First triathlon in almost 3 years! Since Ironman! Not sure how the time went by so fast.
My "A" race for this year is Ironman Maine 70.3, so I signed up for this Olympic triathlon and Williamsburg Olympic in July. As we got closer to the date and I realized I have not been on my bike even ONE TIME in months, I made the wise decision to switch my race to the sprint. It was literally the best decision I've made in a long time.
My original plan was to drop the dogs at daycare on Saturday around 5pm and make my way down to Cindy's house for dinner and to spend the night since she lives much closer to the race. It had been raining consistently for an entire week though, and the dogs had been cooped up in the house for too long. I ended up taking them to daycare Friday morning and would let them stay until Sunday. This meant that I could leave earlier on Saturday and make the team's scheduled practice swim. It rained for the entire drive down to Southern Maryland but Coach Ed assured us the swim would go as scheduled. Well, he didn't show up, but there were several other teammates who didn't get that message either and we decided to swim anyway. There are definitely easier things in life than putting on a wetsuit in the pouring rain! This was a brand new wetsuit though and I absolutely wanted to get in once before the race. I only got in about 500 yards, but that was ok - loving the new wetsuit!
I got to Cindy's and took a quick shower before we headed out to dinner, watched a movie and then early bedtime. The worst thing about racing is the early alarm clocks, and before I knew it I was packing up my stuff and on the road back to the race site. I parked, checked-in, set up my transition and hung out at the Team Z tents. The sprint race started about 30 min after the Olympic distance, so we had a few extra minutes to get ready before making the 1/4 mile trek down the hill to the swim start. By the time we got there, the race had already started and the energy was strong.
My only hesitation in switching from the Olympic distance to the sprint distance was that I wouldn't get in as much swimming - 750m vs 1500m - and I wanted the swim practice for Alcatraz. Alas, the swim course turned out to be long and I got in 1000 yards. Perfect. I was at a 2:20/100yd pace which is a little slower than I was last year, but then again I was swimming a lot more last year preparing for the Chesapeake Bay swim. Then it was back up the 1/4 mile hill into transition to get Xena for her first road ride since...... June 2016...... not kidding.
The bike was pretty much as expected for not having been on a bike in so long. So very glad that I switched to the sprint distance. There were a few times I had to drop to my lowest gear and felt like I was going up the side of the mountain, but the elevation chart from my garmin would disagree. This was a pretty flat ride. Definitely need to start up the bike training (but probably not until after Alcatraz). I sure was happy when we made the final turn back into transition!
Off on the run. It had rained the entire week non-stop, yet now, as I am starting on the run, the clouds parted and it was scorching! What are the odds?! I walked a bit but then started throwing in more run intervals. I ran a lot more than I thought I would and am quite pleased. It was really hot with only about half mile in the shade. I feel that I finished strong and was happy.
I collected my stuff and started the hour and a half drive back home. In the car I made some last minute plans with Joann and Sweeney to hit a winery to celebrate. I realized than when I removed the stress of cut-off times, my ability to make the distance, etc, etc, I actually had fun racing! I do love pushing myself to the bigger goals, but I think maybe after this year I may take some time and concentrate on smaller goals and improving my times.
Holy long swim! I knew from all the training and those long hours of mind-numbing back and forth in the pool that it was going to take a while but... geez!
I spent the night before the swim at Andrea's house and we discussed strategy. Mentally, I had to break up the swim for myself. First, get from Sandy Point beach and into the bridge span. Then to the first mile marker at the end of the curve. Andrea's brother told us that mile 1 to 2 was going to be the worst - something to with the currents and the depth of the water and .... to be honest all I really retained from that conversation was that it was going to be a brutal mile. So the second step was to get through that. Then it was just an Ironman swim left. Next section would be to get to the end of the bridge, and finally turn out from under the spans and make my way to the finish at Hemingway's.
Spoiler alert - I finished! Here's the breakdown of the swim... red line is my path.
I was eager to know the water conditions that day, and was happy that it seemed calm (meaning, no whitecaps) as we drove over the bridge to the parking lot. Later at the pre-swim meeting, the race director indicated that conditions were as close to ideal as we could get. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Not that it was going to be easy by any means. There would be a current pushing us to our left, which we'd have to swim against to get under the bridge. Then at some point, the current would shift to the right, which hopefully would give us a push out of the bridge and into the finish.
Nervous! Arrived at the park & ride, about to catch the shuttle to Sandy Point
The swim course was defined as staying between the bridge spans. If you went outside of that area, you were subject to disqualification. You would also be disqualified for hanging onto one of the pylons, mostly because there were too many jagged rocks around those and it was a safety issue. There were to be 2 support boats located at mile 2 and mile 3. You could hang on to those boats, or any kayak or paddleboard, provided the boat was not pulling you along.
So there we were on the beach of Sandy Point, all checked in, body marked and timing chip secured. Bags were checked, race number tucked under the swim cap, goggles and index card in hand (yet another safety measure because the race directors had to report everyone entering and exiting the water to the coast guard). I spent some time with Andrea and her crew, said hello to Susan, Tom and John from swim camp, and then settled in with my Team Z-mates for the briefing. I took my salt tabs and ginger pills, had my wetsuit zipped up and was ready to go [and get this thing over with]!
