Ironman #2 - wrap up

My day began at 4am on Sunday. I got to the transition area shortly after 5am and my nerves began to build as the morning progressed. Brief moments of doubt crept in my head. It seemed so different this time around. Just one year ago I was standing in the same place having never completed an Ironman triathlon - it definitely was nice being less of a rookie.

1950 athletes entered the water around 6:45 where we all had to tread water until the cannon went off at 7. I got clocked in the head a few times, but managed to avoid any kicks to the face. It took nearly 30 minutes for us all to spread out and find our own pace and space. At that point I just tried to swim in as straight of a line as possible and avoid those crazy-crooked-swimmers that zigzagged amongst me. I worked really hard this time to improve my swim, and found that it paid off. After 1 hour 33 minutes (an 11 minute improvement from last year!), I exited the water and had two volunteers kindly peel me out of my wetsuit.

It was a different source of evil this time. I didn’t have to battle 30-40 mph winds on the bike this time; this year I encountered high 80 to low 90-degree temperatures with crosswinds of 5-10 mph. Pick your poison... Out of the 1950 athletes, there were over 200 that did not finish and were likely victims of the heat.

Over the course of 112 miles I saw many cacti, endless desert, and obsessed over whether I was getting enough fluids and calories. I enjoyed the bike part most out of this race, I felt as though all the hours I did in training really paid off. I saw several cyclists along the side of the road fixing flats, but thankfully I did not have to fix any myself. I finished the bike in 7 hours 5 minutes (a 30 minute improvement from last year). I can’t help but wonder how I would have done had there been no wind this year… And next time someone really needs to tell me if my helmet is on crooked - I rode for 112 miles looking like that!

I experienced some minor hydration issues early in the run (I’ll spare you the details) and had to walk through it for a bit. Along the way I met many people, heard stories about their day, and offered supportive words to some that were not looking too good. The cloud cover came in late in the afternoon and the temperature dropped to the low 80s. I was on track to meet my race goal up until about mile 10 of the marathon, that’s when I started slowing down, walking a little more, and running a little less. The amount of negotiation that your brain and body goes through at times like this is really amazing. I resolved that as long as I improved my overall time against last year’s race, I’d be happy.

I crossed the finish line at 15 hours, 8 minutes, and 59 seconds, taking 24 minutes off of last year's finish time. It was not quite the 2 hour improvement I was hoping for (maybe that was a lofty goal?) but I can guarantee you that I left it on the course, specifically between miles 86 and 112 where I averaged 21.5 mph. Not even an hour after the finish, all the symptoms of a cold crept in - I feel very fortunate that I was able to stave it off until then. I did get my burger after the race, but I skipped the beer this time. I will drink plenty of those in the weeks to come. ;-) And next time, (yes, I again said next time) I will finish a little earlier in the evening to enjoy that beer afterwards.

I’m not ready to retire from Ironmans just yet, but I definitely would like to get more than a 12-month break between this one and the next…well, there is an exception to that statement. I’ve signed up for the Kona Ironman World Championship lottery slot. There are 200 lottery slots given out and I will find out whether I am one of the “lucky ones” on April 15th. I will keep you posted! Third time is alway a charm, right???

Thank you all for your encouraging words and support! As much as they say this is an individual sport, I attribute my successful finishes to those who have individually touched my life and motivated me to challenge myself time and time again.