This is an email and a re-cap that my best friend Jackie wrote and one that I dont ever want to forget either, as it was her memory of her experience of the Ironman day. Our experience was similar, yet totally different, in our own ways... and with her permission, I wanted to share her email with you all...
To my wonderful friends and family,
(I wanted to send out an e-mail to anyone interested in hearing what I had to say, but especially to thank, thank, thank EACH of you for making this day what it was. I cannot, absolutely cannot at all, express just how preciously unique every single one of you is to me, and I will always remember, specifically, what each of you contributed to this experience in your own priceless way).
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Four minutes before our alarm clock barked, Amy jumped over to my bed and eagerly woke me up. It was 4:06 am. I freaked. This was it. 285 days of commitment. I couldn't think beyond the moment. Teeth brushed. Check. Face washed. Check. Prayers. Check. Suit, time-chip, goggles, swim cap, check, check, check. We walked out the door, lights out, and hopped on an empty hotel elevator. I sensed we were the first athletes awake. We were allowed to do last minute bike maintenance, so Amy pumped my tires, and put my water bottles in place, while I walked to the starting line to hold our spots. I got my body marked, number 588, and then took a seat on the cold concrete, waiting for the rest of the gang to appear. Before long, Sarah, Amy, Jason, Rory, Madelyn, and I sat in our circle just in awe of what was about to happen. Two Gatorades, a Cliff Bar, a peanut butter and honey sandwich, and banana later, I bolted for the port-a-pot. Still wondering how much longer till my family would arrive, and how they would ever find me, I open the bathroom door to exit, and one foot from my face is Justin! He turns to my dear friend Deb, who is rummaging through the crowd with him, and reassures her of our ESP-twin thing. We played it off like this is totally normal, which it actually is ;), and immediately we knew this was going to be a perfect day.
A few minutes later I am with my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and some friends, just getting excited, sharing some last minute thoughts when the “gate” opens and we follow one another, single file, to the starting docks, unable to say much, and shivering from the abnormally cold weather. We stop in line to say a group prayer, thanking God for this amazing opportunity, which He gave us all as a powerful gift. Sarah, Amy, and I give our last hugs, and “love you's,” … and at precisely 7:00.45, I hit the water. The water was warm, my pace felt good; the sun was shining on me. There is nothing but the quiet and calm. There has always been something I've cherished about the water. It could not have been more enjoyable. There were no athletes near me by the time I cleared the channel. Not a soul, but my friend Jason. I saw him every time I turned to breath. We stayed side by side until the end of our 2.4 mile swim. It was a wonderful awareness. I could see the fans along the shore, but only heard the silence. This was one of my favorite times of the whole day, and all of me didn’t want it to end.
Exiting the water was thrilling. It was the first time I heard people screaming my name. I ran through the transition area, grabbed my bike gear bag, and headed to the changing tent. Two women kindly helped me undress, then dress. They caked on my sunscreen. I ran out the tent and see Deb, Todd and Christian. Deb is snapping pictures, and Todd is screaming at me to hurry. I force the last drops of Powerade down, and then throw my water bottle at him because I didn’t know what else to do with it. I finagle my way through the 2,500 bikes, find my red Felt, clip in, and then pedal for 112 miles. At mile 50, I cried. Not because of pain, but because of joy. I was riding through the country-side, forgetting what I was doing, but was quickly reminded when I look to see an IRONMAN sign sitting alone in a field next to me. The IRONMAN symbol was first worn on the Timex wrapped around my wrist when I was a young swimmer. Around the age of 10 I was told about the IRONMAN. I knew that someday I wanted to do it, but I did not ever believe I actually would. It seemed unreachable, and only for the fierce, insane people with thick accents, washboard abs and freakishly amazing talent. I was none of these, but here I am, looking at this same symbol of strength and discipline that fascinated me as a child, and the dream would soon be mine. All I could do was “sit” in awe of thanksgiving, thanking my Lord behind wet eyes for making this happen.
For nearly 25 miles of my bike, I had to pee so badly that I couldn’t even sit in the aero-position. It hurt. Always indecisive, I spent nearly an hour deciding whether to stop at a port-a-pot, or be like Lance, and go in my pants. I tried the latter, but to no avail, so when mile 65 came, Deb, Todd, and Christian were manning a penalty tent, and I decided to dismount my saddle, say hello, and pop-a-squat. And so this is what I did. And I didn’t care who saw. I chatted with them for a minute or two, and then got back on my seat for the rest of the day. One rest stop was all I took.
The run; wow. Mile one hurt. Miles 2-9 flew by. 10-12 I wondered how long till I’d walk. Mile 13-15 I saw Amy up ahead and was finally with her by about mile 16. Amy and I spent the next 8 miles talking, walking, running, moving fast, moving slow, stopping at toilets, eating, drinking, grabbing our own stomachs in pain, resting hands on our knees waiting for the vomit, hunched over, nauseous, dizzy, and in pain. I remember my hips screaming at me, my arthritic knees were painless; it seemed to be everything else that hurt. At multiple times I felt like asking others “excuse me, would you say I am walking right now, or running.” I had no idea. At mile 23 I remember just thinking this was it. I was done. Three miles was all that remained, and by 8:00 PM I would have crossed the finish line; a moment I have waited for and worked at for so long. I knew it would be electric. I didn’t catch his name, but my last conversation was with a three-time IM finisher, a 38 year old from Chicago. We chatted for about 2 miles, and then with less than a minute till we turned “the corner” he asked me if “I was ready?” It was more of a statement than a question. He sort of laughed, and in his face told me that this was going to be like nothing I’d experienced, and he was dead right. I saw 41 of some of the most significant people in my life, all of them were there for me, pushing me till the end, smiling, excited, elated, some crying, some laughing. I saw hundreds of strangers making the loudest commotion, banging, yelling, music playing, lights flashing. It was intense, and magic and explosive. I thought I would truly bust from elation and happiness. I felt nothing in my body, just all in my heart. I cross the line. I look to my right and see my twin crying; I had the laughter, he had the tears. I next see, then squeeze, my parents and future sister, I grab my mom’s cell phone with my sister on the other line, then hugged everyone else as they trickle my way, still only able to smile. I am without words, just pure and simple bliss. Minutes behind me were my two training buddies, Sarah Menefee and Amy Miranda, two girls that became unique in my life; from the outside looking in, this experience can’t be understood, but from the inside looking out it can’t be explained. This is what we share together. And I love these two friends extraordinarily and ceaselessly.
I cannot articulate what lives inside that yearned for this experience, but it’s been there since I was a little girl. Somewhere in the last 9+ months I believe Christ gave me a greater view of what was at hand; the road of life, a road to the end. A journey promised to not be easy, a guarantee of prospering, but facing many trials. A fight we are to take on, and endure with faith. We do have a finish line to get to. One where I know for certain I will meet my Savior, and the greatest “finish” I believe man has found on earth will only darkly pale in comparison to the one still ahead. This to me is the inner, spiritual gift I’ve been blessed to see. It’s when I can say that I see the forest for the trees. I can believe in the gloriously unseen, and all things appear meaningless to me in comparison with eternal realities. It’s when I am alone with my Lord on this crazy road of life and He says to me to remember what He said through Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.” And because of what Christ did on the Cross-, His unfailing and unshakable love, we will one day soon get our reward. I only imagine it’s beyond compare. Not comprehendible; a time ‘when the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees’ – I will continue to dream of a finish like that.