This was not an in-water start, which meant everyone lined up on the beach and took off when the gun went off. I had no idea where to line myself up. We had to swim out beyond a jetty and then make a right to enter the bridge. Starting too close to the jetty might make it harder to get out there, but starting too far on the other end would mean a slightly further swim, and more against the current. So... I randomly picked a spot. Good choice? Who knows... There was definite nervous energy as I waited for the signal to go.
This is actually a photo Daz took from later in the swim, once I left the bridge spans!
Finally, we were off. I had my ear plugs in, so I couldn't really hear anything but all of a sudden everyone started racing into the water. I hesitated so I didn't get kicked and swum over too much. This was it, the thing I'd been training for since January was finally happening. I'm not sure if I found a rhythm or not, but I made my way out past the jetty, fighting the current to the bridge. It wasn't super horrible and that part took less time than I thought. OK, time to just settle in, there was a lot of swimming ahead of me.
It was a fight to stay between the bridge spans around my 2nd interval marker (1000yd per interval)
Once between the bridge spans, I didn't really notice the current to much, but boy was it pushing me to the left side. I really had to fight to stay inside the zone. Like.. really fight. It was way too early to even consider giving up, but man this was hard. I wanted to get closer to the middle, but couldn't.
The first mile marker came and I was already struggling going into what had been defined to me as the hardest mile. I was really concerned I was not going to be able to hang on before drifting outside of the west-bound bridge span and pulled from the swim.
I looked up and saw the first support boat, a lot earlier than I'd expected to see it. Of course it was docked closer to the east-bound span. I thought about trying to get over there for something to drink, but there was no way I was going to get that far up the current. I'd settle for the next boat.
That first interval was smooth sailing... then struggle to stay in the bridges... 7th interval I was really tired... and then a "dash" to the finish!
Finally, as I approached the second mile marker the current seemed to relax a bit. I was now more firmly in the center of the bridges, which eased my mind tremendously. Now I could just swim. And swim. And swim. I looked up a couple times but still couldn't see the other side of the bay. I could tell I was under the highest part of the bridge so it had to be halfway.... right? I had my watch set to go off every 1000 yard interval, and knew that the swim was going to be about 7700 yards total. It had only gone off 3 times, but the third time was a few minutes ago so I was probably at least at 3500? I was getting a little tired of swimming now.
I took this shot after I finished but those are the trusses on the left which I *thought* were close to the end!
I noticed some trusses on the bridge up ahead and figured I just had to get there. That was going to be my next landmark. They didn't seem to be getting any closer. Then I started counting the pylons, except that got boring fast. I was getting seriously annoyed with how far away those trusses still were. I must have missed the third mile marker and the second support boat because I knew from my watch beeping that I was in my fourth mile.
The map kind of makes it look like I went all the way under the bridge, but that's an exaggeration. I was barely under the bridge, not even all the way on the other side of the single pillar.
At some point the current must have picked up in the other direction because now I found myself drifting to the right. I'd finally made it to those trusses and decided to breathe to my left for a bit to change up the muscles I'd been using. All of a sudden the water got dark and I immediately realized I must have drifted into the shadow of the east-bound bridge span. Yikes! I swam furiously back into the middle and hoped it wasn't enough to get me pulled. Luckily there were no kayaks around me and nobody said anything. At this point I didn't even care if I was disqualified as long as I got to finish the swim and be able to say I swam across that damn bay.
Daz didn't know it at the time but I am somewhere in this shot b/c I popped up around that yellow buoy only a min or so later!
As I got to the end of those trusses I'd been following, I looked up and was so happy I could see the orange buoy! That must be the end where we get to turn out from under the bridge! It was still pretty far away but it made me happy to be able to see it. My fingers were starting to hurt, my shoulders hurt, my arms hurt, my back was killing me. I did a few stretches swimming in the fetal position to try to ease the pressure on my back. Come on orange buoy!
That was a LONG way from bridge exit to finish line!! 4.4 miles = 7744 yards, so the fact that I have an 8th interval marker means I swam extra!
Except, when I finally came up to that buoy, I realized it was only the fourth mile marker. D'oh! I glanced up again and noticed 2 yellow buoys in the distance and THOSE were the signal to exit the bridge. Damnit. Keep swimming. I was so tired, but at this point there was no way I was giving up. As much as it sucked, I knew I was physically capable of doing this. I never wanted to have to do all that training again, and I definitely don't want to have to do this event again. One and done, but that meant I had to actually get it done. Luckily, despite my one scare, it wasn't as hard to stay within the bridge spans as earlier when I was getting pushed to the left.
This was the final buoy, outside of the bridge, guiding us to the finish.
Made it to the yellow buoys, I was almost done! The only thing left was to exit the bay and swim to the finish line. The night before, Andrea was telling me that it was shallow enough there that you could stand and walk. I knew I can swim faster than I can walk in water and dismissed the idea. Yet, as I rounded that corner and saw just how far away the marina was, I stood up in disbelief. You've gotto be kidding me! I have to swim THAT MUCH FURTHER?! I was so mad. Daz was out on the rocks taking pictures and even noted to Joann on the phone that I looked cranky.
I swam some. I walked some. I did some dolphin dives. I stayed as close to the rocks as possible for the shortest possible route to that finish line. The end was in sight and yet it was taking forever to get there. In actuality, it took me about 10 minutes.
