Well, eventually i will get around to blogging...but i wanted to share a few
"IMC moments" with my team :) but before i do, Congratulations Stephen for
finishing strong your first Ironman!!!!! Well done! Also, Ben, i sure enjoyed
hanging out and training with you and coach Scott. I know that i have been
inspired once again to take things up another notch:) Thank you for letting me
tag along...prior to Nikki and Clarise getting in town :) Now, to the race....
after a few days in town doing the pre-race routine the big day finally arrived!
(so did the butterflies in my stomach the night before :) I did everything
according to plan. I ate my pasta in my room with my two ironman sisters (nikki
and clarise :) they left me to wind down..i headed for the hottub to relax a bit
then crawled into bed at 7:45pm. didn't fall asleep quickly this time...my
family came back to the hotel a little earlier than instructed! Oh well :) I
woke up before my alarm again (was set for 3:45am) began trying to eat a big
breakfast...my fuel for the day. i managed to get down a 2 eggs, 2 pieces of
toast with apricot jam, (1 packet of oatmeal and 2 plain pancakes with a couple
sips of coffee. this was an improvement over last year) headed for transition at
5:00am. hubby dropped me off....re-checked all my stuff, location of gear bags
and mentally ran through my transition strategies, then headed for the swim
start. positioned myself in the water near the front. (probably 500 in the
water, 1000+ on the beach) prayed my prerace prayer with my friend faye then gun
went off and ironman had begun! a mass of bodies created a "giant washing
machine" for the first several minutes i was very nauscious. I needed to swim to
stabilize my self and the problem with being in the front is that there was no
room to do that as the "horde" of swimmers kept advancing from the beach! I
wondered at one point..."am i going to be able to do this today?" I used my head
and told myself...just relax enough to breath, get my heartrate and stomach
right then it will be fine. It was rough until bouy #4...about (lesson
learned....start a little further back :) after that my mantra is "Swim, Swim,
Swim, this an ironman swim, I am Enjoying it, I am swimming another ironman
swim, praise God, I rock :) I savored the last mile of the swim, knowing that i
had conquered my swim challenge of the day and had won! I was happy when i
looked at my watch and despite my challenge had trimmed 4 minutes off my times.
whoo hoo! i was feeling great and on my bike in 4+ minutes. i flew for the first
40+ miles while keeping my heartrate in check (advise well rec'd from Ben ) I
climbed Richter and still had a 18.5 mph average! I easily passed every female i
saw and many of the guys :) My goal was to pass those fast swimmers:) then
about roller #3 around 60 or so miles in the winds picked up...and i had to work
harder to keep pace. I felt my muscles burning with fatique even though i was
guing on a every 30 minute schedule. It was a exhausting 20 or so miles to the
turn around. (this was my bike "WALL") I knew i needed to face the last big
climb up yellowlake (and still run a marathon) so i stategized to keep cadence
high but lighten up my gear a bit to save some leg. the climb up yellowlake was
windy and rainy but i was much stronger. (the 1/2 PB and J also helped) when i
got to the final crest of the climb there was a tunnel of spectators us,
cheering us on, (in the rain! Way cool :) after mile 95 the decent begins and i
flew once again (44mph!) had to make up time :) i pushed a little too hard on
the way back into town...as it took my to mile 9 to get my legs! to be
continued..
......now that i have some time i will continue where i left off....legs were burning
from the bike (hard to keep a 10:30 pace) usually this wears off...i am patient
till mile 5 then i start to worry...21 more miles like this? !!! mile 8 i am
definately needing to focus and keep pushing thru. i am waiting to get my legs
and my motivation (to pass by the aid stations...i had my gu and electrolyte on
me...no need to stop and my strategy for this race was to limit my walking thru
aid stations to as few i could! but to get to mile 9 i needed the mental carrot,
ice cubes and pretsels:) That's about where the hilly portion of the run begins
and strangely enough i begin to feel my legs (in a good way) i chug up the hill
and pretty soon it's mile 11 with 2 to go to the turn around! I see Steven on
his way back from the turn around and am happy to see a fellow teamfastt member!
high five!!! i make the 13 turnaround and then climb back up the hills with a
consistant chug. I am the little engine that could! I know i need to keep going
consistantly because i still have a 13 miles to go (out of 140.6 i remind myself
the bulk of the miles are done...what is a mere 13 more :) at mile 17...I
remember that when i get to mile 20, I can slack off the gu :) it's the the
final stretch where i can feel the pull of the finish line. I also tell myself
at mile 21 that now "just a 5 mile fun run" with Greg :) then with 4 miles
left....It's a run with my teenagers....at 2 miles i am totally locked on the
finish...I have crowds of people sharing their energy with me as i run by and
smile and receive their "way to go's and great pace, you make it look easy," i
give them a thumbs up! I have it sewn up....I am finishing strong...i am offered
gatoraide at the final aid stations...no way...no slowing down...I see Nikki and
Clarise as i go out for the final mile (out and back)...someone say's from the
side lines as i am cruisin back in (about 200 meters from finishline) you can
catch him... I know i can and i do--i blaze in with a stong finish! It was a
Challenging day. I did Ironman Canada! and a 13:03 finish is a PR of almost an
hour! Romans 4:20 "I am strengthened in faith giving glory to God."