Much love, keep moving forward- Jackie....
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.”
I am not sure I will every accurately describe what took place last Sunday, but I am going to take a stab at it. Last Sunday was quite possibly one of the greatest days of my life...
Saturday evening we got back to the room, eagerly awaiting bedtime so we could snuggle up, get to bed early, sleep soundly, and wake up at the crack of dawn. And we did. As is my custom, I woke up minutes before the alarm, jumped on Jackie's bed, so excited for what was about to happen that day, I could hardly wait. We then both prayed... "God, please don't let us forget anything..." Dont worry, I had already forgotten my tennis shoes. I am not kidding. I forgot to put my tennis shoes in my transition bag. Thank goodness Taylor was in charge of transition and could put my shoes in my bag for me (something that is not supposed to be done, but something she so graciously did for me or my day would have been over). In any case, it was 4:06 AM, we were up, eating peanut butter and jelly, bananas, and crackers. Drinking a lot of water. Anything I could to keep from getting nervous, and I think I did a good job. It took us about 10 minutes to get our suits on and head out and I could have sworn we would be the first ones at transition to check our bikes and get in line (I was the designated bike checker, Jackie was going to get in line)... The transitions didnt even open up until 5 AM and we were there before 4:30 AM... But alas, we were not the only ones who knew the secret... there was a soft opening at 4:30 AM and as we got there. people were already in line. So, Jackie went to get in line, and i filled up the water bottles, pumped our tires, checked the bikes and hurried to meet her (and really hoped we had a good spot in line at Tumblweed!).
Leave it to Jackie to have a great spot in line, about 20 people back (out of close to 3,000!)... I found her quickly, sat down with her, Sarah, Jason, Madelyn, Rory and 2,698 of our closest friends and all of our families in the crystal clear morning. The morning was crisp, anticipation was in the air and music started to play louder and louder as 5 am came, then 6 am... 6:30 and 6:45... we started to move towards the water at 6:45 am, as we watched the pros get in the water. Jackie, Sarah and I huddled together for a prayer. As we did, a man tapped me on the shoulder, "Mind if I join you?" Then another, and another... soon, in the bright morning light, we had close to thirty athletes praying for a safe, healthy, peaceful day. Who prayed this prayer? Marc Barlow, my partner, my confidant, who had come down to cheer my on early into the dawn. We wrapped up the prayer quickly sang My Old Kentucky Home Proudly, as my eyes teared up. Then the National Anthem... this song never ceases to make my heart beat loudly. The very sound of the melody brings thoughts of every swim meet I have been a part of come flashing back to my mind so quickly, I start to quiver, and this morning was no different. This morning, I stood there, listening to the music, feeling oddly at peace as the sun rose, thanking God from the bottom of my heart that I had this body that would keep me in motion for the next 12-15 hours. How could this be? I have no idea, but I am so blessed. That is what went through my mind... THEN WE WERE OFF...
Some probably thought the swim start to an Ironman was pure insanity. This was not. This start is a time trial start which means you jump off one at a time (ok, maybe there are 4 or 5 people jumping at a time), but I have an advantage in the swim, because, well, I can swim. So I stayed calm, started my watch, quickly found open water on the right, did a few thump kicks to get a guy off my feet and swam right up the channel. It was the most peaceful, clear-heade swim I have ever done. I have swam a lot in my life (I would venture to say more than 99.9% of the people in that water) and that was the most enjoyable swim I have ever done. I was completely on my own. No one was in front of or behind me for 100 yards at least. I would pick up my head and look up and back just to make sure I wasnt in Indiana and see faint splashes in the distance, see a kayaker, or just glance at the sun coming up over the river. I would over and over thank God for the gift he had given me. I cant tell you how many times i did that. Before long, I was rounding the last buoy, heading for home. I looked toward the shore, in awe of all of the people that were standing there cheering all of us on. I was unsure of how this exit from the water was going to go. I had passed a few pros, but where did I stand... how fast did I go? Where was I? Open water swimming is very disconcerting, so I was a little unsure of how this was going to go, how to get back to transition, where fans would be, h ow to get out of the water, etc. So, I was a little nervous. But I had little choice... so I thought... here goes nothing...
I exited the water to ROARS!! Literally, I went from complete peace and quiet to utter chaos and a man on a load speaker that said something along the lines of "Our first Louisville finisher... AMY MIRANDA!!" Then everyone seemed to freak out and I saw a blur of what seemed like everyone I know, as I exited the water and ran to the transition area, grabbed my bag from Taylor, into the tent where a few girls help me undress from my suit, then dress into my bike clothes, then I was quickly (or so I thought... keep in mind, there were a few pros in and out of transition in the time I was there), out of the tent and into the sea of bikes (see below)... I found my bike and was out onto leg #2 of the day- 112 miles. People always say something is going to go wrong. Well, the swim was perfect. I found out quickly my bike problem- I forgot to fix my bike computer- the contraption that tracks my miles and speed. So I stopped and tried to fix it once on River Road (to no avail), then gave up, said I didnt care kept on going and got more and more worried as all these very very fast people WHOOSHED past me... I say that literally. They had disc wheels on and they make that sound. Finally I got up the hill at 1694, I saw Brian, and I thought that would be a smart time to make the fix because if I broke it he could fix it (although that wasnt correct, he couldnt help). Well, I fixed it myself which was a small miracle, and I was on my way- thank GOD! At this point, I was coasting, felt great and was eating and drinking right on schedule. Thanks in large part to Deb's watch and Lewis's idea of retrofitting it to my bike so it beep'd every 20 minutes, telling me to do something. Everything was going great!
I got to LaGrange and everyone was yelling and screaming, they announced my name and again I thanked God for what he had done for me. I am so blessed. This is another time I cried. And again, no pain here. Just happiness that I was out there, enjoying the most beautiful day of the year, doing something I loved. So I kept going, eating, drinking, pounding the goo packets, like a college kid pounds beer. I stopped once for my special needs bag (for future reference to all others that do this course in the years to come- you can stop twice. That would have been good to know). Before I knew it, I had finished my second lap of the loop and I was heading back on 42 towards downtown Louisville. Throughout the ride, I had it in the back of my head that I had to run a marathon. For anyone who has been reading this blog, you know I am not a runner. I have never run a marathon and prior to my training for this, I had not run more than 6 miles consecutively, so this was a minor stressor for me during this ride back to town. These thoughts started to enter my head as my friend Rory rolled up next to me... "Hey Amy! How are ya?!" (He was just taking it easy...) "I am doing great! But I keep thinking about this marathon coming up" "Well, someone always told me when I do these things, only live in the moment, dont think about what is coming up."... I can honestly say, that was really nice, and it was a good effort on his part, but it was completely useless in that moment. How do you ignore 26.2 miles? haha.
