Two years

I recently "celebrated" a milestone in my life.  Yesterday as I was driving home from the nursing home in Clinton, IL where I do some PRN weekend work as a Speech-Language Pathologist (working with residents in cognitive and swallowing therapy), I chatted with my good friend Jill on the phone.  At some point during our conversation, something one of us said sparked the realization that last week was the two year "anniversary" of my living solo.  Two years ago I transitioned from a married woman living with her husband to a separated woman living alone. 

This was the most gut-wrenchingly awful period of my life.  Ask anyone who knows me well.  I was an icky mess, for a long time (and in some ways, I still am).  One or more people close to me may even be quoted as saying at some point over the past two years, "it's really hard being your friend right now."  I am sure it was.  However, the whole experience has also really hard on me.  Failure, rejection, hurt, anger, deep sadness, uncertainty, loneliness...on any given day I vacillated between these emotions as well as others.  The biggest thing I missed and mourned the loss of was the sense of partnership that is in a marriage...being half of a whole.  For a long time, I felt as if something was missing...as if I was broken.

I made the hard (but necessary) discovery that in the midst of a personal crisis...the world keeps on spinning.  Time marches on.  People would live their beautiful (and messy) lives...with or without me.  Wedding invitations and baby announcements continued to arrive in the mail.  No one meant them to be, but each one felt like a punch to the stomach.  Some of those blows rendered me useless, lying on the floor either in a daze or in a mess of my own tears.  I did my best to gather myself up and to be joyful for those close to me as they celebrated some of their most happiest of days.

Speaking of, here is a quick aside:  my sadness in regard to my own situation did not make me incapable of celebrating with others.  I very much wanted to be a part of these things for others and am so glad that I was able to be a part of weddings and showers and the births of babies over the past two years.  Thanks to everyone who continued to allow me to be a part of these things.  Friends celebrate together...and mourn together.  No matter what.

More significant, though, than the pain and tears of the past two years...has been the healing.  Two years ago I didn't think it would ever come.  I know I'm not "done" (are we ever really "done"?)...I have a long way to go in some senses.  However, I am proud of where I am today...proud of the "me" that is still a work-in-progress.  Proud, grateful...even happy. 

I've read many of those sappy pictures with "inspirational" quotes that we all (yes, myself included!) throw around on Facebook and other social medium.  There were some...those speaking of DECIDING to be happy, and those speaking of the power of forgiveness in helping you move past hurt...that I wanted to believe, but for a while just couldn't.  It's weird, really. As hard and abstract as forgiveness is and feels...as weird as it sounds to just "decide" to be happy...there really is something to both of those statements.  Forgiveness is...freeing.  And deciding to be happy...really does help (much of the time).

I could've crawled under a rock and given up.  Trust me...on some days, it felt like that would've been the easiest option.  But...something inside me wouldn't allow it.  There were outside forces as well...my family above all has been my rock, my steady foundation.  I also have some pretty incredible, motivating and inspiring friends.  Let me tell you what...if you want to know who your true friends are, check out who sticks by you when it's hard.  When you're at your lowest and ugliest, when you are NO fun to be around...who is still there?  Somehow, I have quite a few of those hardy individuals who have weathered this storm with me...and for that I am grateful.


A huge part of me "getting through" the past two years has been having running and triathlon as outlets.  Thanks to my training and racing, I have learned that I do possess a fierce mental toughness that I previously didn't know I had.  The same mental toughness that pushed me to the finish line of my first 140.6-mile race has helped me get through the past two years.  Honestly, I am not sure which "caused" which...or which helped the other more:  the mental toughness necessary to endure a divorce or the mental toughness necessary to train for and complete an Iron-distance triathlon.  However, I know that both things shaped and changed who I am...for the better.  Being able to say that in the two years that I have been dealing with a personal crisis...I completed six marathons, three half-Iron distance tris and one full-Iron distance tri (and a bunch of shorter races as well) is pretty satisfying.

The biggest lessons I've taken away from the past two years are:

1.  Hold your friends and family close.  They need you...and you need them.  And, sadly, tomorrow is not a promise.  Take no moments with your loved ones for granted.

