Race Report

The long awaited race report! I am sorry I’ve had limited internet access since I got here and have been having too much fun to sit down and write about my race. I know poor me, right?
I will start out by saying that my first IM experience was AMAZING!!! Things didn’t go as planned, but then again I knew that going into the race and I prepared myself to deal with each incidence (if you could call it that) in a calm manner.
Consistency was my word for the day going into the race. I knew if I could be consistent with my nutrition, pacing and mentality that I could handle just about anything the day threw at me.
The days leading up to the race everyone was on edge as we didn’t know what the weather would throw at us. On Friday we heard several weather reports throughout the day, some good and some not so good, but we all crossed our fingers that the weather would be on our side when we woke up Saturday morning.
On Saturday, March 7, 2009 I woke up at 3:55AM, just five minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. I took a quick shower to help wake myself up, lathered my skin in sunscreen from head to toe, put my race kit on and some extra layers to keep warm, packed up my bag and waited for Matt and Dan to pick me up and take me to breakfast where everyone from our group was. I ate my usual oatmeal and banana for breakie and then headed down in a van with everyone to T1 where I checked in, got body marked (which came right off from sunscreen), and then turned in my bike special needs bag before checking on my bike. It rained that night, but it was nice and calm in the morning ☺ not too cold so I was stoked! The last thing I wanted to do was get into my wetsuit in the freezing cold and hop into the cold lake before the sun comes up... not my favorite thing to do. The numbers were given out according to age, so my 113 was nice and low meaning that my bike was racked up on the other side of Bella Bayliss, Jo Lawn, Gina Ferguson, etc… And the paparazzi (hee hee) were right there videoing the pros. I checked my tires, my helmet and stuck my nutrition on my bike before heading down to the swim start. On my way to the swim I stopped at the bathroom and noticed a HUGE mens line and small women’s line, it took me a second before I realized why, but the race consisted of 1100 or so men and roughly 280 women.
Swim: The swim start was at 7am and the pro’s went at 6:45am. I got into the water just after the pro’s began to get used to the water, stick my head under, do a couple strokes and head out to the start line. I positioned myself about 4 rows back from the first in line and right in the middle of the pack. I knew I could hang with these people as long as I didn’t freak out, but I wasn’t really sure how the swim would go, as a mass start was a new experience for me. I wanted to give the race all that I could, so chickening out now and hiding in the back of the pack was not a choice I had given myself. The lights were flashing, 3…2…1… the canon shot and we were off! People were clobbering me, left and right - I couldn’t win as the majority of athletes were men. I just swam hard, taking each foot grab, shoulder pull, elbow to the gut, and blow to the head as relaxed as I could. The only way to describe my swim was like being thrown into a washing machine with 1500 other people and getting whirled and twirled around for an hour. Every once in awhile I found myself relatively alone so I would clobber my way ahead and get back into the mix, trying to stay on someones feet as best I could. The swim was over so fast, next thing I knew I was out of the water and running the 500 meters, which included a set of stairs and seemed more like a mile to T1. While I was running I was trying to pull off my wetsuit, I had two bracelets on my right wrist (one for Endurance Sports Travel and the other for Ironman) that my wetsuit sleeve got caught up in and I couldn’t get it out, it took me almost the entire run to T1 to get it out before I could tackle the left arm that had my watch on it.
T1: I ran into T1, called out my number, was handed my transition bag and ran into the Women’s Changing Tent where I poured my bag out on the ground and asked the volunteer if she could pull my wetsuit off. She started pulling the suit at my calves and I was yelling at her to pull from the dangling arms of the suit and just rip it off! I was a bit frustrated by her for not knowing how to strip a wetsuit (there weren’t wetsuit strippers at the race). I stuck my cleats on, arm warmers, race number belt and headed to my bike where threw on my helmet and headed out of T1.
Bike: The bike starts out with 1km flat, then up, up, up a long hill and then another long hill before we finally settle into a false flat. I took in a bar and gel right after the swim, then started my watch so I knew when to take in my calories. The first loop of the bike I had to keep telling myself to back off, settle down and let my HR come down.
One thing about the bike was that the drafting marshal’s seemed relentless, they were pulling people over left and right, which I thought was fantastic! I even had a couple guys (rarely saw women on the course) who got the whistle and pulled over behind me.
