I'm (half of) an Iron(wo)man!

There is not much in the world that is more rewarding than setting a goal...and working your butt off...and then accomplishing said goal.  Throw in a big mess of crap (re: personal crisis) that you had to fight through whilst working toward the goal...and success is even more sweet.

I am proud to say that I completed my first half Ironman.

In case you are blissfully unaware...a half Ironman triathlon is an event that requires participants to swim for a distance of 1.2 miles, bike for a distance of 56 miles and then run a distance of 13.1 miles (a half marathon).  Allow me to do the math for you...the grand total mileage in a half Ironman distance race is 70.3 miles (perhaps now those "70.3" stickers on the back of some vehicles make sense to you :-)).

"My" half Ironman was on Sunday, September 23 in beautiful Branson, MO.

I had never visited Branson prior to the race weekend...so when I mentioned my plan to complete a half Ironman in Branson, people told me, "Oh Branson!  It's so pretty!  But it's REALLY HILLY too!"  Ozarks, eh?!  Uh oh....

I began doubting myself/my abilities this summer when it starting sinking in that I had registered for what some say is the most difficult/hilly bike course of any Ironman 70.3 event in the world (um, what?).  AND, as a midwest girl...a majority of my training is on FLAT Illinois roads.  I became so worked up/preoccupied regarding the bike course...that I "forgot" that I'd also signed up to swim 1.2 miles in a lake.  Previously, the whole open-water-swim factor really freaked me out.  In hindsight, perhaps it was a "good" thing that I was so mentally freaked out about the bike leg...it made me calm down a bit about the swimming portion. I wasn't worried about the run, other than staying healthy and without injuries.  Having had the joy of muscling through five separate full marathons, I was decently confident that I would be able to knock out 13.1 miles...even in the midst of exhaustion.

Backing up....I registered for the Branson 70.3 event on May 24 of this year...just four months out from race day.  I confess...I registered on a bit of a whim.  I has been talking with a few friends about doing a half Ironman, but hadn't completely decided where/when.  I ended up getting an email from Active with a Schwaggle deal for 40% off of the price of an entry into the event...so instead of $200, it was $120.  Not able to pass up "such a deal"...I registered.

However, the arrival of the Schwaggle deal into my e-mail inbox was not the first that I had considered the Branson 70.3 event.  I had been perusing the Ironman 70.3 site for a while toying with the idea of registering for one.  The Branson event piqued my interest for a number of reasons...it was relatively close to where I live/within driving distance...and the event was scheduled for the weekend that would be my fifth wedding anniversary.

Strange way to "celebrate" ones wedding anniversary you may be thinking...well, it wasn't going to be a "celebration" for me.  You see...I had moved out on my own in December of 2012 and a divorce has been in the works for quite some time now.  It has been a horrible experience and I knew that I needed, for my own sanity, to plan something "big" for myself for the weekend when I "should" be celebrating my 5th wedding anniversary.  It made great sense to me to make myself work for something HUGE...so that soon enough "my wedding weekend" could instead be remembered as the weekend I conquered my first half Ironman.

Well...it sounded so good, and somewhat "easy" in my silly head...

Reality quickly sank in after I hit "submit" on my laptop.  I had registered for an event that would quite likely take me over 6 hours to complete.  I had registered for a HALF IRONMAN triathlon...when my previous triathlon experiences included only a sprint distance tri in May of 2011 (NOT one of the best experiences of my life!) and an "indoor" triathlon in February of 2010 (held in a gym in St. Louis). 

I quickly realized that I needed to start some serious training.  I wasted no time and began researching area events to pursue as stepping stones to my big A-race.

TRIATHLON 1

Tri for Kids' Sake; Morton, IL; Saturday, May 26, 2012

A friend and I signed up to do the sprint-distance Tri for Kids Sake in Morton, IL...I registered two days before the event (Ha)!!  The race was on Saturday, May 26 and consisted of a 0.25 mi swim (in an outdoor pool!), 13.5 mile bike and 3.1 mi run.  It was low-key and wonderful.  It was a well-organized small event...which was great, since I really had no idea what the heck I was doing :-).  I saw one of my good friends from undergrad, Rachel A., there as a surprise!  It was great to see her...and it was fun that somehow we had gotten consecutive numbers so we got to stand next to one another in line as we waited to jump in the pool (they started one swimmer every couple of seconds).  It was also one of my first rides on my NEW toy...a somewhat sea-foam green (seriously...hahaha!!) WSD Trek Madone 4.6 (this was my "divorce present"/consolation prize to myself.  Ha!).