2.  My mother has a framed picture in her room that reads:  "You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think"...and I've found this to be true.  If it's true for me...I'm confident that it is true for everyone.  Cliche or not, I've clung to this mantra.

3.  Everyone has personal battles...some very visible, others invisible.  Treat everyone with respect and gentleness.  Watch what you say...your words have the potential to deeply hurt someone, or to build them up and encourage them.

4.  Be grateful.  Even when you feel like there is nothing "going right"...there is still something to be thankful for.  Look for it.  Cherish it.

5.  Show yourself grace.  Especially when you are going through something particularly tough, it's ok to have an "off day"...or week.  Take time off from your "regular" activities to rest and recuperate and don't hold it against yourself.  Don't let this last forever, though.

6.  Admitting you have "problems" is ok.  Everyone does.  And if they say they don't...they're probably lying (to you or to themselves or both).  Being open about things that are hard for you with someone close to you can really help.  And...seeking professional help is a good thing too.


While I certainly didn't imagine myself "growing up to be" a 31-year-old divorcee, I'm moving past the bitterness and accepting my circumstances for what they are:  a challenge that has helped shape me into who I am today.  And...I'm excited.  Excited for the future, both near and far.  I am looking forward to pushing myself mentally and physically during my current off-season and to starting my 2014 race season stronger than ever.  After all, the best of me is yet to come.

I am an Ironman!

I'm now seven days post-Ironman Wisconsin/my first Ironman and I can hardly believe it's all behind me!  After having my life practically revolve around training both mentally and physically for this event over the entirety of the past year...it feels odd to have it be in the past.  On Thursday I wrote a short post with some details about my big race and am now finally sitting down to write my "big" post.  Get ready...this will likely be wordy and long!  I don't want to forget a bit of my adventure...so I'm going to try to get it all documented here.  This was definitely one of the biggest events of my life thus far...something I hope to never forget.

What a day...


The Day Before:

On the morning of Saturday, September 7 I went on a short bike/run with fellow triathletes Steve and Dan.  Our bike was a short 20 minutes, just enough time to allow us to run through our gears one last time.  The run was just 10 minutes, a perfect duration to loosen up our legs and to help us mentally get ready to race.  After our workout, we went out for breakfast...I had a big, yummy omelet.  Then, we headed down to Monona Terrace to rack our bikes and drop off our transition bags.

My bike with all decals (Go #129!) in place and laden down with my bags all packed up
and ready to leave for the night in the transition areas! 
Yes David...I AM wearing an Ironman visor BEFORE completing the 140.6 distance...I'm a poser, I know.

Dropping off my bike gear bag for T1! 
Towel, cycling shoes, socks, chamois cream, nutrition...
Both transition areas were located inside Monona Terrace.  The concept of indoor transition areas
was a whole new glorious experience for me!

Leaving my Run Gear bag in the T2 room, ready for race day! 
Towel, running shoes, socks, race belt/number, chamois cream, nutrition, change of shorts (just-in-case...)

View from a walkway above the bike racking area taken Saturday:  soooo many bikes!  I had fun just looking enviously at all of the beautiful (and super expensive!) bikes owned by some of the more hard-core triathletes present! :) Someday?!

After all of our bags and bikes were successfully placed in their appropriate locations, we headed back to the hotel to clean up and get ready for dinner.  We had early dinner reservations at Bunky's Cafe, a restaurant that came highly recommended by my friend Jamie who used to live in Madison.  Our group was so large, it took three large tables to seat us all!  My parents, sister and her family and friends Jenn and Matt and their family, friends Jillian, Kelly and Andrea, and fellow racers Steve, Dan, and David were among those in attendance.  It was great to have a "last supper" with many good friends and great fans (kudos to David for making the reservations for us all!)!  My gluten free pasta with chicken was delicious...but much of the dinner was a blur.  I was definitely starting to feel increasingly nervous about the big day ahead.  I ate, chatted with family and friends and snuggled my sweet nine-month-old niece Macy all while trying my best to keep the nerves suppressed.

