. I can’t figure out what happened. It was over in a split second. All of a sudden there was another rider literally shoulder to shoulder. I went down really hard and she looked back briefly and kept on going. She knew she took me down.
Luckily two support crews and a Trek bike crew stopped. Another rider stopped as well and was concerned. He was so thoughtful to give up precious time on his big day. I implored him to get going and not compromise his day. He finally went on. The bike crew checked out my bike and said it was okay to ride. A little bent but nothing fatal. I landed really hard on my head and left side. My elbow was bleeding a river to the ground, my ribs severely bruised as were my thigh and hips. Frick. But I had my mind. I collected myself. The support crew wrapped up my elbow and after about half an hour I got back on to continue the bike leg.

The remaining forty or so miles hurt! No aero for me. Slow and upright. Made the 5:30 cut time with about half an hour to spare.
T2 hurt. Couldn’t breathe or bend over or pull on new socks. Thank goodness for the volunteers. They are angels.

Run
Slow and painful. Couldn’t take anything but shallow breaths. Shuffled the first 15 miles or so. Thankfully I saw my husband on the run leg and told him what happened. (He was having an awesome day! He kicked butt on the swim and bike and was making good time on the run.) I ended up walking the last nine miles or so. I was exhausted and just couldn’t run anymore.

I finished just under 16 hours. Somewhere in the 15:40 range. Not a great time by any means, but I am proud to have gritted it out and not quit. It would have killed me to quit. I would never have forgiven myself. Pain is only temporary but regret lasts a lifetime. Grit and determination.
We registered for IM 2014! Now I know what I need to do to prepare for a strong 2014 event.

The whole weekend was amazing. The volunteers are wonderful. The organization of the event was first class. The crowds were the best. Their enthusiasm and support kept me going. It is a stroke of genius to print each athlete’s name on her or his race bib. Loved hearing people call me out and cheer me on my name. Lovely.

All in all it was worth every ache and pain. It will probably take me a month to fully heal from the crash. I am itching to get back in the saddle and formulate a game plan for next year. In the meantime I have Twin Cities Marathon and Marine Corp Marathon to look forward to in October.

Who's in for IMWI 2014?!

Originally posted by drbnd

OH BABY. Signed up for IMWI 2014. What did I just do? I have a feeling knowing me, I am one and done. Lets do this!

Originally posted by strikyr



Susan congrats Ironman! What a great summary of your race and I'm so happy to hear that you finished especially after what happened on the bike. That person should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for doing that and not stopping. You did a great job of hanging in there and getting the job done and you should be very proud of yourself. Good luck with your training for IMWI 2014 as much as I loved doing Wisconsin I will be headed to Mont Tremblant for 2014 to do IM there but I will definitely be coming back to Wisconsin to do another IM. It was awesome!

Originally posted by sthoresen



Bike
The bike leg was my main concern. I wasn’t certain I would meet the 1:30 cut time, especially given the hills. I had never ridden or even driven the bike course so it was a complete unknown. The first loop went well and I thought the course was not too bad. Yes, there were three substantial hills but nothing terrible. I made the 1:30 cut time with an hour to spare! Hooray. One small victory. I was going to be an Ironman!

Things changed around mile 70. Another rider came up beside me way too close clipped my wheels and took me down really hard! WTF! It was an open stretch of the course, flat and no obstructions. I can’t figure out what happened. It was over in a split second. All of a sudden there was another rider literally shoulder to shoulder. I went down really hard and she looked back briefly and kept on going. She knew she took me down.
Luckily two support crews and a Trek bike crew stopped. Another rider stopped as well and was concerned. He was so thoughtful to give up precious time on his big day. I implored him to get going and not compromise his day. He finally went on. The bike crew checked out my bike and said it was okay to ride. A little bent but nothing fatal. I landed really hard on my head and left side. My elbow was bleeding a river to the ground, my ribs severely bruised as were my thigh and hips. Frick. But I had my mind. I collected myself. The support crew wrapped up my elbow and after about half an hour I got back on to continue the bike leg.

The remaining forty or so miles hurt! No aero for me. Slow and upright. Made the 5:30 cut time with about half an hour to spare.
T2 hurt. Couldn’t breathe or bend over or pull on new socks. Thank goodness for the volunteers. They are angels.

Originally posted by sthoresen

WI Tri Guy: THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You were awesome. So kind and thoughtful. When I recounted the event to my spouse I specifically mentioned the motorcycle crew. I remember being concerned about losing my hair tie and asking you if you had a spare not realizing you did not have head hair! I think you thought I was joking. It was pretty funny. I am on the mend for sure. Ribs still hurt and can't take a deep breath but bruises and elbow wound are healing. You guys were great. So thankful for the assistance.

Now, it's on to 2014!

Originally posted by pnelson In case anyone is still reading this Ironman Wisconsin 2013 post, I just...finally...posted my race report. At least I finished it before IMWI 2014.

Originally posted by 1stTimeTri

heh!  I still haven't completed mine.  I'm considering not even doing an RR, but, still thinking about how to approach the writing.