This really sucked. OMG. Swimming was the reason I got into triathlon. I've been swimming all my life. Like really swimming and not pretend swimming. But for some reason this OW swim gave me the flux. I looked at the swim course before the race and my first thought was, "OMG that's so far..." I can swim 2100 m in my sleep. Without blinking but for some reason on that day it seemed impossible. As soon as I got in the water I knew I was trouble. My breathing was labored I wasn't sighting and I was getting freaked out by all the touching and grabbing. I always try to swim high and outside and away from the buoys. The buoys were on our right and I breathe on my left so that didn't help. I really couldn't see where I was going and I had to bob my head up more than necessary. This is a classic rookie mistake. I stopped every time I needed to sight. Burns valuable time. Finally I just said, "F*uck it," and buried my head in the water. I didn't care where I ended up I had to get into a rhythm or my race was going to be over then and there. Once I did that I caught my breathe and just kept swimming. Finally I got to the first Red turn buoy. But by that time the men's wave behind me and overtaken my wave and well the jostling began again. Hit in the head, face, grabbed on the legs. Panic set in and I couldn't swim for nothing. I saw a kayak out of the corner of my left eye. There was a guy holding on to it adjusting his goggles. The woman looked out to me and yelled, "Hey are you okay?"
"No," I moaned and seriously was that a freakin' frog in my throat. What the hell, are you crying? There's no crying in 1/2 Ironman.
"C'mon on over," the guy shouted. "Seriously, just come on over there's no shame in that."
I looked at him. And darted over to the kayak. I've never stopped in a triathlon swim. NEVER, EVER! It's the only one of the three sports I have confidence in. But I've been hiding a secret. I am not impervious to the fear of water. Because I swim I know how dangerous she can be and all my thoughts of fear flooded in that moment and that guy with the red cap whoever you are was my savior. Because he took the shame I felt right away. He made it OK to ask for help, to stop and regroup to admit you can't do it all at once all the time. And that's a gift from the gods. For if there's nothing else I've learned this Ironman comeback tour is that no one does Ironman alone.
So I swam over to the kayak, red-cap guy smiled and he was off. I just calmed my breathing.
"Love, Enjoy, Embrace, Relax. Pimp."
I kept thinking about all the ladies who were cheering for me, who were now following me online. I can't let this race end here.
Woman in the kayak says, "You're doing fine. Look you're almost to the turn around."
"Sorry," I moaned. "I just kept getting hit and I couldn't see and it's tough."
"Sorry, girl you're amazing. I wouldn't swim this far. Especially with all those people hitting you. I'd get annoyed. I'd want to drown them."
I laughed. Panic began to subside.
"I'm sorry I just had to stop."
"No problem."
"What's your name?"
"Mary Beth."
"Thank you Mary Beth."
"No problem. That's what I'm here for. You got this. Look you're almost at the turn around. You can head home them. You're amazing."
"Ok, I said. I'm ready."
And I began to swim again. In my mind I was thinking, forget sighting. No more stopping just get this damn thing over with. Get the hell out of this water.
So I used the boats to my left to sight. I swam from kayak, to pontoon to whatever boat was along the course and they were my buoys. And if someone touched me I just swam faster. I put my head down and went for it..
Swam from kayak to kayak, breathed out. 3-stroke breaths, lean in and did the damn thing. Saw sand popped up and started running through the arch. Unofficially my time was 44 minutes but we had like 1/2 mile to run up the hill and I stopped for the wetsuit strippers and then it was on to the bike.


Not psych myself out. Get used to getting touched in the swim. I need to get over that fear. Keep going no matter what.

This took long mostly because I was making sure I had the right nutrition and decided to eat a Luna bar before getting on the bike. I need to get my T1 down to 4 min. I'll work on that.

Organize better? Who the hell knows. I'm so scatterbrained after getting out of the water I didn't even wear socks.

Loved this bike. I mean I really felt good and NO CRAMPS. Didn't exert too much effort to average a pace I could only dream of months ago. I mean my first ride in April I damn near cried it was so hard. This was easy. And it should have been. I could have pushed it a bit more to eek out a 17 mph pace but I remember owner of Well-Fit saying before my race "If it's hard make it easy." And that's what I did. When it started to get hard I made it easy, changed position, changed cadence, and lastly changed gear. I stayed in 3rd gear the entire ride and dropped to 2nd on the last hill. I was 54 miles into a 56 mile ride. Who cares if I hammered that last hill? I'm biking to run man forget the dumb stuff! Even still I past a lot of folks who just looked miserable. Which tells me I'm on the right track for my nutrition. Now I've got to trust my legs more. Push that mph goal up to 17 mph in Cozumel.

Eat my Luna bar during the ride. I was dragging a bit at the end and the gels weren't doing it for me. I didn't like the taste. I think a different bit of food would have served me well. Will tweak the plan. I need bigger pockets on my tri suit! LOL!

This was better but still too long. I have no idea what i'm doing in transitions. I need to get more organized here.

Be more systematic.

Okay, so by the time I got to the run the sun was high and it was getting toasty. I had a 6/1 run/walk plan and I was going to stick to it no matter what. But as I got out on the run I discovered I had my bike gloves WTH?? and no nutrition. I had planned to don some Leg Cramp prevention stuff and salt tabs. But I forgot BOTH! I ate some Leg Cramp stuff I think in the T2 but I can't remember. So the whole first mile I'm thinking, "Holy crap, I'm going to cramp and this run is going to be the death of me."
So I didn't push this run AT ALL. I did the 6/1 but I was so afraid of cramping and having nothing to counter act that, that I didn't run my normal pace. By this time I was sweating like a crazy person and all I could do was remember cramping at my 10-miler and at my 1/2 marathon. I was disgusted. So I turned my focus outward. I started looking at runners on their 10, 11 mile and began cheering them on.
"Looking good 1022, keep those feet moving."
"Alright 838... can't stop won't stop."
"Yeah, 1222, I get what you throwing down. Ain't nuthin' to it but to do it."
And I literally did that for 11 miles, when I passed people coming from either direction I just gave them a shout out. All the while I kept up my 6/1.
Then I started noticing that people who passed me going north, i was now passing going north after the turn around.
It was crazy. People who were like 3 miles ahead of me I was passing them on the course. THAT NEVER FREAKIN' HAPPENS.
I stopped at aid stations like a homeless person at Country Kitchen, drowning myself in Powerade, water, and bananas. I was so afraid of cramping. But I was getting a bit bloated and I had to pee like a race horse. It was hilarious. But I was determined to to cramp.
When I got to the turn around my smile was genuine and I knew I was going to make it. But the hills, man the hills got to me and soon my 6/1 became 5/1 and 4/1. But after a fuel stop i went back up to 6/1 at mile 10 and kept that pace for the rest of the race. By mile 11 I had caught up with the first-timer who started the run race with me but had gotten ahead of me(he didn't spend nearly as much time pee'ing and at the aid stations as I did) and my competitive streak dropped in and I put it into gear. No more aid stops to worry about I just started turning those feet over, passed him and and ran up that last hill like I had won the lottery. LOVE, EMBRACE, ENJOY, RELAX. PIMP. That's what I was saying all up that last freakin' hill. My legs wanted to cramp but I willed them into silence.
Saw the blue Ironman finish shoot and crossed over into 1/2 Ironman glory. Woo hoo. I cried but this time it was tears of joy.

Trust my fuel plan. Push harder. Deal with cramps when they happen not when they don't.

Changed clothes. Cried.


My fears.


Loved this race. Loved Muncie. Loved Ironman. I had a GREAT time and a fantastic race. I will be back next year no doubt. One of my favs.