I remember looking around one of the tables at my family and at my friend Jen and her family and informing everyone, "There may be a time tomorrow when I say I want to quit.  Don't let me!"  They simply looked back at me, and the look on my mom's face told me that she thought I was a little bit nuts.  However she, for one, took my request to heart and dealt out some well-timed advice on the next day as I grinded along the bike course.

After dinner we racers headed back to our hotels to make our final preparations for race morning and hit the sack EARLY (though I don't think I fell asleep for at least an hour after lying down!).  Alarms were set to go off before the sun would rise and I checked and double-checked my race-day accessories, especially my Garmin and my timing chip, before turning in for the evening.


The Morning of the Big Race:

Sunday morning, September 8 I woke up early...4:30 am to be exact.  I had all my race-day attire set out for myself the night before, as well as my race-day breakfast:  a PB & J Bonk Breaker bar and a banana.  My stomach felt nasty and after I consumed the banana, I had to force the bar down.  I didn't feel like eating a darn thing, however knew I needed to start getting some calories/fuel for the day down the hatch. 

Since we had left our bikes and gear for both transitions at Monona Terrace the day before the race, there was very little to bring on race day morning.  I packed my final items in my mesh wetsuit bag (goggles, swim cap, wetsuit, Garmin watch, "morning gear" bag (that I could check and pick up after the race), two "special needs" bags for the bike and run legs of the race, timing chip, water to drink throughout the morning prior to the start, and some PowerBar performance energy fruit purees which are one of my favorite training/racing nutrition items), and was out the door of the hotel around 5:10am.

The race start area (Monona Terrace) was about 15 minutes away from the hotel where I stayed with some friends and fellow racers.  We found parking a short walk away and made our way to the terrace to make the final preparations (put water in bike bottles, air up tires, etc.).  As we hurried around, I tried to ignore the feelings of nausea welling up inside me.  I'd never felt more like vomiting prior to a race than I did that morning.  Thankfully I didn't throw up...but there were a few points when I thought I might.  I was so very nervous and worked up!

View of the bike rack area from the walkway above..dark dark dark! 
It was hard to believe we'd be racing about an hour after this picture was snapped on my phone...

View of the capital from the walkway above the bike rack area on race morning...the finish line is in front of the capital.  Approximately 15.5 hours after this picture was taken, I crossed this finish line...
as it had gone from dark to light back to dark again!

This photo is blurry, as it was taken in the dark...here I am with Steve and Dan, fellow racers,

and Superfan Kelly...you can hardly tell how nervous we were as we smiled for the picture!

By 6:30 am we slid/squeezed into our wetsuits and made our way down to the water for the start of the swim (and the start of the race!).  As I stood waiting in the herd of triathletes with Steve and Dan, I felt my stomach turning over and over.  I stared down at the ground and was amused to see many wet spots...pretty sure people were peeing themselves down the legs of their wetsuits.  Awesome.  This made me laugh to myself and kept my mind off of being nervous for at least a minute or two.  After a few minutes of waiting, by some miracle, our friend David made his way over to us!  I have NO idea how he spotted the three of us in the sea of black wetsuits, multi-colored goggles, and green and pink swim caps....but we were all glad he did!  It was nice to be able to exchange some encouraging words and smiles amongst friends before making our way into the water.

The Swim:

Just a few minutes after we walked into the water and swam our way out to the starting line...the sound of the cannon signaling the race start rang through the air.  I took a deep breath, pushed "start" on my Garmin and started swimming.  Prior to the beginning of the race, I was freaking out slightly about the nature of the GIGANTIC mass swim start at Ironman Wisconsin:  all 2600+ athletes start as one massive wave as opposed to breaking the swimmers up into smaller waves/groups that start separately.  The thought of thousands of other people flailing around in the water near me, potentially kicking/hitting/swimming on top of me, really made me scared.  However, I felt an odd feeling of peace and mental calmness as I started swimming.

The swim portion of triathlon intimidates me at most events I participate in.  I am not a strong swimmer, but have at least gained some confidence since my first awful open-water experience at a triathlon in May of 2011.  Since then, I had two summers' (2012 and 2013) worth of weekly (sometimes twice weekly) open water swim practices and had a total of 12 triathlons under my belt prior to Ironman Wisconsin.  I don't necessarily "like" the swim portion of races, but I definitely hate it a lot less than I used to!  I was thankful for all of my practice and training, but nothing could've really prepared me for THIS:

A sea of swimmers in Lake Monona at IM Wisconsin!



