Redman was a blast but first things first -
IMOO 2009 is officially official for me! And I have the credit card statement to prove it... ouch. :)
Ok, my first half
Ironman - LOVED it! The day started bright and early at 4:30 a.m., with the hotel staff helping my get my
pre-race oatmeal and almonds prepared. They even served it on a silver platter, which I found very amusing. After a short, dark drive to the race site with Tim's
iPod finally playing appropriate music (no country!), I was body marked, chipped, and getting set up in transition. Unlike the rest of the
KCM crew, I only visited Mr.
Porta John once. Strange, I know, but we won't get into that. Trish, no comments. Andrea, I know you've got my back on this one :)
It felt like we waited forever to start the race. Standing in the swim corral, I chatted with the
KCM group, helped with wetsuits, and watched other athletes go through their own personal
pre-race rituals (a very educational experience). After the singing of the national anthem, which will always have a special significance to me after years of soccer, the full
ironman distance athletes began their laps. My only thought was, "Thank God I don't have to do that for another year yet!" After accompanying Trish in full-volume renditions of "Eye of the Tiger," the Rocky theme song, and "Pretty Woman," I found myself standing in perfect-temp water with all 80+ women competitors. The gun went off and the swim was on. It took me a 1/4 mile to find my rhythm but the rest of the swim was uneventful - minus sighting a girl with a snorkel and a kick to the ribs from one of the men I caught. Apparently he didn't like the idea of getting
chicked.
Coming up out of the water, I was
ecstatic to see my time was right where I wanted to be - 42:30. After my first wetsuit stripper experience - best idea ever - I ran into transition completely relaxed and ready to ride. Keeping in mind my future Ironman coach's advice, I took the first 10 miles of the bike relatively easy. Lots of spinning, kept my heart rate low, and got comfortable. After that, it was go time! Given the road surface (hello, vibration!) and my limited training, I'm satisfied with my 3:04 bike time. Grabbing Gatorade bottles and bananas on the go was a new challenge but it's pretty fun!
I slowed up biking around the lake to get my heart rate back down to zone 2. The lake provided a surprisingly pretty landscape coming in to T2. Racking my bike, I could feel my feet cramping and figured the rest of my muscles wouldn't be far behind. So, I popped two Nuuns into my water bottle, ate a banana, and stretched like I was told. It meant a 4:50 transition, but I started the run relaxed and as loose as I was going to get.
Aside from finishing the race, the run is the event of which I am most proud. I finally found the athletic maturity to pace myself properly - my first 6 miles were steady and I walked every aid station, taking in plenty of Gatorade, bananas, and salt to postpone the inevitable muscle cramps as long as possible. Seeing all the KCMers on the course kept me strong, and I used my time at the aid stations to chat with volunteers and keep myself relaxed. I might have stayed a little longer than necessary at the aid station that offered me beer :)
Finally I hit the turn around point and from there I stopped looking at my heart rate moniter. I had roughly a 10K to go and I wanted it to be all out. My knee was killing me - if I stepped every-so-slightly wrong, it gave out or shot pain all the way up into my hip - but I didn't care. I knew who was ahead of me and who was close behind, and it was go big or go home. I chose to go big (as big as I could). After the 9 mile mark, every step I took signified my longest run ever. With 3 miles to go, my legs started cramping, the heat set in, and I began singing my signature "Handlebars" song to keep my mind off the elements. With 2 miles to go, I wanted to slow down, until I remembered that Sept. 20 was the last day I would run for at least a month. A whole month. Before the race, I had talked about leaving every ounce of energy out on that course, and here I was, thinking about slowing down. No way that was happening. Like Dad always said, mind over matter. Forget the heat, forget my heart rate, forget the pain from my knee. Nothing else mattered but crossing the finish line with a time I'd be happy with!
As I reached the athlete parking lots, a volunteer told me I had about 500 yards to go. Heck, I swim 500 yards as a single set in some of my workouts! I let my legs do their own thing from there and I couldn't even feel them as I ran down the red carpet to the finish line. The best part was hearing the announcer tell the crowd I signed up to do Ironman Wisconsin next year and realizing in less than a year from now, I'll be running down the finishing chute of my first Ironman race. Gives me chills :)
I ended up running my first half marathon in 2:12, and finishing my first half Ironman in 6:07:10, only 7 minutes off of my original 6-hour goal when I was healthy. The funny thing is, I never felt like I was out on the course for more than 6 hours. There were so many things going on and so many other athletes to watch for that the time flew! The weekend couldn't have gone better for our entire group (see Trish's post for all our stud finishers). Great friends, great weather, and a great first half Ironman experience... it was the perfect end to my 2008 tri season. Next up - rest, get healthy, then start looking ahead to IMOO 2009!
P.S. Contrary to popular O'Donnell opinion, I DID celebrate with a toast of champagne (not finishing the whole glass does not detract from the celebratory sips I did take), along with Dos Equis, chips and salsa, killer burritos and pizza. I don't think I could have put anything else into my stomach, celebration or not!
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