I did one last dolphin dive and started swimming to the end. Finally, finally, finally, I was close enough to stand up and walk out to the timing mats.
I DID IT!! I walked up the short hill to find Joann and Paula cheering. I paused for a picture and actually got confused where to go. A nice volunteer pointed me in the finisher chute where I saw my mom, friends and teammates.
My stomach was going nuts so I grabbed sprite and Gatorade, not sure which would help more?
The chute seemed to go on forever... grab a drink which I was in desperate need of... get your t-shirt... eventually Joann forced her way in the end of the chute to help me take off my wetsuit. Her, Paula and Daz helped me collect my stuff and pick up my bag drop.
I got hosed down a couple times and we walked over to the restaurant where Sarah, Dave and Jon were saving a table. It felt so good to sit down!
We spent the better part of the afternoon hanging out at Hemingway's, hesitant to sit in the traffic that was building up going back west across the bridge.
Bucket list item accomplished. I will never drive over that bridge and not remember that swim. I will also never sign up for that event again. So glad I did it, but it really sucked. I hated swimming that long.
(skip to 17:30 in the video. I stand up in the water when the clock timer reads 3:08.20)
I honestly wasn't excited about waking up super early and doing this swim. I was glad the rain had held off, but still wasn't feeling like swimming back-to-back events, especially with a break between them. I had to park about a half mile down the road, and immediately John from swim camp. We made the trek to the lake entrance together and settled into the long registration line.
I was already a sweaty mess when I finally got to the Team Z tents after standing in that long registration line and then another line for the port-o-johns. Getting a wetsuit on in those circumstances is HARD WORK. Luckily a few of my teammates and my childhood friend, Allison, were there to offer support and assistance. Once it was on, everyone said it was time to walk over to the start area. I will say that I was pretty frazzled going into that first event, not having a moment to myself since I arrived at the lake. In all the bustle, I had forgotten to put on my tri-slide and sunblock, and was worried about that. I hadn't really had a minute to catch my breath and think about my game plan.
I suddenly found myself standing in the start line hoping that my timing chip was going to stay on, since I didn't have time to find a safety pin to secure it. Finally after announcements and the national anthem they started moving people into the water. I was in the 10th wave and getting impatient as we slowly made our way up for our turn to walk over the timing mats. The water temperature was 68 degrees which felt fine on the wetsuit but provided a bit of a sting as I dove in with my bare face and arms. I was immediately uncomfortable in the wetsuit and with my goggles but was able to make some quick adjustments as they counted us off. Ready - Set - Go! We were off and I thought to myself, just take it easy, get your head in the game and find your rhythm. I avoided people the best I could and made my way into the first cove and around the buoy. I glanced at my watch when it buzzed for the first 500 yard split and was shocked to see less than 10 minutes - WHAT??
I didn't to put too much thought into what was probably a fluke for a split, but I also didn't want to slow down. I really tried to focus on the stroke techniques that I learned from swim camp the week before. Remembering to keep my head down and follow through on my stroke underwater kept my mind occupied. And then the next split showed another sub-10 minutes. Holy crap! As I was on the long stretch heading back to the start area I felt somebody swim into me. I looked up and it was Allison! What are the odds?! I think she started to say something to me, but I was so excited about my time, I didn't want to waste a minute. I kept going and not only was I able to keep up that pace, but I somehow got myself negative splits! This is literally faster than I normal swim a mile in a pool. I'll take it! I waited for Allison who I knew was only a minute or so behind me, and the two of us had a laugh about running into each other and walked back over to the Team Z area. Time to sit around and wait for the next event.
During the break, my body kept cramping up. I went to adjust my wetsuit and my hand froze in a claw position. Everytime I moved my hands, they would cramp up. And I was dizzy, not as bad as I have felt in the past after a hard swim, but definitely dizzy. I didn't have my ear plugs (still in the bag I took to swim camp) and I hadn't taken any ginger pills. I mentally put both of those items on the "do not forget" list for bay swim. My teammate offered me some food, and I took it, and had already had a bunch of water. Not sure what to think of this other than to make sure I have some salt tabs with me for the bay. But this is weird after only a single mile. And I still had 2 miles to go?
I really had zero desire to swim 2 more laps around that lake, but it was time to start making our way over to the start area again. I did remember to put some body glide on my neck and apply sunblock. what I did not remember was that our swim coach had recommended that we practice nutrition by stuffing a gel packet into our wetsuit. During bay swim we will be on our own for nutrition, and 3+ hours is a long time on the water. I guess that will be a game-day situation. Anyway, there we were back in line for the second event, and I ran into a few others from swim camp - Brian, Tom and Susan, and I think a couple of them will be at the Chesapeake Bay swim also. More familiar faces!
I still had some cramping, especially in my left hand, but I tried to ignore it as I settled in to the first of two loops for the 2-miler. Allison wasn't doing this event and instead walked along the edge of the lake cheering. I followed her until the turn around the first buoy and even tried to wave once. The next section to the end of the lake felt longer this time and I started feeling the wetsuit on my neck, despite the body glide. Ouch, ouch, ouch, with every stroke. Nothing I could do about that now.
