IMFL Race Report

3 months late on my IMFL Race Report but late is better than never, right? 

Pre Race
The first of the 3 alarms blared at about 4:30am but both my mind and body were awake long before then - I found it hard to quiet my thoughts throughout the night and early morning. Did my usual pre-morning routine: got dressed, potty, double checked my bags and then prepared my food. Stuck to the usual morning routine that got me though most of my training - 1 bagel thin covered in peanut butter and an orange gatorade.

Once coach and hubby got up and ready, we were on our way. Got to body marking about 1.5hrs before the start. It was utter chaos, but one of the coolest experiences ... something you only dream about after watching the prior year video . Once I got marked up, I headed to my bike to prepare my nutrition, check on my T1 bags and then found a quiet spot to finish getting ready. Thankfully, my coach dropped off my special needs bags for me which saved me some walking and energy. With about 45 minutes to go, I shimmied into my wetsuit and honed my final thoughts as the minutes waned down ... it was go time.

So thankful for my coach, Allen

Swim
As I said my goodbyes and walked under the TYR arch into the corral, I got teary eyed … I imagine a lot of us did! As agreed upon with my coach, I placed myself in back of 1:10 grouping. I stood there thinking about all the long days, early mornings, good and bad workouts and slowly the time ticked down. The National Anthem rang through my ears but my mind was elsewhere. It was focused on that big blue ocean ahead. I let the gun go off and waited until majority of the group was already in the water. The breakers were about 4 feet high to get through initially so I started to dolphin dive to get through the breakers which worked

well for me. I've never felt so many kicks, smacks, bites, pushes in my life as I drudged through the ocean swells to get onto a clear path to the buoys. My goal was draft and originally I was able to find people to draft off of but as soon as I caught a rhythm, they either sped up or I was going too fast and had to find someone else.  My sighting was spot on for the vast majority of the first lap which meant that others were now drafting off of me! My breathing and stroke for the first 1.2 miles was synchronized and just as it normally is in practice, for once, there was no panic in the water. I was eerily calm. As I made my way onto the beach and through the chute to get back in, I checked my watch … 39 minutes. I drank some water (probably too much) and walked/trotted down the beach to get back into the ocean blue. The breakers greeted me again, so back to dolphin diving was a must. By ½ way down the first set of buoys on lap 2, my stomach started to churn. I actually stopped at a kayak to get some water and rest for a moment to calm my mind and my heart rate, something I've never done or even thought about doing in a race before.  Once settled, I continued on and made it to the turn buoy where I knew I was going to be sick. With about 700m to go, the inevitable happened.  A kayak came to give me support, stabilization and some water. This was the only moment across 140.6 miles where I thought I might have to give up. After a quick pep talk from my kayak friend, I was back on my way and swimming with more vengeance than before. I knew I had lost quite some time on my second lap. I got to the shore and was relieved to be done. Checked my watch again … 1:45. Sheer disappointment but relief in the same.

my husband, Mike showing his support!

T1
Got my wetsuit halfway down and then waited for the “strippers”. What I wish I knew was to not stop … you sit down in the sand to have your wetsuit stripped leaving you ALL sandy! Nonetheless I was out of my wetsuit in rapid time and on my way to T1. Getting out of the water a bit later than expected allowed for a cleaner path (read: less people) through T1 to get my bag and into the changing tent. With the help of an awesome volunteer I was able to get the sand off of me, get some sprite to settle my stomach (packed in my special needs bag) and get geared up for the bike. What I thought was a long time really turned out to be only 7 minutes from water exit to bike out.

Bike
As I rounded the corner to find my rack, my coach was there with encouraging words as I barked  “I puked in the water, sorry my time sucked”. All I got back in response was some encouraging words, a smile and promise to see him on the run. I got my bike and was on my way. I took into account something Mirinda Carfrae said at the pre-race dinner …. Basically that you have to think of the race as 3 separate events.  If something happens during the first part, move past it and start over with the next. I took that to heart in the moment as I was sincerely disappointed with my swim time but knew I had a long read ahead to finish the

race. As I got on my bike and headed out, I passed my husband and a surprise visitor, my friend from Atlanta…quite the moral boost! Unfortunately, head winds were dealt to us for about 80 miles of the 112 mile ride. As I made my way through the flats, up and down the ‘hills’ I watched the miles tick off knowing that I could keep going thanks to the training I put in. The roads are boring and its quiet out there. Trying to not draft off others actually becomes a bit of a game. I stayed with a few people for most of the ride but as I progressed on, some of them couldn't hang. I went to the bathroom right before Special Needs which was right on schedule. At Special Needs I picked up some more nutrition, advil, sprite, sunscreen and another fun pep talk! The back 56 miles are a bit tougher than the first 56 but nonetheless, I survived. My speed significantly increased as I got closer to transition as I picked up a nice tailwind for the last 15 miles or so. As I got to about 5 miles away, I realized my dream of becoming an Ironman and all my hard work WOULD pay off. I knew that with my bike time, combined with my swim that I had almost 8 hrs left to complete the marathon! 

T2
As I rode down Thomas Dr. a smile as big as Texas came on my face. I talked to spectators, laughed and cheered others on. A nice volunteer took my bike and another handed me my T2 bag. As I headed back into the changing tent, I was greeted by another amazing volunteer who gave me a quick massage, helped me get organized, got me lathered in sunscreen and gave some encouraging words. Another ‘quick’ transition in the books and I was on my way.

Run
As I made my way out of the transition maze, I met up with 2 other awesome athletes ... of which I'd both start and finish my marathon with! I told myself to take it slow and steady, just like training. It's hard to not get caught up in the crowd motivation the first few miles as the streets of the IMFL run course are loaded with cheering fans providing abounding support where they call you by name (thankfully they aren't stalkers ... your name is on your bib!). My training has prepared me to run 4x2s for a sustained period of time and mileage. I stuck to that plan, and with the other girls for about a mile until toughness set in. Thankfully around that same time I spotted my husband and some other friends, a much needed boost in energy and support from some familiar faces! As coach always said, if you can't run you better walk angry. That's just what I did. I ran when I could, walked when I had to but at the end of the day I kept moving forward and ticking off miles. As the time went on and the miles ticked away towards the first turnaround in the state park, the

nauseous feeling in my stomach grew. At mile 5 I found my coach who told me throw up whatever I could and move on. Thankfully, puking doesn't bother me so that's just what I did. Once I got that out of my system I was good as gold. By mile 6 I was back to my nutrition plan and moving faster than before. Seeing my coach a bunch on the run course helped me stay focused. My nutrition was spot on as was my pace. I made my way to special needs in about 3hrs and was ready to conquer the final 13.1 miles. With another boost and cheer from my husband and fellow athlete friend, Chris (who had already finished), I was on my way. My pace quickened and I was making better time than before. By mile 19 my IT bands started to sound off. I quickly went back to my serious angry walk and to my surprise, passed more people with my walk than when I was running. As I rounded to mile 24, I saw the girls I had started the run with. I hung with them the final 2 miles of the race, pretty cool if you ask me. We made the final turn and headed into the chute together. It was surreal to say the least as I slowed and let them go ahead so we could all have our own time to shine coming through the finishers chute. The hard work, dedication and endless hours of training were finally coming to an end. The time had come for me to take my turn, to walk under the finishers arch and to be given my well deserved medal. With a time of 15:11, I was officially an Ironman.

While I think I could have come in under 15 hours if the sickness didn't hit me in the water, I'm grateful for every twist and turn I was dealt in the day. You never know what will happen, but all you can do is use your training and the mental toughness developed during the journey.