What a journey...it is hard to breakdown the day into something that even remotely resembles organized thoughts, but let me attempt to jot down this race report from Ironman Florida.
After a 9 hour car ride from Miami, we arrived in Panama City on Thursday and I made a beeline for the
X2PERFORMANCE® tent. I would not be at this race if it were not for their amazing sponsorship, and I could not wait to see Keith and the team. I feel so lucky to have met
Beth Risdon at the tent, one of my teammates (if you do not already follow her blog,
Shut Up and Run, you must - she is beyond hilarious). We headed to check in, shared training stories, bodily function stories (we immediately hit it off because we have this much in common) and commiserated about our nervousness. Aside from doing the required things prior to the race (check in, organizing the race bags, bike check in, athlete briefings, etc), I made a conscious effort to stay off my feet, lay low, and eat very strategically.
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| Beth Risdon, Keith Meyer and myself |
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| Team X2Performance |
The night before the race I slept more soundly and deeply than I have in months, I could not believe it - it was an incredible night's sleep, and I even had a great dream. The alarm went off at 4:15 and I proceeded to get situated for the long day ahead. Breakfast included two packets of
GoGo Squeez apple sauce, banana, small bagel with
Justin's Nut Butter and a
Vega protein shake (my plan was to eat another banana and another packet of apple sauce on the way there, but I simply couldn't get any more solids down). Everything that needs to happen on race morning happened beautifully for me (not elaborating here - those who know, know. You all get the picture - it's important stuff) and headed out to the swim start.
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| A little inspiration for along the way, courtesy of Tattly |
I made a quick stop at the transition area to check on the bike and drop off my water bottles. I tried very hard not to think about the gash I discovered on my front tire the day before (after I checked in my bike, so could not remove the bike to do any potential repairs, and let's not forget to add - it was POURING RAIN). I just told myself if I got a flat out there I'd change the tire, simple as that, and that I'd lose some time but it wasn't a big deal (those who train with me know I am not a bike mechanic), and headed on down to the swim start.
It is at this point that I have to pause give a gigantic shout out to my training partner, "coach," and sherpa along the way - my incredible husband,
Jose Perez. The patience that this man has is astounding. Up to this point he has literally trained side-by-side with me for this race, yet was not doing it. All the guts, yet none of the glory. I've been tired, emotional and cranky and he has been there the whole way. Not to mention in the middle of all this we moved from New York City to Miami in September. He's put up with me, and he has been a saint. I gave him a big kiss and hug, said goodbye (see you in 140.6 miles!) and head through the swim start area to line up.
THE SWIM...2.4 Miles
There really are not words to describe how I felt as I stood there at the shore. I could hear the waves crashing and saw the swells and thought to myself, "this is going to be interesting." The swim was the part that I was least worried about, being a swimmer and loving the ocean. However, standing there on the beach, I started to get a little nervous about this swim. No turning back now! I thought a bit about the day ahead, but then tried to focus on just the swim for now - one piece at a time. I heard the announcer say "...OH BOY...a little swim, a little bike, and a little run..." It struck me as so funny.
The gun goes off - here we go. As I head into that first group of waves, they were playing Van Halen's "Panama" and I actually laughed - it reminded me of being a kid riding around in my older cousin Joey's Z-28 - that flashback made me smile - he is hysterical). It was me and 2800 people trying to get through those first groups of waves. I thought that was going to be the hard part - that was the easy part. The hard part was trying to find a rhythm and navigating through the bodies. I took so many hits but was just trying to avoid my teeth getting hit or taking a kick to the chest which would knock the wind out of me.
I thought "this is going to be a slow swim for me!" As I headed in toward the beach and geared up for lap two, I told myself lap two would be better, less crowded. I looked at the clock, the time was slower for me but not as bad as I thought it would be considering! As I ran out into the waves again to begin lap two, some guy next to me said "ok girl, let's do it all over again now!" I loved him at that moment.
I came out of the swim, peeled off my own wetsuit, and headed into T1. I grabbed my bike gear bag, threw on my shoes and helmet, and headed out on the bike.
THE BIKE...112 Miles
Biking is the weakest of the three for me, and my plan was to be very conservative and save for the run. I've never actually biked 112 miles in training. This thought popped into my head and I immediately pushed it out, "shut up, you'll be fine" - this is something I said to myself constantly throughout the day.
I got to the halfway point and realized that split was faster than my 70.3 bike split. I thought, "geez, I'm either having a great day or I'm in for a big surprise for the second half of this bike." Again, "shut up, you'll be fine." The roads were very rural, and it was peaceful - I was enjoying every minute of this.
If I ever thought I'd have a problem, it would be on the bike. At a minimum I figured my crotch was going to be so brutalized that even if the rest of my body felt good, that part was going to give me trouble. But I felt great. THE ENTIRE TIME.