So anyways, it was getting closer and closer...my greatest relief was that I could take as much time in transition as I wanted. I didnt care if I sat and got a massage. I just wanted to relax when I got there. I think that got me to transition without any huge mishaps. So I rolled down 42, up the hill, down Wolf Pen and River Road, past Katie and Ryan and all my other friends and into transition where my little brother was waiting to catch my bike! Well, he didnt get to catch my bike, but I did get to blow him a kiss as I ran by. Then off I headed into the tent to change, get a pretend massage and start off on my first marathon.
I left transition and heard a voice behind me..."Fancy seeing you here!" It sounded familiar and oh yes! It was Eatherly! I cant tell you how amazing it is to hear a familiar vice after being alone for the better part of the day. Especially for someone who is as talkative as me. So I decided I would run with him and do his plan. Run, and walk the water stations... little did I know 99.9% of everyone does this. Its a good plan, if you do this next year- I suggest you try it. We started out fast, and E had to keep reminding me to stop, I felt great! ...then I got to mile 5 and started to slow down... then mile 7 and my legs started to hurt, then at about mile 8, Eatherly needed to puke and I thought, well, I am not doing as bad as that guy, surely, I am doing good. So I went on without him. 1 minute later, he passes me, telling me- I feel like a million bucks, see ya later! Then I started to hurt, REAL bad. I tried everything- gatorade, coke, pretzels, cookies, grapes, sponges, water, and in every combination. Anyone who has ever trained with me knows that all of this is bad for me with the exception of water. I cant have sugar when i train. So this started a bad spiral of stomach problems. Finally when I got to mile 15 or 16 they brought out the chicken broth and I tried that (this run was a science experiment that I dont suggest), well, that FINALLY worked. I felt much better after that, but I didnt eat much other than chicken broth, water and pretzels from then on out. At mile 13, the race directors do the meanest, cruelest thing possible... they take you TO the finish line, then make you turn around and go all the way back to where you just came from (ie Iroquois Park) and run back again. So basically, you are tired, hurting, delirious, watching seemingly fast people reach the pinnacle of their life as the run through the finish chute, and you have to turn around and go back to the furthest point in the marathon and start over. It was at this point, I wanted to die. It was also at this point, I heard someone yell my name... "AMY!!" It was Jackie.
Jackie and I ran from mile 14 to mile 23 together, step for step, during the most grueling time, suffering through stomach aches, legs that wanted to give out, dizziness, discouragement, and everything else. Come to think of it- this is what we went through all season. These miles replayed the way our summer did- sacrifice, tears, joy, and ultimately triumph. At mile 23, I told Jackie to go ahead. She was running faster than me at that point and I ws struggling to keep up. She wanted to cross the finish line together, but I thougth we both needed our own moments. We did. She ran on and I watched her go, my eyes tearing up at the thought of her running through the finishing chute, of her realizing her dream. You see, she always wanted to do this. I never thought I would. We are so different, but so much the same and I was so happy in that moment. I knew if I glanced back, I would also see Sarah not far behind. She was the reason we were where we were. She started all of this. That was when I stopped walking and vowed to never walk again. I hadnt hurt that bad during the whole race. My entire body pounded, but knowing the three of us were out there and all my friends and family were at the finish waiting for me kept me going. I just kept saying, I can do anything for 30 minutes (I only had 2 miles to go- I was going slow)...
Before I knew it, I turned the corner and it was getting louder and louder and louder. I cant describe this point very well because I honestly dont remember much. I remember seeing Monique on the corner and she yelled my name, then I remember seeing Brian and Curtis. Then I remember pumping my hands in the air and not knowing which finish line was the actual finish line. I remember hoping I finished under 13 hours and I remember looking to my left as people called out my name. My friends from high school. Barbie Thomas, Lewis, Katy, Katie and Ryan, Mary Little Brother, then My mom and dad... I crossed the finish line, someone caught me, and quickly Taylor took over. I remember people giving me Gatorade when i couldnt drink it, then I remember wanting to pass out, but I never wanted that moment to end. I was so happy, so weak, so sore and tired and joyful. There is a line between happy and joyful and I had crossed over. It was bliss.
Saturday evening we got back to the room, eagerly awaiting bedtime so we could snuggle up, get to bed early, sleep soundly, and wake up at the crack of dawn. And we did. As is my custom, I woke up minutes before the alarm, jumped on Jackie's bed, so excited for what was about to happen that day, I could hardly wait. We then both prayed... "God, please don't let us forget anything..." Dont worry, I had already forgotten my tennis shoes. I am not kidding. I forgot to put my tennis shoes in my transition bag. Thank goodness Taylor was in charge of transition and could put my shoes in my bag for me (something that is not supposed to be done, but something she so graciously did for me or my day would have been over). In any case, it was 4:06 AM, we were up, eating peanut butter and jelly, bananas, and crackers. Drinking a lot of water. Anything I could to keep from getting nervous, and I think I did a good job. It took us about 10 minutes to get our suits on and head out and I could have sworn we would be the first ones at transition to check our bikes and get in line (I was the designated bike checker, Jackie was going to get in line)... The transitions didnt even open up until 5 AM and we were there before 4:30 AM... But alas, we were not the only ones who knew the secret... there was a soft opening at 4:30 AM and as we got there. people were already in line. So, Jackie went to get in line, and i filled up the water bottles, pumped our tires, checked the bikes and hurried to meet her (and really hoped we had a good spot in line at Tumblweed!).
Leave it to Jackie to have a great spot in line, about 20 people back (out of close to 3,000!)... I found her quickly, sat down with her, Sarah, Jason, Madelyn, Rory and 2,698 of our closest friends and all of our families in the crystal clear morning. The morning was crisp, anticipation was in the air and music started to play louder and louder as 5 am came, then 6 am... 6:30 and 6:45... we started to move towards the water at 6:45 am, as we watched the pros get in the water. Jackie, Sarah and I huddled together for a prayer. As we did, a man tapped me on the shoulder, "Mind if I join you?" Then another, and another... soon, in the bright morning light, we had close to thirty athletes praying for a safe, healthy, peaceful day. Who prayed this prayer? Marc Barlow, my partner, my confidant, who had come down to cheer my on early into the dawn. We wrapped up the prayer quickly sang My Old Kentucky Home Proudly, as my eyes teared up. Then the National Anthem... this song never ceases to make my heart beat loudly. The very sound of the melody brings thoughts of every swim meet I have been a part of come flashing back to my mind so quickly, I start to quiver, and this morning was no different. This morning, I stood there, listening to the music, feeling oddly at peace as the sun rose, thanking God from the bottom of my heart that I had this body that would keep me in motion for the next 12-15 hours. How could this be? I have no idea, but I am so blessed. That is what went through my mind... THEN WE WERE OFF...