At the first split, I could tell that I was slowing down, but I was still going faster than my original predictions for this event. For comparison purposes, the practice swim I did in Luray last month was 2:43 /100yd and just over a mile and pretty similar conditions (or dare I say this lake was even a little rougher than the condensed course of the practice swim). I was blowing this pace away today! And I was passing people. A lot of people. It really helped that everyone separated out pretty well and I didn't have to worry about getting kicked or swum over.
Finishing up that first loop was a good feeling and I just had to go around one more time. One more time swimming into the cove. One more time with the long stretch to the far end of the lake, which I am pretty sure felt longer and longer each time (though the map shows me turning in the same spot each time... huh). One more long straight shot back to the drain, and one final time around the drain and I was on my way to the finish line. I was still passing people. I felt good, though I was a little concerned with how I would feel when I stood up, given how dizzy I felt after the one more event, and I knew my body was already reacting.
I was so freaking happy to be out of the lake! To my surprise, I didn't have any issues standing out or walking over the timing mats. Allison was there taking pictures, so I met up with her and we walked back over to our area. Time for that wetsuit to come off! The cramping had eased up, though now my arms were shaking, likely a result of muscle overuse. I didn't feel too dizzy either. Phew, though I'm still going to make a point of making provisions for bay swim (ear plugs, ginger pills, salt tabs). I sat around with Allison and Kim for a little bit and we helped take down the Team Z tent. Taper time! Only one more long swim before the bay.
Time for brunch! These ladies, Daz, Sweeney and his friend, Dave, met us for brunch. Then after a shower at Joann's house, a few of us went to a winery and out to dinner. I was exhausted by the end of the day and was happy to crash in my bed.
I should start this off by saying that I had no business participating in a swim event! At some point over the winter, Dawn sent out an email advertisement for this event and suggested that we do it. It also turned into a Team Z event. I was intrigued...so despite the fact I haven't swum consistently since Ironman, I went ahead and signed up for the 2250m swim, the longest single option they offered (you could also sign up for multiple events for a max total of 4500m, but that's just crazy!). As the day drew nearer though, it became clear that 2250m was a bit optimistic for me. I finally came to my senses and emailed the race director who was super helpful and switched me back to the 1500m. Much more doable. I hope.
Me, Dani, Dawn and Beth
It's been awhile since I've set my alarm for 4:20am...on a Saturday morning! Yikes! I pulled myself out of bed, grabbed my pre-packed bag and headed out. There is NOTHING open at 4:50am, no McDonalds, no Starbucks.. luckily I found a 24-Hour CVS and was able to get some iced tea. I arrived at Beth's house right at 5:15 and the 4 of us piled in her Jeep and made the drive down to Luray. We pulled into Lake Arrowhead with plenty of time to get checked in, buy a towel (purple!) and hang out at the Team Z shelter for a bit before we had to get ready for the swim. It turned out that 3 of my carpool crew had decided to drop down to the 1500m event, so it wasn't just me. Yay!
I'd packed my wetsuit but had zero intention of actually using it unless somehow a random mid-June freeze dipped the water temperatures below 70 degrees. I had no interest in trying to stuff my body into my wetsuit. None at all. Luckily, the posted water temperature was 76 and I knew I would be just fine. Coach Alexis snapped this pre-race photo of me just before it was time to get in and warm up. The water felt amazing! I got in a few strokes and was ready to go!
I didn't really have those pre-race jitters like I usually do before an event. This was more like a curiosity of how 1500m was going to feel with very minimal training. The last time I was in a pool was about 3 weeks ago, I swam for about 15 minutes, got frustrated, sat in the hot tub and promptly threw my cap, goggles and swimsuit into the garbage can. This was gonna be interesting. I got going though and found my groove pretty early on. With the exception of having to stop a billion times to adjust my leaking goggles, I felt OK, but was questioning how long that was going to last, especially on the 2nd loop. On the last leg of the first lap, I thought I caught a glimpse of Beth off the back of my right leg. We were finishing up that first 750m and I noticed a kayaker right in my path.. what the hell, move out of my way! Oh wait.. the kayaker was hanging out next to a roped off area.. I can't swim that way.. oops! Will I ever learn to swim in a straight line??? Changing course, I walked up the ramp and headed out to start the 2nd half, and it was confirmed that Beth was right behind me as the announcer yelled her name right after mine.
This is actually the 2250m event swimming - they had to do 3 laps! Very pleased with my decision to switch to the 1500m!
I still felt pretty decent as I started the 2nd loop and wondered if I could keep pace with Beth. I didn't care how I finished in relation to her, but it was cool to have someone you know with you. And who knows, maybe she's better at pacing than I am. What she is definitely better at is hugging the buoys! I glanced over and didn't see her.. where's Beth? Oh wait, there she is... 20 feet to my right, where I should be! Ugh! I got myself back on course and we did manage to stay together most of the time. She later told me that I dropped her on the last leg and we aren't sure if she slowed down or I sped up. I was feeling it in my legs a little so maybe I was so ready to be done that I actually started kicking?? That would be a first :) At any rate, we still finished within a minute of each other, and I was happy to be done, that I survived!
I hadn't worn ear plugs and didn't take any ginger pills, so I wasn't surprised I had that dizzy, death feeling when I finished. I got my medal and some water and wandered over to the grass where Dani was hanging out before her event. It's a very weird feeling where you think you are going to pass out, but it only lasts a few minutes and then I feel completely fine again. Strange! What I don't understand is how these goggles - the same brandI have trained and raced in for years (and this particular pair is practically brand new as I bought them for Ironman and they worked perfectly) were suddenly leaking so much, causing me to stop every few hundred meters? No way my face changed shape that drastically, right?