After the first loop we ride back up those first lovely hills, once at top we got our first of 2 armbands to show the volunteers where to send us. We ride through a pack of volunteers who have scrunchies (think hair scrunchies) stretched out and we would just stick our arm through them.
I kept waiting for the IM low to settle in, but it just wouldn’t come. However I was ready to get off my bike by the last 20 miles. I had had enough of riding and was ready to run. But in order to pace myself and break up the race mentally I looked at the race as a three day event. The first day was swim, second bike and third run. I knew I could run 26.2 miles a couple days after a hard workout and that’s how I mentally saw the run. It wasn’t ride 112 mile and then run 26.2 miles right after, I had split it up in my mind instead of combining the two, does that make sense? It worked for me and I just kept calm the entire bike ride.
About 10 miles form T2 I started getting tired, my legs just weren’t turning over the pedals as quickly and mentally I was over the bike. My tummy got a bit cramped up and I knew it was time to start my run nutrition and so I grabbed a bottle of coke to help me through the last miles.
T2: I ran in, dropped off my bike with the volunteer, grabbed my bag and headed to the Women’s Changing Tent where I found a seat and dumped the contents of my run bag on the ground. I traded my cycling cleats for dry socks and run shoes, helmet for visor and opted out of wearing my fuel belt as my tummy wasn’t interested in drinking Accelerade anymore. As I was running out of T2 I looked for a porto-jon, but I couldn’t see one in sight and was not about to run around transition looking for a potty to pee in. So I headed up the ramp and over the bridge that took us onto the run course.
Run: The course was filled with spectators, they were the best spectators I have ever seen at a race! But my stomach was hurting and I thought if I could pee that maybe it would take pressure off and relieve some of the cramping. It took about 2km before I finally found a porto-jon and I headed strait for it! Once I peed I got back into the race chugging along, but the pain had not eased. The problem was that my legs were fine and ready to run, I was coherent and happy except for my stomach that was bloated and cramped up. I ran the first 5km of the run before I finally had to walk and walk and walk some more. I knew I would finish the race, that was never a question and to get upset about my race was NOT an option for me. Once I got upset it would be the end, so I kept positive, clicking off the miles or kilometers one by one and thinking about the pro’s who have bad days. Rutger Beke in Kona a couple years ago as he walked most of the marathon was an image that kept popping up in my head. I figured if he could do it, then so could I! I just kept thinking about how great it was that this was my first race, there was no pressure but to finish and even if I had to walk the entire marathon course I would still finish within a fairly respectable time. So I ran when I could and walked fast when I couldn’t run. My stomach was cramped the ENTIRE run, but I didn’t let it get to me. I just stuck to coke and water, that’s all I could handle during the race and I didn’t really know what else to do, but keep moving forward. There were a couple points where I thought I may throw up and I was hoping I would, but no dice.
The run was two loops just like the bike and we wore scrunchies again for each loop just like the bike. So you knew who was just getting started and who was about to finish. I saw many people who looked like they were having a rough day and others who looked strong! On the last loop I crested up a hill and there was Ken Glah taking pictures of the athletes who had travelled with him. He would see us, run down the way and then take pictures and video of us, it was great to have him out there supporting us!
Another great thing about the race was travelling with Ken and meeting so many wonderful people who became a second family during the race. Each person cheered on one another, gave hugs and high fives throughout the race. It was nice, because I after watching IMAZ in November I thought it may be sad not to know anyone in New Zealand except for Marc and Suzanne. But everyone cared so much about one another that it made up for not having my family, friends and coach out there for me.
The spectators were also the most amazing spectators I have ever seen! They cheered for everyone and not just a clap, but said something inspirational and called out our names as we went past. At times my name tag was turned around and on my back, but that didn’t stop people from calling my name out after I passed them! They were absolutely unbelievable throughout the entire run course! I loved every second of that run, even though I walked a little more than 1/3rd of it and my tummy was all cramped up, it didn’t matter, this race was AMAZING and I am completely hooked on IRONMAN!!!
Thank you Coach Jen (I have loved working with you!), Mom, Dad & Teri, Beth S. (Dietician and BAMF triathlete), Marc (Kona Qualifier 09’) & Suzanne, Edgar (bike mechanic extraodinaire), Ken Glah (NZ accommodation master & awesome tour guide) and all my friends and family who have continued to tell me I am crazy – I still love you!

I will post more pictures soon enough... I am in Fiji now and relaxing (not something I do well, its been a bit of a challenge - and I am being serious!).