Some probably thought the swim start to an Ironman was pure insanity. This was not. This start is a time trial start which means you jump off one at a time (ok, maybe there are 4 or 5 people jumping at a time), but I have an advantage in the swim, because, well, I can swim. So I stayed calm, started my watch, quickly found open water on the right, did a few thump kicks to get a guy off my feet and swam right up the channel. It was the most peaceful, clear-heade swim I have ever done. I have swam a lot in my life (I would venture to say more than 99.9% of the people in that water) and that was the most enjoyable swim I have ever done. I was completely on my own. No one was in front of or behind me for 100 yards at least. I would pick up my head and look up and back just to make sure I wasnt in Indiana and see faint splashes in the distance, see a kayaker, or just glance at the sun coming up over the river. I would over and over thank God for the gift he had given me. I cant tell you how many times i did that. Before long, I was rounding the last buoy, heading for home. I looked toward the shore, in awe of all of the people that were standing there cheering all of us on. I was unsure of how this exit from the water was going to go. I had passed a few pros, but where did I stand... how fast did I go? Where was I? Open water swimming is very disconcerting, so I was a little unsure of how this was going to go, how to get back to transition, where fans would be, h ow to get out of the water, etc. So, I was a little nervous. But I had little choice... so I thought... here goes nothing...
I exited the water to ROARS!! Literally, I went from complete peace and quiet to utter chaos and a man on a load speaker that said something along the lines of "Our first Louisville finisher... AMY MIRANDA!!" Then everyone seemed to freak out and I saw a blur of what seemed like everyone I know, as I exited the water and ran to the transition area, grabbed my bag from Taylor, into the tent where a few girls help me undress from my suit, then dress into my bike clothes, then I was quickly (or so I thought... keep in mind, there were a few pros in and out of transition in the time I was there), out of the tent and into the sea of bikes (see below)... I found my bike and was out onto leg #2 of the day- 112 miles. People always say something is going to go wrong. Well, the swim was perfect. I found out quickly my bike problem- I forgot to fix my bike computer- the contraption that tracks my miles and speed. So I stopped and tried to fix it once on River Road (to no avail), then gave up, said I didnt care kept on going and got more and more worried as all these very very fast people WHOOSHED past me... I say that literally. They had disc wheels on and they make that sound. Finally I got up the hill at 1694, I saw Brian, and I thought that would be a smart time to make the fix because if I broke it he could fix it (although that wasnt correct, he couldnt help). Well, I fixed it myself which was a small miracle, and I was on my way- thank GOD! At this point, I was coasting, felt great and was eating and drinking right on schedule. Thanks in large part to Deb's watch and Lewis's idea of retrofitting it to my bike so it beep'd every 20 minutes, telling me to do something. Everything was going great!
I got to LaGrange and everyone was yelling and screaming, they announced my name and again I thanked God for what he had done for me. I am so blessed. This is another time I cried. And again, no pain here. Just happiness that I was out there, enjoying the most beautiful day of the year, doing something I loved. So I kept going, eating, drinking, pounding the goo packets, like a college kid pounds beer. I stopped once for my special needs bag (for future reference to all others that do this course in the years to come- you can stop twice. That would have been good to know). Before I knew it, I had finished my second lap of the loop and I was heading back on 42 towards downtown Louisville. Throughout the ride, I had it in the back of my head that I had to run a marathon. For anyone who has been reading this blog, you know I am not a runner. I have never run a marathon and prior to my training for this, I had not run more than 6 miles consecutively, so this was a minor stressor for me during this ride back to town. These thoughts started to enter my head as my friend Rory rolled up next to me... "Hey Amy! How are ya?!" (He was just taking it easy...) "I am doing great! But I keep thinking about this marathon coming up" "Well, someone always told me when I do these things, only live in the moment, dont think about what is coming up."... I can honestly say, that was really nice, and it was a good effort on his part, but it was completely useless in that moment. How do you ignore 26.2 miles? haha.
So anyways, it was getting closer and closer...my greatest relief was that I could take as much time in transition as I wanted. I didnt care if I sat and got a massage. I just wanted to relax when I got there. I think that got me to transition without any huge mishaps. So I rolled down 42, up the hill, down Wolf Pen and River Road, past Katie and Ryan and all my other friends and into transition where my little brother was waiting to catch my bike! Well, he didnt get to catch my bike, but I did get to blow him a kiss as I ran by. Then off I headed into the tent to change, get a pretend massage and start off on my first marathon.
I left transition and heard a voice behind me..."Fancy seeing you here!" It sounded familiar and oh yes! It was Eatherly! I cant tell you how amazing it is to hear a familiar vice after being alone for the better part of the day. Especially for someone who is as talkative as me. So I decided I would run with him and do his plan. Run, and walk the water stations... little did I know 99.9% of everyone does this. Its a good plan, if you do this next year- I suggest you try it. We started out fast, and E had to keep reminding me to stop, I felt great! ...then I got to mile 5 and started to slow down... then mile 7 and my legs started to hurt, then at about mile 8, Eatherly needed to puke and I thought, well, I am not doing as bad as that guy, surely, I am doing good. So I went on without him. 1 minute later, he passes me, telling me- I feel like a million bucks, see ya later! Then I started to hurt, REAL bad. I tried everything- gatorade, coke, pretzels, cookies, grapes, sponges, water, and in every combination. Anyone who has ever trained with me knows that all of this is bad for me with the exception of water. I cant have sugar when i train. So this started a bad spiral of stomach problems. Finally when I got to mile 15 or 16 they brought out the chicken broth and I tried that (this run was a science experiment that I dont suggest), well, that FINALLY worked. I felt much better after that, but I didnt eat much other than chicken broth, water and pretzels from then on out. At mile 13, the race directors do the meanest, cruelest thing possible... they take you TO the finish line, then make you turn around and go all the way back to where you just came from (ie Iroquois Park) and run back again. So basically, you are tired, hurting, delirious, watching seemingly fast people reach the pinnacle of their life as the run through the finish chute, and you have to turn around and go back to the furthest point in the marathon and start over. It was at this point, I wanted to die. It was also at this point, I heard someone yell my name... "AMY!!" It was Jackie.
Jackie and I ran from mile 14 to mile 23 together, step for step, during the most grueling time, suffering through stomach aches, legs that wanted to give out, dizziness, discouragement, and everything else. Come to think of it- this is what we went through all season. These miles replayed the way our summer did- sacrifice, tears, joy, and ultimately triumph. At mile 23, I told Jackie to go ahead. She was running faster than me at that point and I ws struggling to keep up. She wanted to cross the finish line together, but I thougth we both needed our own moments. We did. She ran on and I watched her go, my eyes tearing up at the thought of her running through the finishing chute, of her realizing her dream. You see, she always wanted to do this. I never thought I would. We are so different, but so much the same and I was so happy in that moment. I knew if I glanced back, I would also see Sarah not far behind. She was the reason we were where we were. She started all of this. That was when I stopped walking and vowed to never walk again. I hadnt hurt that bad during the whole race. My entire body pounded, but knowing the three of us were out there and all my friends and family were at the finish waiting for me kept me going. I just kept saying, I can do anything for 30 minutes (I only had 2 miles to go- I was going slow)...
