IMFL - After the Finish

So after the hugs and tears I stood in line for my finisher photo and then easily found my family. While I was out on the run Andy and my Dad collected my gear bags and my bike so there wasn't anything I needed to collect when I was done. We stood around for only a few minutes getting some pictures and then we headed back to the car. I was feeling really good but my stomach was a little funny. It was hard walking back to the car and seeing people just heading out for their second loop; it was going to be a long night for a lot of people. I had wanted to stick around for the midnight finish but I never wanted to take a shower and brush my teeth so badly so I headed home.

Once home I immediately started to feel sick. I hopped in the shower and my skin hurt so badly to touch. I couldn't even put the bar of soap to my skin. I hurt EVERYWHERE. I also had some pretty good chafing so that stung horribly. Mid way through the shower my vision got cloudy, I started yawning like nuts and I thought I was going to throw up. I turned off the shower and sat on the edge, all covered in soap and shampoo, for a few minutes. It eventually subsided enough that I was able to rinse off. I managed to get some ginger ale and saltines in me and that made me feel so much better.

I have never been able to sleep after a long race or long workout but this night, I was exhausted! I fell right to sleep around 11pm but woke up at 1:30 still sore to touch and starving. I got an Ensure and laid in bed until everyone else woke up. I felt pretty good on Sunday; I was slow moving but I still took the stairs at the condo...and we were on the 4th floor! We laid around all day at the pool and I relaxed in the hot tub a few times to loosen things up.

I was less sore after this than I have been after racing a marathon, which I thought was pretty crazy. In fact, my body has felt fine all week. The only thing that's keeping me from doing much is that I'm exhausted. Exhausted like I've never felt before. I've been getting 9-10 hours of sleep and I still can't wake up in the morning. I did manage to get to the gym on Thursday and did 45 minutes on the elliptical, which felt really good. But I was slow and sluggish. I took today off again and will do a little bit more tomorrow. It feels really weird to not be living by a training plan right now.

Hard to believe that this time last week I was dropping off my bike and gear bags. I really wish I was there right now, getting ready to do it all over again. It all happened way too fast.

IMFL - The Run

I ran out of T2 with a smile on my face. FINALLY, the day was in my control, my two feet were on the ground, I was running, which is what I do best. I saw my family within the first few minutes and I passed them wearing a huge smile. It was hot out and without the wind on the bike, you could really feel the heat. My strategy for the run was to walk every aid station and use this time to regroup and take in some nutrition. When the first aid station came up, I wasn’t ready for a walk break but I forced myself to take it and stick to plan.

 

I stuck to my plan and was feeling pretty good. I was SHOCKED at how many people were already walking and thought to myself, “this is exactly why I didn’t push too hard on the bike.” The first 6 miles of the run went well, I was feeling good but the bottom of my left foot was killing me and I was getting concerned. At each aid station I took cold sponges and squeezed them over my head and wiped down my face and neck. I also took some ice and put it in my sports bra. There wasn’t much shade on the course and I couldn’t wait for the sun to go down.

 

After I made the turn around just past mile 6, I lost any interest in eating and my stomach started feeling funny. I made it back to the hub of the race and the half way point and again saw my family. I told them that I was going to have to walk more because of my foot and that I thought I was going to throw up. When I left them Andy walked a bit with me and told me how proud everyone was of me and that I was on pace for a 12:XX finish. I told him that probably wouldn’t happen with how I was feeling but I would definitely finish. I picked up my pace, said good bye and started running again.

 

I took longer walk breaks the second loop and forced myself to sip coke and chicken broth. I hadn’t had a gel since mile 8 of the run and the thought of eating made me so sick. The coke tasted good but I could only do little sips at a time. I also tried to eat some of the peanut butter M&Ms I had in my special needs bag but I couldn’t even tolerate them. I never thought I’d find a time where I’d pass up peanut butter M&Ms!

 

On the first loop, going through the short out and back in the park was so long and boring. So on the second loop of the run, I kept telling myself to just get past the park, knowing I’d feel better as soon as that part was over. It was getting dark at this point and I’m not kidding, I was one of the few people running. Some people were walking briskly, some were barely walking, but hardly anyone was running.  There was a lot of suffering going on; tears, frustration, puking…at points I literally put my hands up to act as blinders.

