Ironman Arizona 2008 - Race Day

Before I delve into the actual race day itself, I must share a funny Saturday morning run story. I went out for a quick mile jog to loosen up my muscles after I had completed my swim. I was nearing my turnaround point when I was dive bombed by a bird. I was surprised however I continued on my course only to be attacked AGAIN! I turned around, crossed the street and tried to get away from the crazy bird. It dived at me one more time and I crossed the street another time and moved quickly away. It took me a few minutes of walking, looking back over my shoulder to finally feel confident that the bird attack was over. I arrived back at the hotel to discover that the bird had actually bruised my arm. LOL! :D

Now for the big day! It began around 2:30 am - which turns out to be okay b/c I still slept over 6 hours, better than most pre-race nights! I was feeling good about the day - especially the swim - my nemesis. I played a few games of Sudoku to relax myself. It was a very laid back morning.

Todd and I headed for transition at 5am. Once we arrived, I took off to get my bodymarking, drop off my special needs bags, pump up my bike tires, drop off last minute nutrition in my bags, etc. I hung out with Todd until about 6:25 and then I headed down to the water.

I dove in once the pros took off and surprisingly, I didn't have any anxiety. I swam slowly up to the start line and chatted with some of the 2300 other triathletes bobbing around me. We sang the national anthem and then off went the cannon! I took off swimming - better start than normal for me - until some guy accidentally caught my leg and pulled me under. I had to take a few minutes to collect myself again after that however I was able to start moving forward again relatively quickly.

I ended up with a good swim - at least for me. Those of you who have seen my splits might wonder how finishing the leg with only 9 minutes left until cut-off could be considered a good swim should know that it took me over an hour to do the first mile alone! I am very proud of myself for getting out there and tackling some thing that scares the crap out of me! :)

I thought once I crossed that timing mat from the swim and headed for my bike it was going to be all "downhill" from there, so to speak. It turns out that the swim was the easiest portion of my shorten day! To say the bike course was miserable would be a grose understatement. Added to our 96 degree weather was a 15mph head wind for all except 2-3 miles of the outbound leg. I should probably also mention that it is also a gradual uphill climb for the entire 18 miles.

My first half of the first leg was WRETCHED. My stomach decided that the lake water I had consumed wasn't agreeing with it, so that had to go. I hit about mile 12 and just wanted to quit - I was pushing against that wind and barely breaking 9-11mph on average. There is nothing more disheartening than feeling like you aren't even moving when you are clearly exterting a lot of effort. I finally reached the turnaround, convinced that my day was going to be over when I got back to transition. THEN I started flying back - hit 29mph at one point, coasting. I averaged around 19-20mph on the way back, so there was still hope that I could make the 3 bike cut-offs.

Generally, in Ironman racing, there is only 1 bike cut-off, 10.5 hours into the race or 5:30pm. This race, however, they added 2 cut-offs - one at the start of the 3rd lap (must be completed by 8 hours or 3pm) and one at the turnaround point of the 3rd lap (must be completed by 9.25 hours or 4:15pm). The wind was causing me to be concerned about making the 2nd of the the 3.

I managed to cut almost 20 minutes off of my outbound split however the heat and mileage was starting to take a toll and I averaged just under 18mph on the way back. I also had another lovely run-in with my stomach on the way out. I started the 3rd lap with 1:22 left to make the 2nd cut-off. It was going to require pushing hard to make however I thought I could just make it. Then I hit the first aid station and they didn't have any water left. Umm...yikes! It's a bit hard to push when you only have Gatorade and no water to drink or cool yourself off with. The next aid station wasn't for another 10 miles. Needless to say, I had to back off for safety and didn't make it.

Most people would look at a 9 hour and 15 minute day for exercise as a major feat. Okay, I will concede that it is however it doesn't make the disappointment any less. I did conquer 2.4 miles swimming and 94 miles on the bike. I also have to remind myself that I have been sick and I missed most of my final month of training - which is actually quite key as the long training rides, swims and runs are in those weeks. I am definitely not making excuses, just trying not to be so hard on myself. I burst into tears (yeah, yeah - I was exhausted, overheated and frustrated) when they told me I couldn't continue. One of the volunteers came over to tell me that I was amazing for getting where I did and that I should be proud of myself. Everything in perspective, right?

On a lighter note, Michellie Jones (my favorite female pro triathlete) passed me on the bike course and offered some words of encouragement. It is trully awesome to get to be on the same course as phenomenal athletes like her. What other sport can you say you are competing with a professional athlete? Yeah, they kick my arse, but it's still really cool to realize you are standing next to someone famous who is going to be covering the exact same miles as you are. :)

So now I will set my sights for Ironman Canada 2009. I will take the next 6 months off from IM training (still have a marathon and the Colorado Relay to train for) and then try again. I will cross the finish line and I will have Mike Reilly say "Emily Hatch, you are an Ironman!".

Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey to this race. A huge thanks to my brother for being my support crew and being amazing!! You are the best, little bro. All of the words of encouragement were running through my head during those moments when I felt like packing it in. :) Love you guys...

On the ground and in the sun...

First of all, thanks to everyone for all of your support and encouragement! It would have been much harder to be here if it weren't for y'all! You're the best!!! :)

It is an absolutely GORGEOUS day here in Tempe, AZ. I arrived in the balmy, okay downright hot, state of Arizona at 7:45am. Why exactly did I want to take a 5:20am flight again? Oh yeah, I wanted to swim this morning - which did not happen due to airport fun. I finally got to the hotel at 9:35 and the swim closed at 10. >sigh<

I spent the remainder of the morning re-assembling my bike. All parts were still there despite my momentary doubts when I opened the case to find the TSA slip of paper fitted nicely between my handle bars and seat post. I wonder if they have any idea the temporary anxiety they cause when one opens up a carefully and lovingly packed bike to find someone else has been rifling through it. That is why I don't fly my helmet packed in the case anymore b/c some lovely TSA person shifted it the last time I flew and it ended up getting crushed. I totally appreciate the need for security but they can probably see less by opening the case than by x-raying it. I mean every last thing was wrapped in a towel to keep it in place and scratch free. Phew, diatribe over!

I hopped on the bike and headed over to race headquarters to complete my registration. (I might add, at this point, that I am wearing my capri pants and t-shirt - mid-70s and a light breeze. Oh how I wish this would last through race morning!!) The bike was handling well - a good sign that I put it back together correctly and that the tune was done properly. I am feeling fantastic! I am still fighting a bit of a sinus thing but overall I am feeling the best I have in about 2 months.

I am officially registered now, complete with race stickers, BRIGHT pink swim cap, timing chip and transition bags. I will be thinking of you gals, Chelsea & April, when I don the swim cap. ;) Just in case you were wondering exactly how much gear one needs to do a race like this - check out the picture to the right. I will be wearing, consuming, using, etc everything (and a bit more) you see here. (This is why I have checklists and take 2 days to pack!)

Whenever I am on site for a race I am reminded why I put in all of the hours of training and beat up my body. The atmosphere is electric. People are excited about being in shape, competing in triathlons and pushing themselves to new limits. Everyone is so friendly and encouraging - from my fellow triathletes, to the sponsors and the volunteers. I sometimes forget that there are people out there who truly understand why I do what I do and who are just as excited to cross that finish line on Sunday as I am. It's an amazing community and I am so grateful to be a part of it.

T minus 11 days...

The day approaches rapidly, race numbers have been assigned - 2021 here. What seemed like such a distant date is now just over a week away. Questions plague my consciousness. Am I sufficiently prepared? Will I be able to conquer another swim? Will heat be the solution? Will crossing that finish line be enough? I suppose all of the answers to those questions lie in the 11, 12, 17?!?! hour day next Sunday.

My brother will be on the ground to support me. I'm not sure he knows what he is getting himself into! It will be fantastic for me though - as post race there is still so much to do and you are so physically wasted. (Plus someone has to make sure I find a big ol' steak to replenish the 5000 calories I will have expended!) He gets a vacation in the warm, Arizona sun - complete with an entire campus of co-eds.

I spoke with a friend this evening. Someone I haven't conversed with in several months. The first question he asked was if I was ready for my race. I gave him the same reply I have made to everyone this week: yes and no.

Yes, I am ready to be done training, to be done rearranging my life to shoe horn in relaxation time and mostly done with thrashing my body. For some reason this particular training session has been really hard on me...and no it's not my age! ;) It will be wonderful to just go out with my friends and let loose. (AK - we are going to have to figure out a new DD system!)

No, I am not ready as I know now that my original time goal will be out of reach. Coming down with a cold/virus for 9 days 4 weeks out from the race was less than optimal. I now have to reconcile myself with finishing rather than competing. Even finishing is going to require more mental strength than normally would be the case.

Everything is different from what I imagined 1 year ago when I volunteered at the 2007 race in order to register. I am in a new state, a new house, a new job, a new life... I had 365 days to train for this goal and now only 11 of those remain. In between came cancer, a test of my mental tenacity and a chance to start over. I will draw heavily on what was learned from those experiences as I cover the 140.6 miles. You just never know who will come out the other side...