Before I knew it, I turned the corner and it was getting louder and louder and louder. I cant describe this point very well because I honestly dont remember much. I remember seeing Monique on the corner and she yelled my name, then I remember seeing Brian and Curtis. Then I remember pumping my hands in the air and not knowing which finish line was the actual finish line. I remember hoping I finished under 13 hours and I remember looking to my left as people called out my name. My friends from high school. Barbie Thomas, Lewis, Katy, Katie and Ryan, Mary Little Brother, then My mom and dad... I crossed the finish line, someone caught me, and quickly Taylor took over. I remember people giving me Gatorade when i couldnt drink it, then I remember wanting to pass out, but I never wanted that moment to end. I was so happy, so weak, so sore and tired and joyful. There is a line between happy and joyful and I had crossed over. It was bliss.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Some people dream of success while others wake up and achieve it.
Well, in less than 12 hours, we will be waking up. I guess that is a success in and of itself. It's an early morning. It's so surreal, I cant even believe its here. I am sitting in the hotel room, typing a blog about what we have done the past couple of days and what I feel about what is going to go on tomorrow. It feels like a dream. You know those times when you kind of feel like you are outside your body, looking in at whats happening to you at that moment? I have felt like that this entire week. Seriously, if heaven is living this past week of my life over and over, sign me up, I am in, because I dont recall ever being quite so happy in my life. This atmosphere, the people I have met, the dedication of everyone that has come in from all 50 states, everything around me- its all so positive and everyone has come out of the woodwork to make this the most amazing experience for not just me, but all 2,698 athletes that have signed up.
This is the biggest field they have ever had (or so they said on the internet). They dont expect all 2,698 people to show up and race, but even if they dont, there are a ton of people here (all incredibly goodl ooking by the way) and 75%+ of them are male. It's amazing!
To start from the beginning of this weekend... Thursday, me, Jackie and my mom came down around 2 pm to check in, get our directions and go through the expo early. That ended up being a good call because a lot of people rolled in after that and it has been packed! I got the perfect outfit to wear for the race tomorrow and I finished all my packing Thurs evening. I am super anal about how I pack and what goes where, so my mom got me these little boxes that I put everything in. I tried to stay very organized, but of course I forgot things and I dont know what I would do without my friends. Each and every one of them who has been a part of this process has been incredibly integral! i would NEVER have made it without all of my friends help! i am so lucky...
So Friday morning, we got up, went for a quick swim at Bwood, then got all packed up and headed downtown. But before I got here, I stopped by Caroline Burckle's house who was nice enough to let me borrow AN OLYMPIC racing suit!! I am so excited about it, I look professional! In any case, I got the suit, came straight downtown and checked in, room 711!
Yesterday we had lunch at Spaghetti Factory with Deb and Lauren, came back, took a nap and then met a bunch of people at Sully's for our pre-dinner get together for IamTri.com, a website for all triathletes, kind of a social website. Anyways, we went there and then off to the Athlete dinner which was AWESOME... soooo many people at the Convention Center, everyone didnt even fit in there! We ate, had the athlete dinner, and then came back...it was past 8 PM, so i had to leave early, past my bedtime.
jackie and I woke up early this morning, made pancakes and set off for the open water practice swim. We were one of the first people there, jumped in quickly and were out pretty quick. The coolest part of the swim was the fact that we had done it before, we knew what to expect and how the water would feel. The major point of me swimming this morning was to test out the new suit, which i really liked, thank goodness.
Post swim, we got a massage, then headed to the First Annual Underpants Run which was a huge success! There were probably 100 people dressed only in their underwear for a 2 mile run to raise money for John Carr, the guy that died in the triathlon a few weeks ago. it was hilarious. I have pictures to prove it.
After that, we got all of our bike and run bags together, fixed up our bikes for the big race... all so we could take them down to transition and let them sit in the sun until tomorrow. That part makes me nervous. A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that helped with my bike. Seriously, setting up a bike for an ironman is a skill, maybe even a work of art. There are taped Gu packets in just the right place, a bag for all my food, placed just so, my race number, all my DRINKS (which is a whole other story, and extremely complicated). So all day, it has been a game of "did you remember___?" It is nerve racking, but a challenge that I love, just to be prepared for the entire day. So we took our bikes and transition bags down to the transition area and I came back and already figured out i forgot a few things... MY TENNIS SHOES and HAT!! Good thing Taylor is going to be there tomorrow morning to put everything together for me! Another friend saves my butt...
So here we are, in the room, anxiously awaiting to get our butts kicked in tomorrow. I think I am completely naieve to the situation that I am getting myself into. i am not all that nervous and I am not too worried about what i am doing. i was more nervous and worried about some of my training days. i think I have a screw loose, but whatever, it will all come together tomorrow. the only thing I can worry about tonight is eating and getting enough rest.
Tomorrow is the day that I have trained 9+ months for. This is the climax to this story. This weekend is why I have put myself through agony, pain, and ultimately, an amazing journey. Really? This is going to be the most incredible day. How can I fully grasp all that is going on and keep this fresh? How do I relive these moments again and again? I can sign up for another Ironman, but there will never be another first Ironman. I wont be able to say I am a rookie, and say I dont know what is going on. I like being naieve and it wont be that way next time. So now, I am focused on relishing every moment. Be in there here, be in the now. Focus on every stroke in the water, every pedal on the bike. Remember this agony of the run. The pain will fade into distant memory all too quickly, so I want to embrace it all. I never want to forget the second the say... "Amy Miranda, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!" I want that memory to be seared into my mind for my whole life. I guess this is why I am writing this, its to remember all of this. I want to come back to this post and remember that these were some of the best days of my life!
So tomorrow, at this time, I will be hurting pretty bad, probably have about 12-14 miles left in the marathon. It will be painful, I have heard. But I dont know. I dont know what it will feel like off the bike, into the run. i am glad I dont know. Tomorrow is going to be the first of a lot of things for me, and I cant wait.
In closing, I want to share this excerpt that I love. A friend sent it to me and it sums up what I think tomorrow will be...
From "Becoming and Ironman" by Kara Douglass Thom
"The water laps your toes and envelopes your skin. Close your eyes. The masses become silent and your heartbeat thunders. You have planned for today, talked about today, trained for today, imagined today, dreamed today, and yet you still don't know what to expect.A cannon blows and you remember, as you dread the uncertainty and the harsh duration to come, to savor every second because in your memory it will be over in the minutes it takes to recount or reread from your journal. Move, breathe, drink, eat. Move, breathe, drink, eat. Move and move. One hundred forty and six-tenths miles. Know tenderly, intimately every fiber of your being that propels you forward only because your brain says, "Don't stop." And don't stop. Move, breathe, drink, eat.Manage your day. Stick to your plan. Be flexible. Just finish. Float when your mind and body detach and watch your body move with you - pushed by the crowd, the volunteers, who lust for your finish as if it were their own.But it hurts. And you don't know for sure why you are doing this and what it will mean when you do. And then you see it. A banner, a clock, a frenzy of applause. And you know you made it happen through whatever means and power source you draw strength from.Ironman will trivialize past hardship and prepare you to minimize those to come. It makes dreams come true. You have what it takes to bridge aspirations into accomplishments. Crossing that line embraces self: confidence, sacrifice, reliance, invention, worth. Finishing makes you your own hero."
