This bike course was listed as a flat ride with a few rolling hills. I disagree. It was all rolling hills with a few inclines. At one point I turned a corner and saw what was ahead of me and yelled "Flat my ass" to the girl next to me.
I've ridden much harder courses. So I just kept that in mind. We head straight through the town of Racine for the first few miles. Let me just say their roads are horrible. Patched everywhere and cracks in the pavement about every 15 feet. So for the first 5 miles I had to hold on for dear life. Not allow my water bottle that was so nicely fitted between my areobars to go flying out and smack someone. Went something like this. Boom Boom...............Boom Boom............Bang........Thud...........Boom Boom..........Boom Boom. It was a long 5 miles. Made some turns and got onto a smoother road yet you still had to watch for potholes and debris. My heart rate was still a touch high from the adrenaline and I realized I was holding a pretty good pace of 17 mph. So I played with the gears a bit going back to the small ring which slowed me down a bit but got my heart rate back to the 140's which is where I wanted it to stay for most of the ride. As my body got comfortable in areo position I just kept knocking off the miles. Little demoralizing when you hit 10 miles and then realize only 46 more to go. So I played the fraction game. Just get to 14 and I'm 1/4 done. Hit 28 and it's all down hill from here, (well not literally). By the 1/2 mark my stomach was getting a bit gurgley. Made me a bit nervous. But I was able to keep that feeling at bay. I followed my nutrition plan and was eating on the bike about every 40-45 mins. Drinking whenever I felt like it as it was so hot out.
I saw hundreds of people pass me. Some of the swim waves behind me were Men in there 20's. Let me tell you with their $7000 bikes and $2000 race wheels they just fly by. It's amazing to me how smooth they look. Like they are out for a Sunday drive. They are able to hold a pace of at least 22mph with out much thought. I passed a few myself and was able to chick a few guys. That's always nice. But other than that it was quite uneventful. Part of the route was an out and back. So I made sure to look for my Dad, but I never saw him. I figured he was on the part that I didn't double back on. We decided that by the time I was done with the bike I would be about 1.5 hours ahead of him. This includes the 30 mins that he started after me. But I was able to cut off 18 mins off my bike time. Hold an avg pace of 17.92mph. My goal was 17 and would be trilled with 18. Pretty darn close!
Flew down the last tiny hill and slammed the brakes. Hopped off and wobbled to transition. Trying to walk or run right after biking that many miles still feels weird to me. Dropped off the bike goods. Sprayed sunscreen, sprayed pain relief in a can on both my legs. Change into sneakers, decided to leave bike socks on. Hat, water bottle and off I go. Reset the garmin for running and GO.
Okay it wasn't a GO. It was more like a shuffle with an annoying limp. I was walking like those who have a prosthesis. Where you lift the leg off the ground and not bend it and pull it forward. This way I would land on my full foot and not the ball or heel which is more painful at the moment. I wasn't sure what to expect and told myself it was ok to walk the whole thing. There is a hill or two right at the beginning so I walk the first two miles. Let me tell you...........it took forever! I avg a 15:30 pace. I was hoping for a 15 min pace avg. So it was obvious to me that I would have to shuffle a bit to get that time down. So let's give it a try. Shuffle shuffle shuffle. I last about half a mile and the pain goes around the ankle up the shin and to the knee. I know enough to stop before it hits the hip. That's when I really have trouble keeping any movement forward. I walk some more and down what was probably the 6 Advil and 4th Tylenol.
This course is a double loop, out and back. So about 3.2 miles out and back 4 times. Knowing that I had gained a bit more time coming off the bike I probably had closer to a 2 hr lead on Dad. So I spent a good time trying to figure out when I would see him on the run course. I was hoping that when I started the second loop I could run into him. Then I realized that no that would be too soon. Meanwhile I met a guy who had a hamstring pull and couldn't do much running either. So we enjoyed each other's company. He was a 300 pound man a few years ago. Still a big guy but now he has done everything from a 5k to a full iornman. I was so impressed with his story. It's people like that who keep me going. We walked, talked, shuffled and at times played cat and mouse. Eventually I got ahead of him and stayed there. I did see him finish about 3/4 of a mile behind me. Nice job "Super Grover" That was on his bike jersey. I met another man 62 who lived in Cary like my Dad. Maybe they are neighbors! He was on his first loop when I started my second. I have to say the athletes and all the volunteers were wonderful. The the heat as bad as it was, everyone just tried to make the best of it.
The beginning of my second loop I saw Dave. Cheering me on telling me how awesome I was. At that point in time I was shuffling. I managed to bring down my pace to 14:30 by then. This gave me a bit of room in case a slowed even more on the second loop. After I passed him I realized that no one else was with him. Where was the rest of the family? Maybe Dad wasn't off the bike yet. That was a good possibility. So I shuffled along another 3.2 miles, took advantage of the all water, Gatorade, coke, sponges and ice. Lots of residents had hoses out spraying us down. By the time I hit 9 miles I knew that yes indeed I would finish. My leg on fire. I had developed the worst blisters I have ever had on both heels because I was walking and running funny. I looked at the garim and I am now closer to a 14 min mile avg. Well well, maybe I can push it to under 14. Now that became the goal. I ran until I couldn't run and hobbled until I could shuffle again. Another 3 Advil and 2 Tylenol with get me through. I was certain I would see my father on this last part of the course going the other way. Then I had the feeling that he never did make it to the run course. I should of seen him somewhere by now.
When I was about 1 mile away I didn't want it to end. I didn't want to be in pain, but besides that it's a feeling that I had been waiting for since my first marathon. You challenge yourself. Push your limits. Some days your invincible. Some days your miserable. You have to trust your training. Trust that come race day your body knows what to do. Trust that even with being injured, pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever. I spent 6 months training for this race. Had I not been injured I would have had a stellar performance. I felt great, my nutrition plan was perfect, it was hot but I never thought that the heat was limiting me. An injury slowed me down, but I still won.
I crossed the line and I'm proud to say that the ironman announcer even got my full name right! Thank you! My family cheered me on, screaming my name. My Dad right there with them supporting me even while he was unable to finish. I got my medal, a new hat and water. Had some pictures taken and found my husband who had tears of joy. I did it. My first Ironman sanctioned event.
I found out that my Dad got heat exhaustion around mile 35 on the bike. He stopped to get water and staggered a bit. He knew he was going down hill quickly. He made the smart decision to go the the medical tent and they covered him with ice to cool him down quickly. Heat exhaustion at it's best. At 115 heat index on the course he wasn't the only one with that issue. He made the right choice. It's one thing to be injured and push through. Another thing if your body is shutting down.
It wasn't long for us to pack up our stuff and head back to the car. I was tired, SORE but proud. The ride home was ugly. About 2 hours of being hot then cold as I still had all my tri gear on. I was gross. My blisters pounding, leg aching. Finally we get home. I go to get out of the car slowly and realize that there is no way to put pressure on my leg. I can no longer walk on it.
Got myself cleaned up slowly. Spent the rest of the day with ice on the leg. The next day called the doctor. Had xrays, shows no stress fracture. Had a MRI yesterday and will get the results on Mon. For now I take it easy.
It's was a day I'll never forget. So do I get the tattoo?
First of all again, awesome job...inspiring.
ReplyDeleteSecond of all...No Tatto,I'm sorry but no,haha.
Seriously you did a great job,congrats.I was kinda tracking you and your Dad and became worried when I saw your Dad hadn't finished the bike yet and I started texting David asking if he was ok. He told me the heat got him but he was ok. Thank goodness he did the smart thing and stopped. Sooooo No tattoo,lol.Great job. Patty