In some years past, the swim course of Ironman Wisconsin has been a two-loop course (a 1.2 mile loop that participants swim around twice) .  More recently, it had been changed to a larger one-loop course.  While a 2.4 mile course does sound just gigantic and almost never-ending to me, I really think that a one-loop course sounds a lot better to me than a two-loop course (never mind the fact that they are obviously the same total distance).  Mentally, I just think it would be difficult for me to have to PASS the swim finish line to do a second loop before getting to exit the water. 

The water was a bit choppy, as the day was rather windy.  Having had endured 3-5 foot waves in Lake Michigan at the Racine 70.3 in July though, this water felt like smooth glass in comparison.  Though I hated the Racine swim at the time, I was very thankful that I had that experience as I was swimming in Madison because I felt much more confident and comfortable in the water.  I was able to get into a smooth, easy rhythm of breathing on alternating sides after each third stroke and felt pretty good.

After two turns (first we started out swimming parallel to the shore, turning left at the first buoy to swim perpendicular to the shore, and then turning left again at the second buoy to swim back toward Monona Terrace perpendicular to the shore) I met my first really annoying swimmer of the day.  A girl in a Blue Seventy wetsuit (I can still picture her in my head) kept running into me on my right side.  At first I gave her the benefit of the doubt...assuming we were both swimming crookedly.  I started paying more attention to sighting and realized that I was actually swimming pretty straight.  Then, I noticed that she had somehow gotten over on my left side...and was again swimming into me.  This continued on for a while...first she was on my right, then my left, and so on.  I started having really mean, nasty thoughts go through my head and realized that I just needed to get away from her.  I decided to simply increase my speed (I had been staying fairly steady/consistent until that point) and swim away once and for all.  So, I pushed hard for 100 strokes and then let up...thankfully I never saw her again. 

The second really annoying swimmer of my day was a man who first swam on top of me...and then a few strokes later after he had backed off, smacked me square in the head with his outstretched hand.  Come ON buddy!  I get that swimming in the midst of hundreds of other people is kind of a cluster...but how do you really have that much decreased awareness of where your body is in space?!  I actually did pop out of the water for a second and yelled at him, knowing full well that he probably didn't hear me (or care :)).

In what felt like far less time and effort than I had anticipated, I had rounded the final buoy and was making my way to the swim finish!  My left shoulder started feeling a little bit of soreness, but all in all I felt great throughout the entire swim.  I made my way to the shore, stood up on slightly wobbly legs and got out of the lake in front of many cheering people. 

Swim time:  1:43:09

I had estimated that I would swim between 1:30-2:00.  I was happy with my finish time!  I had NEVER swam 2.4 miles before, so was actually feeling quite ecstatic when I exited the water!  The best part was...I didn't even feel very tired at all!  I felt READY to take on the bike!  It was a great feeling.

Crossing the timing mat post-swim

Crossing the swim finish line and starting to work my wetsuit off

Heading over to the wetsuit strippers

I shuffled my way toward the transition areas and came upon the wetsuit strippers (woot woooot!).  Two signaled me to sit down, each grabbed a leg of my suit and pulled.  In seconds my suit was off, one person handed me my suit and the other helped me up.  I jumped up and started jogging toward Monona Terrace.  Right after I turned around, I tripped over some dude's head!  He was laying down having his wetsuit removed like right in the middle of the walkway!  I stopped for a moment, but he seemed fine, so I continued on.  A volunteer yelled at the volunteers removing that man's wetsuit to remind them to make sure the walkway was clear, and I shrugged it all off as an accident I couldn't help.