Dawn, Beth and I watched the start of the 2250m event and then made our way back to the Team Z shelter. Dawn headed out for a run, while Beth and I took a short stroll around the lake with our teammate, Wendy. We watched the awards, got some food and set out for the drive home. Fun day! I'm definitely glad I decided to carpool with these ladies.. if I had been on my own, chances are I'd have skipped it. Sore arms on Sunday were the only [expected] after-effects... no chaffing! I'm looking forward to getting back in the swing of things with the team.
Jon and I boarded the plane bright and early Friday morning, and with a three hour delay in Atlanta, we were racing to get to packet-pickup before it closed! Luckily Jon had decided to get a rental car, so we didn't have to wait for the shuttle. My teammate, Lucy, was on our flight so we offered her a ride and booked it over to ESPN Wide World of Sports. When all was said and done, we made it with 25 min to spare.
Once I'd collected all that I needed to (and a few extras that I didn't need to spend money on), we checked into the Yacht Club, did a little exploring and went to dinner. Then it was pretty much straight to bed for me. 3:15am is an awful time for an alarm clock to go off! That was the single hardest part of this race, pulling myself out of bed in the middle of the night.
The look on my face says it all -- 13.1 miles untrained?! Yikes!!
I wasn't prepared for all the walking that was to be done before the race even started! Quarter mile to the shuttles at the resort, half mile from the shuttle drop-off to the runner area, another quarter or so mile to find the Team Z hang-out, and then another half mile from there to the corral - geez! It was all done pretty mindlessly though, and I chatted with teammates as we waited for the start time to approach. The one thing I wish I'd done different was to have something to eat in the morning, but we didn't have anything in the room, and there wasn't anything that I could find at the race site. I'm usually better prepared, but with all the racing around at the last minute, I forgot all about breakfast.
Pre-race Team Z team shot
Finally in the starting corral, we listed to some announcements, including one from Donald Duck, and soon the race was starting! So many people! We were in corral "I" out of "J" though I was surprised that it only took about 20 min for my group to reach the starting line.
Patty, Anne, Kate, Alison and I in the starting corral
Starting from the parking lot at Epcot, we ran to Magic Kingdom. It was still dark and very foggy as we entered the Magic Kingdom parking lot, and then it was still THREE MORE MILES until I reached the entrance to the park! Geez! It was here that I recognized Laura from her blog that I've been following, and so I caught up with her, introduced myself, ran and chatted with her for awhile. I felt good running, but finally decided to stop and walk or else I wasn't sure how my body was going to last. I'd been drinking powerade at all the aid stations to try to get some calories, but I was getting hungry and knew my lack of nutrition was going to catch up to me.
Once inside the park, I reached the halfway point. I passed all the character photo opportunities because the lines were so long, but stopped to take a few pictures at the mile marker signs. I also texted Jon that I was halfway in case he wanted to come to the finish line and/or make sure he was awake and ready for brunch because I was getting hungry! Only one of the aid stations had gels, so I grabbed one and forced down as much as I could, but it was disgusting. Just had to get through a few more miles and I could go to breakfast.
Laura had done this race before and gave me some advice to wait until I got to the back side of the castle to take a picture, so that's what I did. Then, the course took us through the tunnel of the castle and everyone came to a complete halt. Annoying, even for me who was walking most of this part of the race, it slowed me way down, trying to get around all the people. Not sure why so many folks thought this was the best place for a photo op?!
Out of the park and heading back to Epcot and I was pretty much ready for this race to be over. The misty morning had made my socks damp and my feet were starting to hurt. I should also mention that my knee was hurting and my hip had some pain, but really I was kind of asking for that with my complete lack of training!
Ohmigosh, when was this race going to end?! It was becoming torture! Once we got into Epcot, we knew we were close to the finish. The fog was kind of letting up and there were a couple characters that didn't have long lines, but I was too ready to be done to consider stopping now. Out of the park, mile 13 and then a sprint to the finish line. Phew! I made it! It was basically torture walking through the crowds to the shuttle buses, and then from the drop-off back into the hotel and up to the room.
Jon didn't make it to the finish line, but he was awake and showered when I got back which meant that all I had to do was get clean and it was time to eat! This was to be the warmest day for our entire stay at Disney, so we enjoyed shorts and t-shirts while we could. I'm surprised that I was able to manage walking around all the parks for 4 days after that! I wore my Garmin and calculated that we covered over 18 miles!
I think everybody needs a selfie with a goat!
We did a little of everything - Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, met up with Natalie for dinner, did some shopping at Disney Springs, and ate ALL THE FOOD!!
One year, one month and one day from when I signed up, I was ready to race my Ironman!
It was around 5:30am when Heidi dropped me off at transition in Great Marsh Park. Dan and Joann got out with me and went to turn in my special needs bags while I tended to Xena and my gear bags. Then the rest of the crew got parked and Daz showed up with coffee for all the minions.