My new toy!  All set to go in the transition area at the Tri for Kids' Sake

Embarrassingly, it had literally been months since I had swam.  Seriously.  (Remember...this "triathlon" business really was somewhat of a "whim"!).  It almost stopped me for registering for this event...but I decided there was, after all, no time like the present!  Time to get myself into the water...pool, lake, triathlon...Whatever...I still gave it all I could (which wasn't much ;-)).

Results:

swim (0.25 mi):  10:07.1 (2:32 100's)
T1 (transition1-  from swim to bike):  1:29.2
Bike (13.5 mi): 45:18 (17.2 avg mph)
T2: 1:32.2
Run (3.1 mi): 26:34.4 (8:34 min/mi pace)
Total:  1:24:59.1
Place:  56/115 overall and 3rd in my gender/age group!

So...I got to take home a prize for my first tri of 2012!  It is a small, rectangular paper-weight type memento/award that is now housed "proudly" on a shelf in my living room.  (an aside:  I really need to find an attractive, comprehensive way to display all of my race memorabilia...I have baskets full of medals and race numbers...shelves full of awards and the like...hmmmmm)

TRIATHLON 2

Bigfoot Triathlon; Lake Geneva, Wisconsin; Sunday, June 24

I knew the next task needed to be conquering the Olympic distance.  I registered for the Bigfoot Triathlon in Lake Geneva on June 24.  I registered for the event with a friend I had been training with, and my good friend Brooke made arrangements to come spend the night with me the night before and then provide support the morning of the race!  It was great to have her there.  As much as I pride myself on being "independent"...I'm not going to lie; it really is fabulous to have a good friend around supporting me in an event.  Looking out in the crowd and seeing a familiar smiling face in the midst of "suffering" is wonderful.  It was pretty cool, I actually spotted her right before I started the swim...as I stood nervously dancing back and forth in line in my wetsuit, I looked out to my right...and there she was, smiling and yelling :).  Thanks, Brookie!

So I somehow missed the fact that the swim (which was an open-water swim IN Lake Geneva!  Yeah....this kinda freaked me out) was not simply twice the distance of the sprint tri I had done in May (2 x 0.25mi = 0.5 mi or 500 yards)...but was rather 1.5k, or 1700 yards.  Don't ask me why I wasn't better mentally prepared...or why I clearly hadn't read the race information very closely...but for some reason, in my head, the swim was "just 500 yards".  All I know is the fact that I didn't realize that I would be swimming 1700 yards in open water until the evening prior to the event.  Also...I hadn't been in a pool much the previous two weeks leading up to the event, as I was in North Carolin at a training conference for work (and I most definitely had not done ANY open-water swimming yet that summer!).  Needless to say, I got a little worked up when I made this discovery (and naturally I learned the all-important lesson of being BETTER PREPARED!).

Lake Geneva...looks pretty peaceful!  At the time I took this picture, I was NOT looking forward to swimming around that orange buoy!! 

I was excited to wear my new Xterra wetsuit for the first time.  What's that, you say?  It's contraindicated to wear a wetsuit for the FIRST TIME during an event?! Sigh...I'm still learning....

Speaking of that beautiful wetsuit...I ended up ripping the crotch of it with some silly antics prior to the race.  Whoops.....(it didn't rip all the way through the lining...and I actually ended up returning it...long story).

Yeah...wearing a wetsuit is fun times :)

All things considered (including the fact that I am a very green rookie at all of this!!), I was satisfied with my "showing."

Results:
Swim (1.5k; open water with wetsuit):  37:38
T1:  4:56
Bike (38k/23.6 mi): 1:19:32
T2:  2:37
Run (10k/6.2mi): 56:06
Total:  3:00:47
Place:  358/511 overall; 12/28 in my gender/age group; and 64/148 for women

More important than what the numbers show, though...I felt good...maybe even GREAT!!  The run was a two-loop course consisting of two 5k loops.  I did my second loop faster than the first...and I felt really quite wonderful at the finish!  It took a fair amount out of me...but I still had a lot left!  That fact was mentally encouraging. While I knew (and still know!) I had (and still have!) a LONG way to go and MUCH room for improvement...I was gradually getting the hang of this whole triathlon business!  A FAR cry from my first "real" tri experience in May of 2011!