 

Once I was out of the park and heading back to the finish, I got my second wind. I still couldn’t eat but the oranges tasted so good so I took 2 of them at every aid station.  I also started calculating how far I had to go and if I held on I knew I’d finish sub 13. With 2 miles to go, I could hear a faint noise in the distance. It only took a second to realize that I was hearing the noise at the finish line. That definitely put a smile on my face! As I approached mile 25, this was the party section of the course with the spectators, I actually stopped to walk because I wanted to soak it all in. The day had been going so fast and was almost a blur. I wasn’t ready for it to be over.

 

As I approached what was the half way point on the first loop, a volunteer said, “finishers to the right, second loop to the left.” I smiled and said, “I’m a finisher, I’m a finisher!” and the crowds starting cheering SO loud!! I started crying and thinking, “I can’t believe this is it!” I made my way down the finish chute trying to take it all in. I picked my dad out of the crowd and he was wearing the biggest smile. A little further down I could hear my sister, Michelle, yelling my name but I couldn’t find her in the bright lights. Then finally, after 365 days and 12 hours and 30 minutes I heard, “from Ambler, Pennsylvania, Denise Terry, YOU are an Ironman!”

 

I covered my face, bawling, as the volunteer caught me. She told me how well I did and walked me to get my water, blanket, shirt/hat, medal…it was all so surreal. I remember 2 of the volunteers hugging me and congratulating me. Then I saw my family on the side of the fence and I went over to hug them. Oh my gosh, the tears!!! We were all crying! And hugs never felt so good!

 

Final – 12:30:37

1026 Overall

36 in AG

 

IMFL - The Bike

The mount line was crowded and having heard it would be like this, I took my bike over to the far right in an attempt to get out of the way. I was barely there for a second clipping in my right foot when some old, heavyset dude said, “hurry up.” I told him nicely to be quiet and took off.  I don’t think my one second of clipping in was the difference in this guy qualifying for Kona or not, believe me.

 

So off on the bike I went. My goal for the bike was to not push too hard. I wanted to have a good run and didn’t want the last part of the race to be a complete suffer fest. I was passed by a ton of people but I also did my fair share of passing. I didn’t let it bother me and I just stayed focused on eating and drinking. Around mile 35 some guy came up along side of me and we chatted for a few. Before he continued on, he said, “these people passing you, you swam faster than them.” I told him that those were my thoughts exactly and that I’d pass them later on the run. 

 

It was warm out and not a cloud in the sky; which was fine with me! I much prefer heat to cold, especially when I’m on the bike. I had a little strategy of staying in my “box” throughout the race. Several times on the bike when my mind started to drift to the run, I would visual my “box”, put myself back in it, close the door and lock it. It might sound silly, but it really helped. I didn’t once look or worry about my speed, I only paid attention to my cadence and stayed within myself. Before I knew it, I was approaching the half way mark and my special needs bag.

 

Making the stop at the half way point definitely hurt my time but I wasn’t in this race to win it. I stopped to mix a new bottle of nutrition, eat an uncrustable and restock on endurolytes since I had lost my container of them around 20 miles back. I also used the bathroom, which was the only time I went until I got home from the race later that night. Yikes!

 

Second half of the bike was uneventful, thankfully. And long. And painful. At mile 60, I told myself to get to 70. At 70, I told myself to just get to 80. I kept playing this game knowing that once I hit 90 I would mentally get a boost to make it to 100 and then the final home stretch. Everything started really hurting by mile 70. My back, which has acted up all through training was in horrible pain. I took advil at the half way point but it wasn’t enough to make it go away. It hurt to be in aero but I had to stay in that position. We had some head winds and being upright just slowed me down that much more. I also started getting this horrible pain on the bottom of my left foot right where my toes attach to my foot. It was so bad that around mile 100 I had to stop, loosen my shoe and stretch my foot a bit. It didn’t really help.

 

Finally, I turned back onto Thomas Drive and was on my way back to transition. This was THE BEST feeling ever!!!! I was so ready to get off the bike and I was so grateful that nothing happened during the ride. As I was coming into transition, I spotted my family and threw my arm in the air cheering. I’ve never been so happy! The longest, most mentally stressful part of my day was over!

 

I dismounted my bike, handed it to a volunteer, ripped off my shoes to give my feet some relief and headed to T2. Did another change in T2 because I rode in bike shorts and also threw on a tank top because of the heat. I felt great in T2; didn’t feel like I had just rode 112 miles at all and I was ready to get out on the run.