"IMC moments" with my team :) but before i do, Congratulations Stephen for
finishing strong your first Ironman!!!!! Well done! Also, Ben, i sure enjoyed
hanging out and training with you and coach Scott. I know that i have been
inspired once again to take things up another notch:) Thank you for letting me
tag along...prior to Nikki and Clarise getting in town :) Now, to the race....
after a few days in town doing the pre-race routine the big day finally arrived!
(so did the butterflies in my stomach the night before :) I did everything
according to plan. I ate my pasta in my room with my two ironman sisters (nikki
and clarise :) they left me to wind down..i headed for the hottub to relax a bit
then crawled into bed at 7:45pm. didn't fall asleep quickly this time...my
family came back to the hotel a little earlier than instructed! Oh well :) I
woke up before my alarm again (was set for 3:45am) began trying to eat a big
breakfast...my fuel for the day. i managed to get down a 2 eggs, 2 pieces of
toast with apricot jam, (1 packet of oatmeal and 2 plain pancakes with a couple
sips of coffee. this was an improvement over last year) headed for transition at
5:00am. hubby dropped me off....re-checked all my stuff, location of gear bags
and mentally ran through my transition strategies, then headed for the swim
start. positioned myself in the water near the front. (probably 500 in the
water, 1000+ on the beach) prayed my prerace prayer with my friend faye then gun
went off and ironman had begun! a mass of bodies created a "giant washing
machine" for the first several minutes i was very nauscious. I needed to swim to
stabilize my self and the problem with being in the front is that there was no
room to do that as the "horde" of swimmers kept advancing from the beach! I
wondered at one point..."am i going to be able to do this today?" I used my head
and told myself...just relax enough to breath, get my heartrate and stomach
right then it will be fine. It was rough until bouy #4...about (lesson
learned....start a little further back :) after that my mantra is "Swim, Swim,
Swim, this an ironman swim, I am Enjoying it, I am swimming another ironman
swim, praise God, I rock :) I savored the last mile of the swim, knowing that i
had conquered my swim challenge of the day and had won! I was happy when i
looked at my watch and despite my challenge had trimmed 4 minutes off my times.
whoo hoo! i was feeling great and on my bike in 4+ minutes. i flew for the first
40+ miles while keeping my heartrate in check (advise well rec'd from Ben ) I
climbed Richter and still had a 18.5 mph average! I easily passed every female i
saw and many of the guys :) My goal was to pass those fast swimmers:) then
about roller #3 around 60 or so miles in the winds picked up...and i had to work
harder to keep pace. I felt my muscles burning with fatique even though i was
guing on a every 30 minute schedule. It was a exhausting 20 or so miles to the
turn around. (this was my bike "WALL") I knew i needed to face the last big
climb up yellowlake (and still run a marathon) so i stategized to keep cadence
high but lighten up my gear a bit to save some leg. the climb up yellowlake was
windy and rainy but i was much stronger. (the 1/2 PB and J also helped) when i
got to the final crest of the climb there was a tunnel of spectators us,
cheering us on, (in the rain! Way cool :) after mile 95 the decent begins and i
flew once again (44mph!) had to make up time :) i pushed a little too hard on
the way back into town...as it took my to mile 9 to get my legs! to be
continued..
......now that i have some time i will continue where i left off....legs were burning
from the bike (hard to keep a 10:30 pace) usually this wears off...i am patient
till mile 5 then i start to worry...21 more miles like this? !!! mile 8 i am
definately needing to focus and keep pushing thru. i am waiting to get my legs
and my motivation (to pass by the aid stations...i had my gu and electrolyte on
me...no need to stop and my strategy for this race was to limit my walking thru
aid stations to as few i could! but to get to mile 9 i needed the mental carrot,
ice cubes and pretsels:) That's about where the hilly portion of the run begins
and strangely enough i begin to feel my legs (in a good way) i chug up the hill
and pretty soon it's mile 11 with 2 to go to the turn around! I see Steven on
his way back from the turn around and am happy to see a fellow teamfastt member!
high five!!! i make the 13 turnaround and then climb back up the hills with a
consistant chug. I am the little engine that could! I know i need to keep going
consistantly because i still have a 13 miles to go (out of 140.6 i remind myself
the bulk of the miles are done...what is a mere 13 more :) at mile 17...I
remember that when i get to mile 20, I can slack off the gu :) it's the the
final stretch where i can feel the pull of the finish line. I also tell myself
at mile 21 that now "just a 5 mile fun run" with Greg :) then with 4 miles
left....It's a run with my teenagers....at 2 miles i am totally locked on the
finish...I have crowds of people sharing their energy with me as i run by and
smile and receive their "way to go's and great pace, you make it look easy," i
give them a thumbs up! I have it sewn up....I am finishing strong...i am offered
gatoraide at the final aid stations...no way...no slowing down...I see Nikki and
Clarise as i go out for the final mile (out and back)...someone say's from the
side lines as i am cruisin back in (about 200 meters from finishline) you can
catch him... I know i can and i do--i blaze in with a stong finish! It was a
Challenging day. I did Ironman Canada! and a 13:03 finish is a PR of almost an
hour! Romans 4:20 "I am strengthened in faith giving glory to God."
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