                                                              

TRIATHLON 3

Evergreen Lake Triathlon; Hudson, IL; Saturday, July 14, 2012

I was excited to participate in this triathlon on my "home turf".  The race is held each year just 15 minutes from where I live.  It's so much fun to do area races and see the same familiar faces.  There are two "big" triathlons in the Blo-No area...the Evergreen Lake Triathlon (which offers both sprint and Olympic distances) and the Tri-Shark in June (which is a sprint distance tri).  The Tri-Shark event had sold out months prior to my new interest in the business of triathlon...so instead of participating, I actually volunteered at it.  I, along with a friend, manned the Bike Out area...it was a lot of fun!  Volunteering at area races is something I need to make an effort to do more of...volunteers are SO crucial to races...and it is a lot of FUN volunteering to boot!

Results:
Swim (1.5K swim; open water; no wetsuit):  47:35.2/2:54 100's (um...YIKES!  Talk about a super-slow 1.5K swim.  I am not exactly sure what happened to me...except that I am HORRID at swimming!!!!  Goodness!)
T1:  2:12.8
Bike (40k/24.8 mi):  1:21:30.5 (18.3 mph)
T2:  1:36.8
Run (10k/6.2mi):  52.59.9 (8:31 min/mi pace)
Total:  3:05:55.2
Place:  285/343 overall and 15/21 in my gender/age group

So....clearly my swim really made me choke during this event!  Seriously...I wonder what happened.  Was I half-dead?  Did I swim off course?  I really have no idea.  I'm just glad I improved upon this travesty of a showing as the season went on!

TRIATHLON 4

Effingham Mid-August Meltdown; Effingham, IL; August 12, 2012

This was a TINY event!!  There were only 26 people competing in the Olympic distance event!  This didn't work out so well for me...as I came very close to getting last ;).

Results:
Swim (.9mi; open water; no wetsuit):  41:02 (45:36/mile pace) (24th out of 26 overall after the swim)
T1:  1:59.5
Bike (24 mi):  1:21:50.40 (17.7 mph) (24th out of 26 overall after the bike)
T2:  1:27.25
Run (10k/6.2 mi):  54:37.05 (8:49 min/mi pace) (AND, I moved up from 24th to 22nd out of 26 overall after the run ;).  YAHOO for passing two people ;)).
Total:  3:00:56.35

Funny:  I got FIRST in my age group.  HA...yeah...out of ONE in my age group ;).  I even got a trophy to bring home for my accomplishment.  Oh boy...it felt a little ridiculous getting called up to the front of the beach house to retrieve my prize.  Hey...whatever...I should flaunt it ;).

I was entertained by the shirts from this event :).  Yeah, I'm a nerd.

TRIATHLON 5

 Blackhawk Lake Triathlon; Highland, WI; Saturday, September 1, 2012

This was another tiny (but FUN!) event!  I had registered to do the Tri the Illini event in Mattoon, IL...however due to the forecasted horrid weather (secondary to some tropical storms) the event was CANCELED (which was disappointing, though understandable....it is nice, though, that we can defer to next year for FREE)!  I wanted to get in one more Olympic-distance tri before my big half Ironman, so I scrambled to find a different event...enter random-WI-triathlon!  Thanks, Blackhawk Lake Triathlon, for coming through for my training needs!! :)

This event was a "modified" Olympic distance race...675meter swim, 25.28 (HILLY) mile bike and 5.18 trail run....it was also very informal....almost disconcertingly so.  In fact...even the start time was announced on the website as "approximately..." and there was a note on the website not to arrive TOO early as it wasn't necessary.  They weren't joking!  Also, as a result of it being a small event I am sure, the T-shirts were cotton as opposed to a nice tech-T.  UGH!  I have NO NEED for more lousy cotton T-shirts!  Ok...that's a bit petty/nasty of me, but you other triathletes/runners out there will commiserate with me I am sure ;).

Results:

Swim:  15:57.63

Bike:  1:47:44.21

Run:  51:03.72 (9:51 min/mi pace)

Total:  2:54:45:57

So, in between all of these triathlons were a myriad of training adventures....including the Peddling for Kicks 62-mile bike ride on Saturday, July 7, 2012.  It was unbelievably hot that day!!! I was VERY thankful for aide stations with Popsicles!!