Tomorrow, I will be my own hero.
This is the biggest field they have ever had (or so they said on the internet). They dont expect all 2,698 people to show up and race, but even if they dont, there are a ton of people here (all incredibly goodl ooking by the way) and 75%+ of them are male. It's amazing!
To start from the beginning of this weekend... Thursday, me, Jackie and my mom came down around 2 pm to check in, get our directions and go through the expo early. That ended up being a good call because a lot of people rolled in after that and it has been packed! I got the perfect outfit to wear for the race tomorrow and I finished all my packing Thurs evening. I am super anal about how I pack and what goes where, so my mom got me these little boxes that I put everything in. I tried to stay very organized, but of course I forgot things and I dont know what I would do without my friends. Each and every one of them who has been a part of this process has been incredibly integral! i would NEVER have made it without all of my friends help! i am so lucky...
So Friday morning, we got up, went for a quick swim at Bwood, then got all packed up and headed downtown. But before I got here, I stopped by Caroline Burckle's house who was nice enough to let me borrow AN OLYMPIC racing suit!! I am so excited about it, I look professional! In any case, I got the suit, came straight downtown and checked in, room 711!
Yesterday we had lunch at Spaghetti Factory with Deb and Lauren, came back, took a nap and then met a bunch of people at Sully's for our pre-dinner get together for IamTri.com, a website for all triathletes, kind of a social website. Anyways, we went there and then off to the Athlete dinner which was AWESOME... soooo many people at the Convention Center, everyone didnt even fit in there! We ate, had the athlete dinner, and then came back...it was past 8 PM, so i had to leave early, past my bedtime.
jackie and I woke up early this morning, made pancakes and set off for the open water practice swim. We were one of the first people there, jumped in quickly and were out pretty quick. The coolest part of the swim was the fact that we had done it before, we knew what to expect and how the water would feel. The major point of me swimming this morning was to test out the new suit, which i really liked, thank goodness.
Post swim, we got a massage, then headed to the First Annual Underpants Run which was a huge success! There were probably 100 people dressed only in their underwear for a 2 mile run to raise money for John Carr, the guy that died in the triathlon a few weeks ago. it was hilarious. I have pictures to prove it.
After that, we got all of our bike and run bags together, fixed up our bikes for the big race... all so we could take them down to transition and let them sit in the sun until tomorrow. That part makes me nervous. A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that helped with my bike. Seriously, setting up a bike for an ironman is a skill, maybe even a work of art. There are taped Gu packets in just the right place, a bag for all my food, placed just so, my race number, all my DRINKS (which is a whole other story, and extremely complicated). So all day, it has been a game of "did you remember___?" It is nerve racking, but a challenge that I love, just to be prepared for the entire day. So we took our bikes and transition bags down to the transition area and I came back and already figured out i forgot a few things... MY TENNIS SHOES and HAT!! Good thing Taylor is going to be there tomorrow morning to put everything together for me! Another friend saves my butt...
So here we are, in the room, anxiously awaiting to get our butts kicked in tomorrow. I think I am completely naieve to the situation that I am getting myself into. i am not all that nervous and I am not too worried about what i am doing. i was more nervous and worried about some of my training days. i think I have a screw loose, but whatever, it will all come together tomorrow. the only thing I can worry about tonight is eating and getting enough rest.
Tomorrow is the day that I have trained 9+ months for. This is the climax to this story. This weekend is why I have put myself through agony, pain, and ultimately, an amazing journey. Really? This is going to be the most incredible day. How can I fully grasp all that is going on and keep this fresh? How do I relive these moments again and again? I can sign up for another Ironman, but there will never be another first Ironman. I wont be able to say I am a rookie, and say I dont know what is going on. I like being naieve and it wont be that way next time. So now, I am focused on relishing every moment. Be in there here, be in the now. Focus on every stroke in the water, every pedal on the bike. Remember this agony of the run. The pain will fade into distant memory all too quickly, so I want to embrace it all. I never want to forget the second the say... "Amy Miranda, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!" I want that memory to be seared into my mind for my whole life. I guess this is why I am writing this, its to remember all of this. I want to come back to this post and remember that these were some of the best days of my life!
So tomorrow, at this time, I will be hurting pretty bad, probably have about 12-14 miles left in the marathon. It will be painful, I have heard. But I dont know. I dont know what it will feel like off the bike, into the run. i am glad I dont know. Tomorrow is going to be the first of a lot of things for me, and I cant wait.
In closing, I want to share this excerpt that I love. A friend sent it to me and it sums up what I think tomorrow will be...
From "Becoming and Ironman" by Kara Douglass Thom
"The water laps your toes and envelopes your skin. Close your eyes. The masses become silent and your heartbeat thunders. You have planned for today, talked about today, trained for today, imagined today, dreamed today, and yet you still don't know what to expect.A cannon blows and you remember, as you dread the uncertainty and the harsh duration to come, to savor every second because in your memory it will be over in the minutes it takes to recount or reread from your journal. Move, breathe, drink, eat. Move, breathe, drink, eat. Move and move. One hundred forty and six-tenths miles. Know tenderly, intimately every fiber of your being that propels you forward only because your brain says, "Don't stop." And don't stop. Move, breathe, drink, eat.Manage your day. Stick to your plan. Be flexible. Just finish. Float when your mind and body detach and watch your body move with you - pushed by the crowd, the volunteers, who lust for your finish as if it were their own.But it hurts. And you don't know for sure why you are doing this and what it will mean when you do. And then you see it. A banner, a clock, a frenzy of applause. And you know you made it happen through whatever means and power source you draw strength from.Ironman will trivialize past hardship and prepare you to minimize those to come. It makes dreams come true. You have what it takes to bridge aspirations into accomplishments. Crossing that line embraces self: confidence, sacrifice, reliance, invention, worth. Finishing makes you your own hero."
Tomorrow, I will be my own hero.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The Creator has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.
Well, technically, I never "longed" to do an Ironman. I dont keep a list of all of the things I want in life or a bucket list of 100 things to do before I die. Maybe this is an aimless way to live life, but why would I want to limit myself to that which I can think up myself? I would NEVER have thought about doing a triathlon, let alone an Ironman a year ago. Heck, last year a few friends asked me if I wanted to go watch it and I thought they were crazy... it was the UL/UK game, why on earth would I miss such a huge football event to watch people swim, bike, or run? No thanks...
Well, its amazing what God will do to put you in the right situations in life. A year after that fateful loss by UL at Cardinal Stadium, I would gladly miss any UL game to compete in any triathlon. Not just because I love triathlons, but UL sucks now. Yes, I am a bandwagon fan- love them when they are great, love to bash them when they arent great... its fun. Anyways, I digress. The point is, God has created this longing in me to compete again. Not just in any simple, or easy race, but quite possibly one of the hardest races on earth. As stated above, "The Creator will not create a longing to do that which you have no ability to do." Can I really do this? Can I swim 2.4 miles (yes), followed by 112 miles of biking (it hurts, but I have done it before) THEN run a marathon (here is the question mark)!?! I firmly believe that I would not have this in my mind or heart if I couldnt do it. I may not be the fastest person on the course, but me doing this is less a race for a place, and more a race with myself.
