Once I surfaced all was good, with all the swimming I’ve been doing things were feeling good. My main concern was my shoulder I had been having some pretty good pain after about 700 yards for a few months and the past few weeks were getting bad. had been to the chiropractor 4 times, had 2 massages and was doing daily stretching and rolling on a ball for the last week thank goodness cuz all was good no pain!!! I seemed to be navigating pretty good not too much contact and even tried to draft never did that before, as we came to the final
approach I noticed I was out to the right a bit far so angled in a bit to cut some of that distance, when you reach to exit they have to help pull you out I wasn’t quite sure how this would go but they have a lot of help and all was smooth, I knew there would be some help with the current so I figured if I was able to pull off a 1:20 I would be in a good place Holy Smokes I looked at my watch and saw a 1:09 and thought this is gonna be a great day!!! I saw Andy as I was exiting and yelled to him 1:09 and I know I had a huge smile on my face!!

Taken a breath before jumping in and knowing my site line although I had a great swim I had heard different things for how to have a fast swim and I never asked my coach which was best.

No one came over to help and it had rained the night before, I bow tied my bag and the rain has swelled the string so I couldn’t get it opened I finally ripped it open, got everything together, although I kept thinking I was missing something, I wore my bike kit under the swim skin as I iam not fast yet and with DNFing 2x on the bike in my previous IMs I knew I needed every extra minute I could get!!! Headed out still thinking I had forgotten something.

Not bow tied my bag

Zach wanted me to race today by HR not power so the first bit I tried to stay calm. With Having an early swim this is where it helped me greatly, I was actually biking with others :)
I didn’t let all those people who were wizzing by me get into my head I knew what I was supposed to do from coach and I stuck with it, knowing he knew what I needed. All was great until about 20-30 min in I started with stomach cramping, all I could think of is if I don’t find a bathroom my race is going to be over, there was a porta potty at a corner for a cop directing traffic THANK GOD!!! and all was good for maybe 30 minutes, I was trying to consume some calories but it wasn’t really helping,realized what I had forgotten was my salt and the cramping was starting again :( as I approached an aid station I asked for coke they had none, asked if they had anything to settle my stomach and a man yelled across the street for someone to grab me a Dr Pepper I am not sure if this was someone’s lunch or what but they came to my rescue Love those Volunteers!!! I wish I had been thinking and had given him my thank you volunteer because it was that Dr Pepper that settled everything!! I have read since that others seemed to have experienced this so maybe the water from the river ?? The next 40 miles was trying to catch up on nutrition not sure if I ever did but was able to keep eating and drinking and stay in the targeted HR. One thing that irritated me was I am not a great hill climber and people would pass but then on the down hill where I love to fly and go fast those people would be breaking and I couldn't get past them cuz now the People who are fast both parts of the hill are flying by on the left. this was super frustrating!! As we came into Chickamauga the crowd was awesome and I scanned it to see my team and Andy there cheering me on it was a big boost!!! The longer hill out of that town seemed never ending but I was finally on the second loop and everything seemed a bit slower than the first but didn’t allow panic to set in, things had thinned pretty good by now, I still had some people around me which was new to me as I usually am riding alone by this point wondering if iam the last one, when we finally came into chickamauga for the second time the crowd was gone except for a couple people which was disappointing. Apparently the busses head back at 3:30 and I was just over that time. As I heading back into town with only a few miles left to go I remember thinking if this was a normal IM I’d be done ugh 4 more miles I am over this bike don’t forget to take your watch off your bike ( I forgot at steelhead and had to run back)then there is the crowd and the yelling and all that is forgotten iam so excited I MADE cut off!!! As I pull in I hear my son yell don’t forget you watch ... thank goodness with all the excitement in those couple minutes I had already forgotten hahahah

Figure out my stomach, get better on hill climbing

Had some help this time but this seemed to go VERY slow

Run thru in my head how transition will go, I did this for everything else just didn’t do a detailed run thru for transitions

Oh the run.... right from the start I was telling myself you need to run but nothing was happening, this is when I began calculating, I am a fast walker so knew I could do it if I walked but it’s gonna be a looooong marathon if I do that, the stomach still wasn’t quite right so began the late run nutrition at mile 1 alternating from coke, Gatorade, water salt and ice.
A friend of mine had a friend at the race, but not racing ( I didn’t know this) and this man came up to me and was walking next to me and said you need to start adding some jogging!! He ended up telling me who he was as I was thinking who the heck is this guy... in the long run this helped cuz finally at mile 3 and hearing his voice in my head I added some running, I alternated run walk for the rest of the run. It was only at about mile 20 as I came up a smaller of the hills I saw my team, and they were all cheering like crazy that I almost broke down crying I was so thankful for their support.... these amazing people who work for me who are so much more than employees.... then near the top of the hill was Andy I remembers leaning into him and saying I am so tired he hugged me and said your gonna do it your almost there next to the the finish this was the best part of my day :) my watch had died and I was concerned about cut off but with that I got the energy I needed to finish I remember Crossing the bridge for my finial 6 miles and I could hear Mike Reilly announcing people’s names and I could hear music and all I could think was I WANT THAT!!! from there I seems to fire up and get thru the next miles faster than the first time around, there was a man in front of me as we approached an an aid station he was walking with two people who were maybe family or race volunteers, he asked for chicken soup as did I and he was now behind me and said God that tastes so good, the people he was with said oh I bet it is, and it just made me chuckle..... they have no idea :))
I was getting closer only 2 more miles now, no more nutrition I just can’t, when I was passed by a man wearing bikini bottoms and streamers I made a comment to a women cheering on the side ... now there goes a whole lotta confidence lol I could hear the finish getting closer and closer I was still concerned about cut off so asked several people about the time...as I crossed the bridge and then turned the corner I knew it was going to happen somewhere came the energy I looked for the whole run and there it was....... the shoot... I took it all in, looking for MY PEOPLE and there they were... everyone was cheering and yelling with the red carpet, the music, the bright lights!!!! YOU ARE AN IRONMAN.

Learn to get my mind right and conquer this slow ass running!!!

After the pictures, I saw Andy and gave him a big hug. Then I see Lisa and beat up Dirk who had, had a bike crash with a ground hog ... wow!! What a day. We chatted for a bit then went over to see my team where they did a high five tunnel and cheer, again we chatted for a bit then it was off to compression boots, and an epsom salt bath!!!


My stomach, and my fear of holding back to make sure I finished


Had a fantastic time at Chatty!!