I also did the M & M ride at the Mackinaw Valley Winery on June 30, 2012.  This was a 60-mile ride done with some fun friends.

I trained with a few people this summer, including my friend Jillian.  In addition, my friend Stephanie and I had fun long Tuesday-night training rides, along with our friend Shawn.  We had our share of training adventures together, as pictured below...

Steph, Jillian and myself on the very HOT Peddling for Kicks 62-mile ride in Bloomington

One early Monday morning this summer, Jillian and I biked out to Dawson Lake outside of town, hoping to get some open-water swimming in (sandwiched between a bike out to the lake and a bike back).  Despite the sign...we may or may not have ventured into the swimming area....

Jillian being rebellious :)  We ended up being super chickens and left without swimming.  The water was filthy and smelly and we kept hearing cars/seeing boaters and thought someone might arrest us.  Paranoid much?!  Ha!!

On a training ride...a little break next to the Mississippi...my family lives up in the Quad Cities, so I did a number of training rides and runs (including my favorite road race, the Bix 7) up in the Quad City area.

TRIATHLON 6

Square Lake Triathlon; Stillwater, Minnesota; Sunday, September 9, 2012

"Long Course":  1.2 mile swim; 54 mile bike; 13 mile run (so ALMOST a half Ironman distance race)

Long story short...this is another story of "Rachel registered on a whim!"  I had planned for months to visit MN with my friend Jillian to watch her complete this race...her first half Ironman distance race. I bought a plane ticket and planned to fly out Friday after work and meet her up in MN.  Jillian's parents live near the location of this race and Jillian, her husband and their son drove up Thursday evening.  They also brought my bike; the plan was that Jillian and I would bike part of the bike course together on Friday night so that she would know what she was up against.

Well...the bike course was hilly.  That fact was compounded by the awful wind that we fought against Friday night during our ride.  Jillian started to get a bit nervous...and I jokingly said that I would do the event with her.  She grasped onto that idea more tightly than I expected.  Later that night, we met her trainer Luis for coffee at Cariboo Coffee.  She told Luis about "our" idea for me to do the event with her...we discussed the fact that I had my own half Ironman distance triathlon only two weeks afterwards.  Luis told me that, in his opinion, it would be "fine" if I did the event with Jillian if I just took it easy and tapered a LOT on my training before Branson.  Why I felt justified in my craziness by gaining the blessing of a man I'd never met before...I'm not exactly sure ;).  But...I decided to go for it :).

Saturday was spent running around completing last-minute preparations for the race...a stop at a biking store for nutrition (I hadn't brought any gels or a anything like that), a new helmet (it was on my list of things to get anyway...mine had a crack in it) and a pouch for the front of my bike to hold gels, etc.

My new helmet!  I am in love with it :).  Yahoo for bright, fun colors!

Saturday night we hit the sack relatively early...after strategically packing our bags for the morning.

Sunday morning...it was COLD!!!  Upon arrival at the race site, we were both a little nervous to discover that there were few women in the event....there were men everywhere, but it seemed like there were few women.  We definitely felt like impostors :).

The race, though, went relatively well!  I stayed with Jillian the whole time.  The point of this race, for me, was not to "see what I could do"...I had no goal times or anything like that, my only "goal" was to support Jillian and to stay with her the entire time.  During the swim...I stayed right behind her left shoulder.  During the bike, we rode side by side or tandem the entire time.  During the run....oh the run :)...Jillian will tell you, she had a bit of a mental breakdown at the beginning of the run (hey, it happens to all of us!).  I tried to talk her through it...but she informed me that I gave really crappy pep talks ;).  Hey, I tried!!!  I don't claim to be an inspirational person ;).  We ended up walking through each of the water stops.  We also picked up a third buddy around 3 miles or so from the end...a 21 year old who was completing her first tri of that distance.  The three of us had a good time talking and comparing stories.  I was content to allow the two of them to dictate our pace....and the three of us all finished together.  Actually, I let Jillian cross the finish line first...I believe her finish time is one second ahead of mine ;).