I may be talking a lot about God here, but let's make no mistake, this weather for this summer, is not on accident. I love hot, humid days... when I am at a pool laying down... not when I have to do 140.6 miles of exersize. So all my praying is paying off... First we have a 70 degree day during Cardinal Harbour, more than 15 degrees below normal, and now the forcast for Ironman day is a high of 74!! Unbelievable.
So now that I have the best case scenario for race day, I have to get prepared. I have tried to mentally rehearse (with some help...), pack everything for each bag during the race, and plan my 3-4 days leading up to the race, with great precision. I may be going overboard, but they run these IM events with military precision and I want to fit in, ha.
Jackie and I got a hotel room at the last minute at the Galt House... THANK YOU ARNIE!! So the plan for now is to go down on Thursday evening, visit the expo early to get that out of the way, then check in on Friday early and start organizing everything I will need. Friday is check-in/get my number (#499!!!) day, and mandatory athlete meeting, so other than a short workout, that is all I will do besides RELAX! Saturday is sure to be nervewracking, but we have a fun, 2 mile UNDERPANTS run at 11 AM Saturday to raise money for John Carr (man killed by a drunk driver during the TS Triathlon). It will be funny to see a huge group of people prancing around downtown in their undies! After that, it is rest and getting ready.
Taper officially started about a week ago, which has made me feel a little weird (I remember this feeling from swimming), but taper has increased the anticipation of the event. I still dont think I quite grasp what I am doing, although I talk about this event for the larger part of any given day now. People always want to know... "Are you ready!?" Answer- YES!! As ready as I will ever be. I have prepared all that I can and I have tried to minimize the potential for disasters, although I am sure I will come across some.
This is getting long, but in closing, if any of you out there have even an INKLING to get into this, I highly recommend it. This past year has changed my life and my outlook on life. This may seem like an end, but I firmly believe, this is just the beginning for me!
I will keep you all posted this week and with how I do. If you would like to follow me online as Sunday progresses, there will be a link on race day for the "Athlete Tracker"- I am number 499.
See the link below:
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.
So we are TWO WEEKS out... taper officially starts right now. I cant believe after all of this hard work, it is coming up this fast! The past couple of weeks have been pretty hard, but as usual, I have enjoyed it all for the most part. There was a 20 mile run that we did last weekend that was pretty rough and gave me a taste for how I might feel 5 miles in or so, after a 112 mile bike. I keep trying to put myself in the race as I train, constantly asking myself, "Is this how I am going to feel during the ride?" "Will I feel better or worse?" "PLEASE GOD dont let it be this hot on race day" (That one is a common theme). In the next couple of days the extended forecast should be able ti give us an idea on the whether. Best case scenario- 80-85 with some afternoon thunderstorms, aka- a shower when I need it the most. In any case, suffice it to say, its hard to think about much else besides the Ironman, training, preparation, etc. My brain needs a break!
We recevied the athlete packet last week... all 28 pages of weekend schedules, rules, regulations, how the weekend will play out, etc. Its scary. One of the marathon rules is that "the only locomotions acceptable on the course are running, walking, and crawling..." Really? Crawling? Surely no one does that right? Wrong. See below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTn1v5TGK_w
I truly hope that isnt me.
So after reading excerpts like that, questions began to float into my head... when is the best time to take my bike down to transition? It has to be dropped off on Saturday. Should I let the air out of my tires or not? How am I going to keep all of these "special needs" bags straight? In al there are five or more, all of which must be packed EXACTLY as they say with EXACTLY what I am going to need on that day. I hope and pray I dont forget anything- not likely.
So another, slightly more fun thing to think about is what I am going to wear that day. Not that I am going to look good in anything, but at least I can think about fashion in these times- I am a girl's girl at heart. So I think I have it down (at least the types of clothing, I might not have it all yet). Regular swim suit for the swim.... run into the transition tent and change into black chamois and a tank top jersey (it will be too hot for a full t-shirt jersey)... off the bike, full change into running shorts (not spandex, they are too hot for me), and another run tank top and running shoes. I am going to pack extra socks, tennis shoes and possibly another shirt for halfway through in my running special needs bag. You just never know what you might need. These things are constantly in my mind.
Off of race prep and back into present day, these past few weeks have been my last push to really get ready for the big day. last weekend we did a 20 mile run downtown, over the 2nd St bridge and back, back to River Road all the way to the end at Wolf Pen (part of the bike route) and back to our cars. We tried to start early to beat some of the heat (hey, I know we need to get ready for heat, but we wanted to survive our first 20 mile run). The entire run (insluding stopping and walking, which was about a mile total) took us about 3:45. Probably too long, but I needed all the help I could get towards the end of that run. it was hot, humid and my body was screaming ("Will this be how it is on race day?" Probably so.)
The next day consisted of what should have been a pretty easy 1.5-2 hour ride. Instead I rode with a large group of guys who thought it would be a good idea to race a lot. That hurt. I ended up doing pretty well and felt good about doing a ride like that, but I definitely needed to recover after that!
This week was pretty uneventful- lots of training and I kept my hours up- 16 hours. This week will drop down dramatically. I did decide to ride Brians Zips (wheels) for race day, so I have been practicing on those and they do make a difference! They sound pretty cool too. Rest assured, my bike looks like a pro's, but there is a true novice riding it!
As i said before, taper starts today and I am ready for it- my legs are tired and I am getting excited for August 30th! Below are some fun and inspirational videos that were sent around this week. I liked them... enjoy!
You will do this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh1yMnrby3w&feature=channel
Rick and Dick Hoyt Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM&feature=channel
Performance, it's the name of the game...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn29DvMITu4
14 days...
We recevied the athlete packet last week... all 28 pages of weekend schedules, rules, regulations, how the weekend will play out, etc. Its scary. One of the marathon rules is that "the only locomotions acceptable on the course are running, walking, and crawling..." Really? Crawling? Surely no one does that right? Wrong. See below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTn1v5TGK_w
I truly hope that isnt me.
So after reading excerpts like that, questions began to float into my head... when is the best time to take my bike down to transition? It has to be dropped off on Saturday. Should I let the air out of my tires or not? How am I going to keep all of these "special needs" bags straight? In al there are five or more, all of which must be packed EXACTLY as they say with EXACTLY what I am going to need on that day. I hope and pray I dont forget anything- not likely.
So another, slightly more fun thing to think about is what I am going to wear that day. Not that I am going to look good in anything, but at least I can think about fashion in these times- I am a girl's girl at heart. So I think I have it down (at least the types of clothing, I might not have it all yet). Regular swim suit for the swim.... run into the transition tent and change into black chamois and a tank top jersey (it will be too hot for a full t-shirt jersey)... off the bike, full change into running shorts (not spandex, they are too hot for me), and another run tank top and running shoes. I am going to pack extra socks, tennis shoes and possibly another shirt for halfway through in my running special needs bag. You just never know what you might need. These things are constantly in my mind.