Then we had a little while to wait, and try to keep warm. I put on my wetsuit and we wandered over to the swim start area. I had to pee, but decided to just wait until I was in the water. We waited and waited, and then we hear the voice over the loudspeaker announce that because of the wind advisory, we were going to have a shortened swim, only 1.2 miles. I cried. I wanted 140 miles. There was also a delay, and the race was not going to start until 7:30. My jacket came on and off several times, thinking it was time to go and then realizing we had more time to wait (and I still had to pee!!). Then the next announcement, that we were going to have a 3000 meter swim instead (only 800m short of 2.4mi), and would be doing 2 laps. OK, that's better... I'll take it. They also said they would adjust the cutoff times and let us know. But we still weren't starting. It was so cold, and there was a long day ahead.
After what seemed like forever, it was finally time to line up. I started talking to a couple ladies and one of them asked me "are you Jen?" ... "I am!" Turns out they recognized me from my blog, how cool (hi ladies, I hope you had a great race!!). Then we started moving and before I knew it, I was in the water. I was told it was about 7:45 when I started the race.
Instructions for the new course were never really communicated. Were we going clockwise or counter clockwise? How many buoys are there? This swim was such a clusterf*ck. I have never in my life been swum over or scratched or grabbed so many times, and people were viscous about it. I had my leg grabbed and pulled more times than I can count. I was kicked and scratched repeatedly. This was awful. I started swimming towards an orange buoy, thinking it was the turn buoy, but a kayaker stopped me... that wasn't the turn buoy, there was a red one further out.. this course was so confusing! I think we had the current with us on the first leg? I know we were going against it on the second leg. Then I had to do the loop over again...
The current seemed stronger on the last leg. Really stronger, hard to move forward. How many more buoys? Two? Three? OK, I think it's 3 more buoys, just keep swimming. The water got shallow and people were standing and walking, but I kept swimming and swimming until the very end. I stood up and saw Heidi and Jon standing to the left and waved. I made my way out of the water and saw the rest of my crew as I walked towards the wetsuit strippers. Swim time, 1:07:59.
I grabbed my bike gear bag and headed into the changing tent. It was so crowded, standing room only, if that... people were changing anywhere they had room, even if it was in the doorway, visible to the whole world. I followed another girl through seas of people until I found a small opening, no bigger than a seat cushion. I stood there and wrapped a towel around my feet, I was so cold. It took a little extra time to open my bag and get my stuff organized because my hands were so numb. Then I noticed a girl next to me put on an 'MJG' jersey like Andrea wears... "are you Andrea's friend?"... "Yes! Are you Jen?!" So cool meeting Amanda in this fashion. Then a seat opened up and I sat down to put together the last of my outfit - shorts on, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, wool knee socks with toe warmers on them, the light jacket I'd ordered last minute from amazon. Did I have everything? I hope so because the volunteer grabbed everything up and it was time for me to go start the bike.
Since the race was postponed, there was a volunteer shortage which meant no bike handlers. To make it fair to everyone, they made us do a huge zig-zag through transition to get our own bikes. Some people have been saying that this extra distance makes up for the 800m we lost on the swim. Indeed, it was a long trek to get my bike - I almost couldn't find her at first - and get to the mount line. T1 time, 16:51.
I'd taken some ginger pills before the swim and wore ear plugs and was hoping they helped and that I wouldn't feel that same dizziness as I have before after the swim. I think they worked! I took it easy on the first 12 miles to the high school, felt pretty good and was going a good pace. My legs had some weird pains in various places (it kept shifting), but I think they just needed to get warmed up. As I approached the high school, I saw my dad and my uncle, and then as I rounded the corner, the rest of my minions and my mom were standing there cheering. I was surprised they'd made it there so fast as I'd just seen them at transition! Going down Maple Dam road was a breeze and I was putting up some good numbers. I tried to enjoy the moment and enjoy the scenery as I rode through Blackwater Refuge. I passed the Team Z aid station where I saw Jen M, Linda, Chris and so many more teammates. Then I made a turn directly into the wind. Then more wind. And more wind. It never stopped. I saw my numbers dropping.
I made it to the dreaded MD-16, the part of the course that has haunted me all summer, not for any reason other than it's long and boring and usually a headwind. Of course today, the winds were hitting me all over the place, so this road was not really worse than any other part of the course. I was wearing full-fingered gloves and found that grabbing my starbursts and uncrustables was difficult without the use of my fingers. But I managed to eat some, was drinking my infinit and refilling my aero bottle with water at every aid station. I had to stop once when I dropped my chain (and then immediately again because I hadn't put it back on correctly). My outfit was perfect. There were times I was warm, and thought about taking off a layer, but then I'd turn into the wind and get cold. The only thing that was really uncomfortable was my feet which were frozen. I passed Heidi around mile 50 and knew I was almost at special needs.
I saw Joann and Daz as I pulled into the high school at special needs. Joann raced ahead to let the others know I was there, while Daz and my teammate, Amanda, hung out with me for the few minutes I was there. The volunteer held my bike and I climbed off because I needed to stretch and put some hand warmers in my shoes. Amanda checked with the volunteer to make sure they were allowed, and she and Daz handed me all my new nutrition, took my trash and put the hand warmers between my shoes and covers, as I sipped on some sprite. I was there for a couple minutes, but I did not dilly dally at all. Then I was off for the 2nd loop, waving to my friends and teammates at the Team Z cheer station.