Results: 

Swim:  50:34 (2:49 100's)

T1:  6:30 (seriously....hahaha!  Apparently we took our sweet time ;))

Bike:  3:40:40 (14.7 mph)

Run:  2:14:13 (10:20 min/mi pace)

Total:  6:57:22; 169/174 overall

Like I said...I had no goals for myself for this event other than to finish with and support my good friend.  It was a great mental boost for myself though, seeing as this was the first time I had completed such a distance...and knowing I could do the distance without trouble.  At the finish I felt good...as if I could've given it more...and as if I could've kept going.

However...later that evening I was seriously knocked out by some sort of migraine (?).  I've never had a migraine before, but Jillian's parents and Jillian's husband Lynden told me repeatedly that is what I had...I had an awful headache (the worst I'd ever experienced, actually), my eyes hurt (especially when I looked toward light) and I felt as if I needed to sleep...for hours.  We all went out for dinner at Red Robin (one of my favorites, actually!  AND, the location we went to had...GLUTEN FREE buns!  It was like heaven ;).  I hadn't eaten a bun with a hamburger since 2008 before I went gluten free!) and I ended up going out to the car to pass out before everyone else was done with dinner.  When we got back to Jillian's parents' home where we were staying...I passed out again for a few hours.  It was pure misery!

Looking back, I think it was a result of not enough water/nutrition during the race.  It was a very important lesson to me to take better care of myself...particularly in Branson, which was just two weeks away.

TRIATHLON 7
Branson 70.3; Branson, Missouri; Sunday, September 23, 2012

The culmination of a summer full of races and training!  Branson 70.3!  I drank in every moment...from driving in (BEAUTIFUL scenery and intimidating hills), checking out the lake I would swim in (GORGEOUS...Table Rock Lake is just breathtaking...and SO CLEAN!!), biking part of the bike course (kinda scary, but not as bad as I feared...at least on the portion I tried!  I also had the wonderful experience of losing my chain 2x...glad it happened the day before the race so I could work out the kinks in my shifting!!), running part of the run course (FLAT!  Not the most exciting scenery-wise, but it was flat, predicable and felt easy), the pre-race expo (which was surprisingly small for such a large event, in my opinion), the pre-race athlete meeting (during which my stomach had some serious butterflies doing acrobatics inside), setting up my gear in the two separate transition areas (T1 where I left my bike was next to the beach where the swim would take place and T2 was on Branson Landing, where the bike ended and the run start/finish line were located) and making my mental game plan for race day.

Race morning came...and I waited for a shuttle from my hotel at Branson Landing that would take me to the beach and T1 where my bike was already waiting.  It was SO COLD (in the 40's).  I got my transition area situated to my liking and finished off my electrolyte water, almonds and gel.  I pulled on my wetsuit....got my goggles and pink swim cap (oddly they had given me a Lake Placid cap and not a Branson one...weird) and visited the porta potty at least 3 times (darn nerves!!!).  I mosied on down to the beach and joined the group of 34 and under women in pink swim caps.

Swim waves!  I was in the 5th wave...women 18-34

When the air horn sounded and we plunged our bodies into the water, it was somewhat of a relief...the ~70 degree water felt WARM compared to the air temperature!  I got through the swim with my typical slow pace ;)...but I got through!  I never once panicked (as I have in the past!) in the open water, and actually enjoyed the experience.  Of course, when the faster men whose heats started after my heat started passing me (two swam ON TOP of me), it was a bit disheartening...but I just kept pressing on.  When I popped out of the water after 49 minutes and 19 seconds, I was tired...but not exhausted.  I hurried on to the transition area where I slurped down an applesauce (my favorite!  I bring those little kiddie applesauce packets that you just suck down) and a gel, along with some water...then packaged up my wetsuit and various swimming accoutrements (a great service they provided was transporting our gear from T1 to T2 in a large truck!  This was great since my hotel room was by T2, so it meant I didn't have to trek back to T1 later on in the day (which was about a 20 minute drive) to retrieve my gear.

The bike course...ohhhh the bike course...

It was definitely one hilly beast!!  The course had you go out from the transition area approximately five miles until you turned right to go north (this same intersection would later be the turn-around for loops on the course) on a major highway (that had been CLOSED to traffic going both north and south!  This was AWESOME!!!). You then went along this road and turned right on a smaller road and then turned around in a high school parking lot, went back down the major highway south and turned around at the "turn around".  You completed that entire loop a second time...and then on your third pass through, after the turn around you took a different exit (before the high school turn-around spot) where you went about 10 more miles to Branson Landing and T2.