Off of race prep and back into present day, these past few weeks have been my last push to really get ready for the big day. last weekend we did a 20 mile run downtown, over the 2nd St bridge and back, back to River Road all the way to the end at Wolf Pen (part of the bike route) and back to our cars. We tried to start early to beat some of the heat (hey, I know we need to get ready for heat, but we wanted to survive our first 20 mile run). The entire run (insluding stopping and walking, which was about a mile total) took us about 3:45. Probably too long, but I needed all the help I could get towards the end of that run. it was hot, humid and my body was screaming ("Will this be how it is on race day?" Probably so.)
The next day consisted of what should have been a pretty easy 1.5-2 hour ride. Instead I rode with a large group of guys who thought it would be a good idea to race a lot. That hurt. I ended up doing pretty well and felt good about doing a ride like that, but I definitely needed to recover after that!
This week was pretty uneventful- lots of training and I kept my hours up- 16 hours. This week will drop down dramatically. I did decide to ride Brians Zips (wheels) for race day, so I have been practicing on those and they do make a difference! They sound pretty cool too. Rest assured, my bike looks like a pro's, but there is a true novice riding it!
As i said before, taper starts today and I am ready for it- my legs are tired and I am getting excited for August 30th! Below are some fun and inspirational videos that were sent around this week. I liked them... enjoy!
You will do this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh1yMnrby3w&feature=channel
Rick and Dick Hoyt Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM&feature=channel
Performance, it's the name of the game...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn29DvMITu4
14 days...
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender. - Vince Lombardi
At this point, I am so far past even the thought of surrender, it doesn't enter my mind, but it is easy to be sitting behind a computer and say that. People who have done the Ironman before say there are 4 or 5 times throughout the day, at least, where people reach a quitting point. They think its just not worth it any more, they are tired, hurt, maybe even injured and nothing seems worth it at that point. This is when you ask yourself why you are doing it. At least I will. My reasons have varied from December until now. It started as a way to get back into the shape I was in while I was a competitive swimmer, then as the months wore on and I started competing, it became more of a competitive thing... Now, as I look back on the past 9 months, I can honestly say, I am doing this not only for me and those reasons I just mentioned, but I am doing this for everyone that might be affected by my determination, in any way. These people range from the cancer patients who need more funding for their treatment, the kids in Africa who do not have a family, or a home, and all of you who follow my progress and wonder if maybe, you too could do something like this. Maybe not an entire Ironman, maybe it is the Mini-Marathon next year, or a sprint triathlon, or a 5K walk for Breast Cancer. Whatever it is, I have talked to so many people who want to do something, set a goal and achieve it. That inspires me to never ever turn back, no matter where I am and how much it hurts on August 30th.
So to update you (sorry Tim for the delay in the updates), training has been extremely intense the past week and a half. Curtis and I have set this up this way on purpose, but it is easy to plan training while sitting on a couch, it is much harder to execute every morning at 5:30 AM, or right after work- dodging thunderstorms, floods, etc. But in any case, I am getting it done!
Last weekend was the longest training weekend I have had yet. After a somewhat disasterous ride of the Ironman course in June- Sarah, Jackie, and I decided to attempt the 112 miles again, this time traveling the new course which takes us up Wolf Pen to 42 and adds a few miles (we arent sure how they are going to compensate for the added milage on race day). Taking this new route added a few major hills as well, so it was a more difficult course, but we were armed with A LOT of food and water and tried to be as prepared as we will be on race day. We knew it would be a long day, so we set out at 6:15 AM to try to beat the traffic along 42 and were successful, with the exceptions of a few fed up motorists (there are more than a few run ins with cars when you are biking- please be careful of us!)... In any case, we rode the 112 mile loop without any problem or any big event and finished up 30 minutes faster (6.5 hours of riding- average about 17 mph) and a lot fresher than we did in June. The weather was about 10 degrees cooler- 85 or so instead of the 95 we rode in last time. When we were done, I felt good- tired, but still felt like I had more in me, which was the goal. We set out on a 30 minute run to see how our legs would do, and they held up fine! I feel a lot more confident after that.
That was Saturday, and I still had Sunday to go... Sunday was another long ride- 3 hours- followed by an hour long run. I had anticipated being extremely tired and sore, but I recovered quickly and was able to do a good ride, faster than I thought I would, and then follow it up with a strong run. It seems my body is adapting well to these demands!
After the long weekend, I was tired, but not too sore and I have really been looking forward to the week(s) ahead. From today, I have 25 days left. I really cant believe it! So many people have reached out to offer words of encouragement and to tell me they will be there on August 30th cheering! That in and of itself is motivation to keep going.
Oddly enough, before this Ironman has even begun, I am looking to sign up for my next event. It looks like for now, it will be the half ironman in Florida next year, in attempt to qualify for the National Championships in 2010. I didnt even know it until yesterday, but my time from Cardinal Harbour was enough to qualify me for next year, but given that it is just 2 weeks after the full ironman, I am going to defer a year and try again next year.
We are almost there!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
There are 86,400 seconds in a day. It's up to you to decide what to do with them." -- Jim Valvano
Well, unfortunately, I have not spent enough of my seconds each day training. After the half ironman, I had a hurt foot, knee and hip which needed to recover. I was limping around pathetically until Wednesday when I finally got a good workout in. My week was supposed to be recovery anyways, but I still didnt do what I wanted. In any case, I have accepted the fact that I lost a few days to recovering and I am back on track- everyone has ups and downs, I guess?
Last weekend was a tough one as I attempted to bike the route (one loop) Saturday, but we woke up to heavy rain storms and had to delay our ride, then when we did get started, i was in immense pain and had to turn back and run instead. A funny story did happen during the 1.5 hours I was riding...
It had just stopped raining and all of the roads were soaking wet. We were riding up 42 when all of the sudden a deer ran out from the Rose Island Rd side of the road and across the street. It was cool to see the deer so close and even better that the deer didnt ram into us (it was about 100 yards or so away), then we see "Bambi" run up into someone's front yard and then figure out it was being chased by a black lab, and quickly turn around and gallop back towards the street (by the time all of this happened, we were about 5 feet from it- close call). So "Bambi" starts running across 42, slips on the slick pavement and goes down on her hind legs, then her back, sliding all the way across 42. Jackie and Sarah were upset by these events, I happened to think it was hilarious. The deer didnt get hurt and as far as we know, it is still kickin' it off Rose Island Rd, but we did learn a little about a deer's ability to run across slick pavement!
So not a whole lot else went on for the weekend- as i said before, no major training breakthroughs, but Monday was a good, hard OH River swim, which was fun, but maybe not too smart. There have been rumors that people have gotten e-coli from the River lately and apparently in all the rain, a sewer downtown overflowed into the river. Maybe a Monday wim after the storm wasnt the smartest option, but it was downstream and we didnt care much. I'll keep you posted on my e-colic conditions ;).
So we have 5 weeks left (or a little LESS) until the big day and these next three weeks are going to be rough. I cant believe we are in the final stretch of all of this. August 30th is going to be a bitter sweet day- I dont know if I want all the training to end, with all of the fun I am having! Maybe I will train for something else? Its a lot to think about, but I cant imagine being inactive at all... Have to find a new goal!
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