I followed the nutrition plan for the bike:
- 2 Bottles of
Cytomax Tropical Fruit
- 2 Bottles of
Ironman Perform
- 6 Gels: 2
GU Salted Caramel, 2 Gu Island Nectars, 4
Ignite Naturals Mango Peach and Wildberry
- 1
Honey Stinger Waffle
- 1
Bonk Breaker (by the way, I ate half because I dropped the other half - it turned out to be enough though, I didn't want to crap my pants on the run)
As I approached mile 100 I felt like I was home free - almost there. Crotch still in tact, legs feel good, ain't life grand? Thoughts of the upcoming marathon creeped in - "SH*T I have to run 26.2 miles after this!" Again, I reminded myself to take one step at a time. At least I'd be off the bike is what I told myself for consolation. As I headed into T2, I was excited to be back to civilization! An awesome volunteer took my bike, I swapped bike shoes for running shoes, helmet for a visor, and I was on my way!
THE RUN...26.2 Miles
My plan was to divide this run into four "bite-sized," manageable pieces, since it was a two loop, out and back course. The great thing about the run was I got to see my
X2PERFORMANCE® teammates out there rocking the course. I also knew I'd see
Jose Perez, hopefully at least twice, and I looked forward to that. And it was also great to see Keith Meyer of X2PERFORMANCE® out there cheering us all on. What I was not expecting was to see one of my fellow
South Florida Triathletes - Team Hammerheads, Ray Pedrono! It was a great surprise. Thanks to Ray for cheering me on and running next to me!
I was cautious to try and avoid that moment, that often talked about "line" or "wall" that comes, but I felt great the entire way. I knew I was running at a slower pace, but my goal was to be able to finish and being it was my first time, I didn't want to wind up on my a*s on the side of the road, or in some Panhandle hospital. I thought about my mom, dad, stepfather, brother and family in general along the way - that made me smile and made it easy to keep going. They were not there in Florida, but I know they were with me in spirit.
I had strategically placed a copy of Jon Gordon's
20 Ways to Get Mentally Tough (one of my favorite go-tos) in my special needs bag - in case I needed a reminder out there. I ended up not needing to pull it out and read it out there on the course, but I wanted to highlight a few key excerpts that I did keep in my mind prior to and during the race:
from 20 Ways to Get Mentally Tough
12. When your own self-doubt crowds your mind, weed it and replace it with positive thoughts and positive self-talk.
13. When you feel distracted, focus on your breathing, observe your surroundings, clear your mind, and get into The Zone. The Zone is not a random event. It can be created.
14. When you feel all is impossible, know that
with God all things are possible.
15. When you feel alone,
think of all the people who have helped you along the way andwho love and support you now.
17. When you are tired and drained, remember to never,
never, never give up. FinishStrong in everything you do.
18. When you feel like you can’t do it, know that you can do all things through Him who gives you strength.
20. When you’re in a high-pressure situation and the game is on the line, and everyone is watching you, remember to
smile, have fun, and enjoy it. Life is short; you only live once.
You have nothing to lose. Seize the moment.
I approached the sign that read "Mile 24" I felt something wasn't quite right on my right big toe - figured it was a blister but told myself "keep going no matter what." It burned, but if that was all I walked away with from this race, I'd consider myself very lucky. As I came out of that part of the course (which was the quietest part of the course - in a residential neighborhood), I heard something. I thought to myself, "Could it be that is the finish line? A guy running next to me turned to me and said, in a thick southern accent, "Do you hear that? That's the finish line!" I could also see the lights of the finish line already. I knew I had made it - all the training, the time, the moodiness, this is what I did it for.
As I recount that moment, that last 1/4 mile, it is as emotional to me as that night. For me, this symbolizes much more than simply finishing a race: for me it represents overcoming life's challenges, enduring the ups and downs, prevailing, determination. It also reminds me how grateful I am to have the physical ability to participate in such an activity. The crowd was amazing. And finally, I heard those words as I crossed the finish line: "
YOU ARE AN IRONMAN"
THANK YOU
A special thank you to:
- X2PERFORMANCE®, my INCREDIBLE sponsor. I am proud, honored,and humbled to represent a first-class company and an amazing product. I would not have had the opportunity to race IMFL if it were not for you, and I can say with confidence that X2PERFORMANCE® made a significant improvement on my fitness, energy levels, and recovery. Thank you for making my dreams come true.
- The ENTIRE X2PERFORMANCE® TEAM: Beth, Kelly, Kent, Shaun, Ted, Brian, Cara, Millie - ALL of you! Loved sharing my journey with you.
- All of the family and friends out there who have supported and cheered me on along the way - not just in this race but in life! Especially my mom who truly thinks I'm insane (or should I say knows I am insane) - you are the greatest mentor and role model, and thank you for supporting me regardless of what type of crazy thing I get myself into.
- Jose Perez- the most amazing, generous, patient person I know. Thank you for supporting me in everything I do, and helping me pursue my dreams!
- GOD - through HIM all things are possible
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