 

Bike – 6:22:04, ave 17.6mph*

1636 Overall, 54 in AG

 

T2 – 7:53 (seriously, where does time go? I didn’t think I was that slow!)

 

*(according to my computer, which stopped when I stopped at special needs, I averaged 18mph and it took me 6:12. It really didn’t feel like 10 minutes at special needs, not sure what’s up with that!)

 

 

IMFL - The Swim

The gun went off...

 

Without a second thought, I was heading into the water. The waves that were there, I don’t even remember them. I was just looking straight ahead, pushing through the sea of people. I started swimming, keeping my head up because there was just so much going on. Words cannot describe the chaos in the beginning. It’s insane. There was a fleeting moment when I thought, “this is it, I’m done.” But I looked around and there’s no one to help you. Yes, there are boats and kayaks but you can’t see them amidst all the flailing arms and splashes so I just stuck my head down and got to work. My swim coach told me to just get through the first 8 minutes and it would settle down. I actually remembered this and kept repeating it to myself. He was right.

 

I was getting kicked and hit left and right and the male swimmers were ruthless. I had my legs pulled, my torso pushed down, and took a few hits that actually made me yell “ow.” But with each push I fought back and held my position. I saw one swimmer, a male probably in his 20’s, struggling. He was on his back and you could see the panic in his face. I asked him if he was ok and he could barely utter, “this is so unreal.” I told him to go slow and take deep breaths. There was no time to say much more because I just had to keep moving with the masses. Before I knew it I was at the first bouy, which was calmer than I was expecting.

 

After a short swim parallel to the beach, we were heading back towards the shore. The craziness on the first loop never really subsided but I was at least able to find my rhythm and swim. I swam as far in as I could, using the waves to my advantage, and exited the water for my second loop. I walked the short stretch of the beach, grabbed some water to rinse the salt water out of my mouth and spotted Andy. I was smiling ear to ear and started jumping up and down. I had checked my watch and was ecstatic that my first loop clocked in at 33 minutes. I was WAY ahead of where I thought I would be.

 

Entering the water for the second loop was much harder because we had to cut across on a diagonal and fight the current and waves. But it was much less crowded at this point and I had plenty of room to swim. It crowded up again at the bouy and this time, the turn was what I was expecting. Ugh, shoves left and right! At this point things got crazy again and I had a bunch of big guys around me. I tried throwing some harder kicks to get them off my legs but every time I did, my calves started to cramp. Twice I had to swim without kicking to let my calves relax. This was the only time I got a little nervous. I didn’t know what I would do if I started getting those horrible calf cramps. Thankfully, relaxing and just using my upper body for a few strokes helped.

 

When we made the final turn and were heading to the finish, I just couldn’t believe it. I almost didn’t want it to end. I felt great. Not once did my heart rate go up, I didn’t panic and exiting the water, I didn’t even feel like I exerted any energy. I felt exactly like I hoped I would feel.

 

Beaming, I ran up the sand to the line of “strippers.” I purposely ran to the very end of the line, which happened to have the two cutest guys doing the pulling, and sat down on the rug. Within a second, they had me stripped and lifted me right back up. I smiled, said thanks, and headed towards the shower. I found my dad along the way and yelled, “that was crazy!” with a huge grin on my face.

 

I took a few extra seconds in the shower because I had so much sand on my butt but the showers didn’t provide enough pressure to wash away any sand. From there, I ran up to my bike gear bag and headed into transition.

 

Swim – 1:13:49*

807 overall, 27 in AG

 

I had to do a complete change in T1 because I swam in my bathing suit instead of my tri kit. I didn’t rush too much because I wanted to make sure I didn’t get frazzled and that I did everything I needed to do before I left for the bike. The volunteer helping me was great and she saw more of me than Andy probably has over the past few months! As I ran out of T1 I passed a port o pot and figured I better try to go. That definitely added some time onto my transition but better that than going in my pants.

 

T1 – 15:23

 

I volunteer was ready and waiting with my bike by the time I reached my rack. I thanked them, grabbed my bike and headed to the mount line...