Back on Maple Dam road, my averages started coming up again. Joann, Daz and Dan passed me with their heads and cowbells out of the car window cheering. My first thought was 'hmm, I wonder if Joann had any trouble getting my bike out of transition' -- this was the first sign that my mind was no longer working properly as I was still on my bike! Then Sweeney and Rob passed me, and they leap-frogged me for the entire second loop which was great! One time I pulled up to them to say hello, but more to get a salt tab and put on chapstick which was in my pocket and impossible to do while riding with my gloves. I asked them if they knew what the new cutoff time was, but they didn't. Of course they didn't because they were out there cheering for me, but my mind wasn't working. Again, no dilly dallying, and I was right back on the bike. That was the last time I stopped. A couple more sightings of Sweeney and Rob... Heidi joined them at one of their stops, and then the whole crew was there waiting for me at mile 96.
This was really one of the hardest rides I have ever done. My back really started hurting around mile 80 and it was excruciating, but I knew I couldn't stop. I managed to pull it together every time I passed my friends so they didn't know how miserable I was, but my back hurt really bad. There was no position that felt good, and I was working so hard to pedal through the wind. I was in my lowest gear of my small ring and didn't feel like I was moving at all.
I was finally finished with the second loop and started on the lollipop stick portion back to transition, except it felt like the wind was getting even stronger! I kept looking behind me to see if Maddison was around. I'd passed her around mile 20, but know we are very similar paces so kept expecting to see her, to exchange a few comments about how miserable we were. Plenty of other Z'ers did pass me and between them and my friends, there was constant support on that course. But I was still miserable and needed to be off that bike. I was genuinely concerned I wouldn't be able to dismount on my own without falling over. I started having conversations with Xena and told her that if she could just get me back to transition before the cutoff (whatever that might be) and without a flat or mechanical issue, that I'd give her a good long break from me. She obliged. Bike time, 8:08:26.
Finally, I pulled up to the dismount line and managed to climb off the bike without issue. I was in so much pain. I tried to tell my friends this, but I'm not sure they understood how I felt. They were so excited that to see me finish before the cutoff. It was hard to walk Xena back to her place on the rack, but I did manage to yell at Jon that I peed on the bike (and not to tell Joann since she was picking up Xena later, although I think it was Heidi who ended up with that task). As I made my way to the changing tent with my run gear bag, a race official came up to me and said I only had about 10 minutes to get out on the run course. Yikes, I hadn't realized I was that close to the cutoff (though I found out later, I actually had about 20min to spare)! I asked him what the final cutoff was and he said I had until 12:30 to finish the race. OK, sigh of relief, I think I can do this. This time, the tent was basically empty and I had plenty of seats to choose from. I took off my bike clothes and threw on my run clothes, grabbed the ziploc bag of miscellaneous things I knew I needed, and decided to carry it with me so that I could start the run in time. T2 time, 13:40.
Some more cheers from my friends and then I saw Andrea just as I was turning the corner onto the run course. She reiterated that I had 7 hours to do the marathon and all I had to do was maintain a 16 min/mile pace. I can do that! She walked with me and held my ziploc bag as I took some pain medicine and applied Tri-Slide to the bands of my sports bra, the things I didn't want to waste time doing in transition. Then Joann appeared and took all my extra stuff to hold, and I was off on that first loop. It took about 2.5 miles for that medicine to kick in, so those miles were s-l-o-w. I didn't worry because I knew I could make up some of that time and get my pace under 16 min/mi. I started trying to run some, able to do a little further each time. I came up to the Team Z run aid station and got a big hug from Val. I asked her to confirm the final cutoff time and she said she thought it was 12:15. Hmm.. that's different than 12:30, and she said she'd call over to some Z'ers at the finish line to find out for sure and let me know the next time she saw me.
Maddison caught up with me around mile 5 and we walked together for a bit until she stopped to pop a blister. She promised she would catch up again and sent me along, which I did because I knew if I stopped, I might not be able to start again. On that return stretch back to Great Marsh, I ran into Sweeney and Heidi and asked them to walk with me. I told them my concerns about the race cutoff time and got my gloves from them. Maddison caught up again and we finished that loop together, through Great Marsh, the Team Z cheering area, up to the finish line area, and back again. All this time some random guy had decided to join us. At first, we didn't mind the extra company, but he got more and more annoying with every step. Rob showed up and convinced us to start running, but the guy followed us. We stopped at the port-o-pots, and the guy stopped too, we just couldn't shake him! I understand why he'd want to stick with us as he was out there alone while Maddison and I had so many people cheering for us and encouraging us, but our personalities just didn't mesh.
Dan and Rob joined us for the start of the second loop, and luckily the random dude started talking to Dan more and left Maddison and me on our own... kind of. Rob kept pushing us to pick up the pace, so I tried my best, walking as fast as my legs would take me. I had forgotten how far it was to get to the Team Z aid station! I pulled ahead of Maddison a bit and Rob and Dan stayed back to cheer her along, but I kept going, I knew I couldn't stop or slow down. I finally made it to the bypass and saw Val and she told me the cutoff was 12:08 and that I had to start the 3rd loop by 11:03. WHAT??? That is a hell of a discovery at mile 15 of the run, there was just no way I could make up that much time in 10 miles. And no fair after the race official told me I had until 12:30 and had been pacing myself to that time. I started running as much as I could, and allowed Rob to push me even though I wanted to punch him in the face every time he told me to pick it up. I actually turned over some pretty decent numbers for awhile, and managed to lose that annoying guy for good.