I can still see that road in my head...I think it is forever burned into my memory :).  I grasped my brakes so hard at times that my knuckles literally turned white.  I actually looked forward to the uphills...because at least I wasn't terrified of careening to my death on the uphills!!  I was quite entertained by the fact that I passed quite a few people on the uphills...only to have most of those same people pass ME on the downhills.  Ugh...I'm such a pansy!!!

After the exhausting bike (which was just as much MENTALLY exhausting as it was physically exhausting)...I was READY to get the run over with!  The run course was easier (flatter!) than the run course in MN was two weeks prior...but I ended up getting basically the same time (which I find somewhat amusing!).  I was SO TIRED when I hit the run course in Branson!  The bike definitely beat me up.  It was, by far, the most challenging bike course I'd encountered in my lifetime.

Results:

Swim:  49:19

Bike:  4:20:32

Run:  2:14:06

Total:  7:35:36

Place:  17/28 in my division and 654/882 overall

I was SO PROUD to cross that finish line...so very proud, and very thankful that it was DONE!  :)

Proud..exhausted...elated...high on life...still in disbelief that I had completed a half Ironman!

showing my true colors :).  It's pretty great feeling like a rock star! ;)

I was exhausted in every sense of the word...and ready to EAT!  I went with a friend who had also done the race for some celebratory Mexican food afterwards.  I had some awesome fish tacos and chips/guac/salsa.  Pretty sure there had never been a more delicious meal during my lifetime :).  I also ordered a HUGE mango margarita...it was amazing, but I ended up not finishing much of it.  I could tell I was dehydrated and that darn thing was gonna make me miserable!  So, I cut myself off ;).  Yeah, I know...I'm a light-weight.

This is a (bad cell-phone) pic of the light/fire/water show that is at Branson Landing right outside of the hotel I stayed at.  The finish line for the race was right in front of this...pretty sweet.

I am so grateful to my amazing family and awesome friends who supported me every step of the way this past year.  I couldn't have completed this event without each and every one of you.  I know most people close to me thought I was crazy this summer as my life revolved around my training schedule and races...my craziness probably frustrated quite a few people as well (and I am sorry for this!).  I am thankful, though, for the support and love I felt as I prepared to undertake this challenge and goal I had set for myself.  As I endured the "personal crisis" of this divorce this past year...having something else to focus on and something to work hard for...helped me immensely.  There were some miserable days when I couldn't focus on training and instead sprawled out on my couch, sometimes with a movie on and sometimes with only silence keeping me company.  The emotions I've battled this past year cannot be fully put into words.  But...I powered through it...with the help of many great people.  It's far from over...but I am beginning to see the "light at the end of the tunnel."

Jillian gave me an awesome pre-Ironman gift!  Smartwater (my fav), some GF crackers, cheese (protein!  ha!), body glide, swiftwick socks (another fav!), some chocolate...all awesome stuff!!!

I don't know what the future holds for me...I have faith that there are "good things" on the horizon...but while much is uncertain, I DO know...

~I have an a amazing family

~I have awesome, supportive friends

~I am a strong woman (even though I definitely struggle to believe this).  I fought through emotional, mental and physical barriers this past year to accomplish something that few have done...and this is something that cannot be taken away from me.

I am also thrilled to report......

I am officially registered for Ironman Wisconsin 2013!!  Save The Date...on Sunday, September 8 I will be competing in Ironman Wisconsin in Madison!  I would LOVE to have friends and family there to eat dinner with me Saturday night before the race...watch me complete the race...and CELEBRATE when I cross the finish line :).  I've told some friends and family I'm doing this...and I sent my mother a text message asking her to come and spectate.  I said "Mom!  Save the date!  On Sept 8 I am doing a FULL Ironman in WI!"  Her response (in typical Sally fashion) was..."Oh, I'm busy."  Funny, mom.  You better BE there, woman!!! ;-)

I definitely have my work cut out for me.  Among other things, my goals for the winter are to improve my darn swimming and to find a coach....I've never worked with a coach before, but I think it's time! I need to improve in many areas...especially my swimming.  I am pretty sure that delving into the world of swimming distances of 2.4 miles in open water is best approached by being coached by someone who has been there/done that!  I don't want to drown, for sure!! :)

I'm nervous...but really, really excited too :).

Bring it on, Madison!  Bring it on.