 

*(I found out that the part you run across the beach is not counted in the 2.4 mi distance so that explains the second loop being so much slower than the first)

IMFL - The beginning

And just like that, it’s over.  If I could rewind the clock and do it all over again today, I would in a heart beat. This was by far, the most incredible, most memorable day of my life. Here’s how it went down…

I was originally scheduled to fly out on Wednesday but with Hurricane Sandy heading up the east coast, I made the decision on Saturday morning to hop in the car with my parents and head down on Sunday.  My parents were already driving my gear and bike down but moved up their departure day due to the storm. I was so stressed on Saturday but arriving in Panama City on Monday worked out for the best. I was able to lay out my stuff as soon as we arrived and then spend the rest of the week trying to relax as much as possible.

When we arrived early in the week the ocean was rough! Like big waves and white caps rough. There was no one in the water practicing and the condition of the water had me worried. I was hoping to get my first practice swim in on Wednesday but due to the conditions, I pushed it off a day in hopes it would calm down a bit. Instead I headed right to athlete check-in at 9am and left with my blue wrist band that made it all official!!

On Thursday morning I headed over to swim and you would have thought it was race day. I was so scared!! My stomach was a mess and I was on the verge of tears. The water had calmed down only a little bit and you had to get past some pretty good breakers and strong current before there was any swimming to be done. But within seconds of being in the water, I felt good.  I only did a short swim but I knew if I could handle those conditions, and it was only suppose to get better, that I would be ok on race day. I felt great after this and really started getting excited.

On Friday morning I headed over to drop off my bike and gear bags and to scope out the lay out of the transition area.  Andy, my Dad, and I set up a plan so I knew exactly where I would see everyone on race day. Once we left the race site, it set in just how real this was and back at the condo, I curled up in bed to collect my thoughts. While Andy was gone picking up my sisters at the airport, I had a little break down. My mind was racing and fear was definitely setting in.

After setting FOUR alarm clocks, it was lights out at 9pm. Surprisingly; I got a good night sleep and woke up Saturday morning feeling well rested. At the condo, my nerves were at bay. I went through all my “race day” lists making sure I had everything and Andy and I headed to the start around 5:15am. It was crowded and dark but there was a quiet energy I can’t really explain. We dropped off my special need bags, I got marked and then we headed to bike transition so I could fill my bottles and pump my tires. I checked my bike over, said a quick prayer that it wouldn't fall apart on the ride, and headed to the boardwalk to start to suit up.

So far everything was calm and methodical. I was going through the motions, staying focused and just in awe of what was going on around me. So many people, racers and spectators, signs, team shirts, smiles, tears…it was amazing. And I was a part of it. Crazy.

After I got my wet suit on, we headed to the beach and found my family. This is where the “oh shit, what am I doing?” hit me. I’m not sure what I was feeling at this moment but I just started crying. I said my good byes, hugs and kisses, and headed over to the swim start. Everyone seemed calm, me included, but eyes were filled with tears. I was in a sea of green swim caps with very few pink caps around me. I didn’t know if I was in a good position or not because a lot of racers were starting in the water and not on the beach. I knew I wanted to be in the top third, right behind the first quarter, and found myself moving up towards the front a little bit more. I knew I could handle the swim and didn’t want to get stuck behind people that would hinder me. I'd rather take a few hits than spend my time trying to navigate around people.  I barely had time to think about anything more and the gun went off...



 

I Am Ready!

Two weekends ago I had my final, longest brick: 90 mile ride followed by a 16 mile run. I have to admit, while I was trying not to put any pressure on myself, I wanted this workout to go really well. I mean, it was the closest thing I was going to get to race day and if it didn't go well I knew I'd be a mess thinking I wasn't prepared. Thankfully, that wasn't the case!

I prepped for this brick like it was race day. I completely cleared my calendar the day before and spent the day relaxing and staying off my feet. I slept fine the night before knowing I did all I could to get me ready for this workout. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I was more excited than anything to get it done. I had my good friend Dana lined up to meet me when I started the run so that gave me something to look forward to.

The goal of the ride was to stay focused, make sure my nutrition was spot on and not push so hard that I left nothing in my legs for the run. I was barely into the ride when at mile 8 I got a flat tire. My first one of the summer. I stayed completely calm and started to run through the steps in my head of what needed to be done: move to small ring, take off wheel, etc. I didn't get too much further before some guys stopped to make sure I was ok. I've practiced changing my tire and could have done it alone but I was happy to have some help knowing I was already in for a long day and that Dana would be waiting to meet me for the run. After blowing out the first tube we put on, and worried my day was over, the guys gave me one of their tubes and I was good to go in about 8 minutes. I headed back to my car to inflate my tire all the way then set out to finish what I started. This messed up my nutrition plan a bit but as soon as I started again, I got right back on my schedule.