I was so cold in the 30mph wind gusts. My lungs hurt trying to breath in the frigid air. My body temperature was fine, my outfit was perfect, long sleeve Under Armor shirt, short sleeve Team Z shirt on top, shorts, compression socks and gloves. But it was hard to breath. I remember Heidi asking me at some point if I needed my inhaler because it sounded like I was wheezing. I probably should've listened to her as I was beyond the capability to make rational decisions for myself, but I passed on it. I kept going, one foot in front of the other, running when I could. I saw my minions all over the place, they were everywhere, so awesome! As I was completing the second loop, I finally asked for my inhaler which Daz brought to me. He, Joann and Sweeney joined me for that final lap. I saw Andrea and then Siri and remember telling both of them I didn't think I was going to make it. Neither of them accepted that. As we passed through Great Marsh Park to begin the last loop, a race official asked for my bib number. I told him, and then.. "did I make it?" ... "yes, you did, now you just have to get to the finish line!" -- PHEW! I glanced at my watch and it was 11:00.. I made the cutoff by 3 minutes!!!
There was still no way I was going to make the 12:08 cutoff, but passing this checkpoint meant that they weren't going to take my chip, and I would have an official split for the entire race. I didn't come 135 miles to quit now. That last lap was a struggle though. My legs hurt. My friends kept wanting me to go faster. I tried running one last time, but my lungs were having nothing to do with that. I couldn't breath. It wasn't that I was out of breath and had a hard time catching it. It was like my lungs were frozen and couldn't open at all. I felt dizzy and thought that was it, my race was going to be over at mile 137. It was a scary moment. Daz told me to put my arms over my head, but again, my mind was not able to follow instructions at all. Luckily this all happened over just a few seconds (even though it felt much longer), but I knew I was done running.
My friends kept pushing me. In that moment I had a love/hate relationship with all of them. "Keep pushing" ... "We need to pick it up some" ... "Don't stop" ... I wanted to stop. I didn't want to quit the race, I just wanted to stop, for a minute, my body hurt so much. But I didn't. I kept moving, inch by inch making my way to the finish line. Last time through Great Marsh Park, last time past the Team Z cheering station which was now completely deserted. People were cheering for me but I couldn't even crack a smile to thank them. I was freezing and miserable. I was past mile 25 when 12:08 came and went, but there was nothing I could do. Oh well, I was still going to finish this thing. I made my way up High Street for the last time and Val joined me. She agreed to stay with me so that my friends could go wait for me at the finish line. Val prepped me for the finish, saying that Team Z would still be there even if it wasn't an official finish. She took my gloves from me so I didn't have them in my photos (and that's when I noticed how swollen my hands were!).
And then.... Daz came running up and told us they were holding the finish line open for me! Ohmigosh, I was going to get a finish! I heard the announcer over the loud speaker, "come on Jen, we're all waiting for you". It was unreal. Some race officials came up to me and escorted me to the finisher's chute. I asked them to tell me when I should start running, because I wanted to run but knew I wouldn't be able to make it too far. I think I gave a fist bump to Gerry Boyle, the race director. It's all kind of a blur now, but all of a sudden one of them told me to "go!" and I was there.... I was in the finisher's chute.... I was running.... and I was getting my Ironman finish.
The finish line wasn't super crowded. It wasn't the amazing finish that you hear about at midnight of other races. But it was all MY people. This was MY finish line. And I loved it. I saw everyone lined up on the barrier and I held out my hand to high five as many people as I could. I couldn't believe this was all happening, and then the announcer stopped me, and told me to turn around, and the whole crowd joined in...
"Jennifer.... You. Are. An IRONMAN!!!"
I turned and crossed the finish line with my arms up in the air. I did it! Deb was right there, volunteering at the finish line, and ran up to give me a hug. She told me she knew they were waiting for someone named Jennifer but nobody knew the last name and she was just hoping and hoping it was me... and it was! I was so happy, I couldn't stop smiling. Someone put a medal around my neck and offered me a foil blanket. I made my way through and saw Joann and gave her a big hug. Cameras were going off all over the place and I felt like a rock star.
16:37:39 was my final time, coming in around 12:19am. I knew that there are some people that would not consider me a real Ironman because I came in after the 12:08 cutoff time, and Ironman itself didn't list an official finish time for me, but I didn't care. I have video proof that an authoritative source called me an Ironman. I
am an Ironman! And if you do the math, even if the swim was the full
2.4 miles, my pace would have put my overall time under 17 hours
(16:57:12). Run time was 6:50:43.
........But then........ one week later, I received an email from Ironman, apologizing for making a timing mistake, saying that Maryland was always supposed to be a 17 hour race, and that they are adjusting my online results to show that I am, indeed, an officialIronman finisher!!
What a day! I am so thankful for everyone out there cheering the whole day, especially Maddison, Val, my parents and all my iron-minions: Joann, Daz, Sweeney, Jon, Heidi, Dan, Rob, Cindy, Sarah, Dave. You guys got me through this race. (and of course the blow up minions, sherpa-Carl, sherpa-Stuart, sherpa-Dave and sherpa-Bob).