The rest of the ride went fine except for the wind. Ugh, the wind. I know it's good practice for IMFL but man does it just suck. My legs were burning really bad for the last 15-20 miles and I was so worried I pushed too hard. I also kept thinking about the run and meeting up with Dana so I was really anxious to get this part over with. I need to remember this on race day and think ONLY about the bike while I'm on the bike. If I think too far ahead it will make for a long day.

After just over 90 miles I was back at my car and ready to go! I was so happy to see Dana and catch up on her trip to lake Tahoe. She did the Tahoe triple the weekend before (that's 3 marathons in 3 days, people!) and won 2nd female!! I like to surround myself with bad ass people. Anyway, after a quick wardrobe change and pack up of the car, we were off. I didn't think or worry about pace and just focused on keeping it steady. I felt good at the start and the thought of a long run didn't seem too daunting at all.  Around mile 8 I started to feel like I had been working out for hours but my legs held on and the steady pace continued. I started getting worried around mile 10 that if it wasn't for Dana, I might have snuck in a walk break. Not because anything hurt, but just because a walk break sounded nice. But we pushed on and at mile 13 I got my second wind. I'm not sure if it was because I realized I was actually going to finish this or what, but I felt great.

With just a few tenths of a mile to go, Dana said, "You did it Sunny D!" and I swear to you, at that moment I felt 20lbs lighter. The biggest weight had been lifted. For 6 months I waited for this workout, I stressed about this workout. This was the one that would prove if I was ready or not. I had a lot riding on it in my crazy head. As we finished, I got tears in my eyes and for the first time since I registered for this race almost a year ago, I said, "I'm ready."

As we were standing at our cars afterwards, I felt great. I don't mean I felt ok, I mean I felt GREAT. In fact, for the next few hours I felt incredible. It finally hit me around 9pm though when all of a sudden I became so emotional. Not sure if it was related to nutrition, exhaustion, or all the stress finally being over but I just broke down and started to cry. They were the good tears, though. The kind you get when you know you're Ironman ready.

September Recap

Life/work has been so insane lately that I haven't even had he time to think about blogging let alone type up a post. But since I'm apparently in the midst of the craziest thing I'll ever take on, I feel like I need to document something. A lot has gone on since my last post but as you'd expect, most of it includes long, long rides, long runs and lots of swimming.

I'm in the last week of my last build and this past weekend I did my longest ride...106.7 miles. It was uneventful, thankfully, and the wind I experienced the entire ride was hopefully good practice for race day. I once again rode by myself and while it was lonely at times, I stayed focused and tried not to let the wind frustrate me. Really there's nothing more frustrating than pedaling away into a head wind. From what I hear, it sounds like I'll experience a head wind in FL for only half the course...and I'm praying it's on the way out.  A nice tail wind pushing me to T2 would be the best! Anyway, everything went well and I feel pretty confident with my nutrition plan. I thought for sure I'd be wiped out the rest of the day but I actually felt fine by the time I got home. My legs felt great and when I woke up the following day, I knocked out a 18 mile run like it was nothing. Don't get me wrong, by mile 13 my legs were tired!!! And heavy. And my back hurt. But my legs didn't slow down and they held pace. In fact, my last 3 miles were my fastest.

So this week is all leading up to my final brick workout: 90 mile ride/16 mile run. A few months ago this seemed like the scariest workout ever. But now, I'm actually excited for it. It will be a big test and the closest to race day that I'm going to get. I'm treating it as if it were the race and taking it very serious. Not only do I want this to go well, I need this to go well. I'm starting to get scared/anxious/nervous so killing this brick would be an incredible confidence booster. No pressure, but I'm focused and ready for it.

It's hard to believe that the race is one month from tomorrow. But each month as I look back at the numbers, I know I put in a lot of hard work. Here's September's recap:

Swim - 31600 yds*

Bike - 624.69 miles

Run - 135.04 miles

Not too shabby.

*(slightly lighter month due to such long rides on wknd; didn't force myself to get that extra Saturday swim in)