My cousin and super-supporter Matt snapped this picture as I ran to the helix to go collect my bike gear bag post-swim

I ran up the winding helix (on days when Monona Terrace isn't taken over by Iron athletes, the two helices are the entrance and exit to the adjacent parking garage) and entered the room where the bike gear bags were held.  I grabbed bag #129 and hurried to the women's changing area.  A volunteer quickly waved me over to her and brought me to a white chair where she dumped out my bag and started helping me pack away my swim things into the bag (I would be able to collect the bag and my belongings after the race) while donning my compression calf sleeves, socks, bike shoes, and helmet.  She helped me get the compression calf sleeves on, which was quite helpful.  My arms were kind of shaky from the swim and weren't working very efficiently I discovered!  I also made sure to apply ample Buttonhole chamois cream (my body's savior where the stupid bike saddle is concerned).

I grabbed my sunglasses, slurped down a fruit puree and drank some water the volunteer brought me and then was on my way outside to collect my bike.  As I ran down the rows and rows of bikes I heard the volunteers yelling numbers to each other, indicating which bikes to grab from the racks and hand to athletes as they ran past.  When I arrived at my rack...no one had grabbed my bike for me yet and I had to get it off of the rack myself.  It really wasn't a big deal, but a bunch of volunteers all felt the need to apologize profusely about it. 

I crossed the bike start line and hopped on...ready to take on 112 miles!

Excited to get going on the bike!

T1 (Transition 1) time:  11:11 (I definitely took my time!  I wanted to make sure everything was just-so)

The Bike:

The Ironman Wisconsin bike course is no joke.  It's known for being a hilly beast.  I had come up to Madison to ride a portion of the course one time in July this past summer and was very glad that I had the opportunity to preview the course.  The preview helped me gain some confidence and made me feel like I would definitely be able to finish the course on race day. 

The course is referred to as a "lollipop."  It consists of a straight portion (the "stick") that leads to a round portion ("the loop") that is approximately 40 miles.  You first ride out on the stick, then circle the loop twice, and then ride back on the stick.

As I started out on the "stick," I was pleasantly surprised to see my friends Jillian and Andrea within the first three miles out cheering along the road.  This helped give me a mental boost as I started on my way.  Within the first half hour I saw two cyclists along the side of the road fixing flat tires and felt immediate sadness for them.  Additionally, I saw an ambulance go screaming by me!  These occurrences freaked me out and were good reminders to me not to take anything too recklessly or beyond my training and ability!

Climbing up one of the tough hills

Early on during the bike, my stomach started acting up.  It was nothing horrid (compared to some of the GI issues I've battled in the past!) or race-ending, but unpleasant all the same.  I knew it was very important to stick to the race nutrition plan that my coach had helped me with and that I had been practicing during long training rides, but the significant discomfort I was feeling did prevent me from consuming as many calories as I am sure that I needed.

I did make sure to drink plenty of water and took a salt pill about every hour or so.  When I started out on the bike, I ate a Bonk Breaker bar (220 calories) and I took banana pieces at most aid stations (held in the outstretched hands of brave volunteers for cyclists to simply snatch as they rode past).  For my entire time on the 112 course, I consumed just under 1000 calories when I should've probably consumed more like 2000.

When I was around mile 40, working on completing my first go-around of the "loop" portion of the "lollipop" I was confused to hear someone to my left yelling at me about a red card.  I turned to look to my left and saw a man on a motorcycle holding up a small rectangular red card and telling me I had received a red card and therefore must report to the next penalty box on the course.  Turns out he was giving me a drafting penalty.  I gave him a confused, "what?"  His response was to YELL at me and tell me that I was following too closely behind the cyclist in front of me and that there needed to be four bike lengths between us.  I wanted to retort with something nasty, but thought better of it...no use in getting kicked out of my big race!!

This soured my mood for the next 15 miles or so.  I.  Was.  Ticked.  First of all, I felt that the call was ridiculous.  When the call was made, I was in a literal cluster of bikes.  I wasn't the only one within "drafting" distance of other bikes.  Plus, it occurred on an ascent.  Some bikes were slowing down, others were speeding up.  It was hard enough to keep track of what I was doing, much less worry about where the other bikes were in relation to me.  I can assure you that I wasn't gaining any sort of aerodynamic advantage based on my position on the bike in relation to any of the bikes anywhere around me.  Second of all, I was CLEARLY not in contention for any sort of age group award or any awards at all for that matter.  Even if I was drafting slightly for a few seconds (which I wasn't), what's the big deal?  Third, he was just mean!  No need to yell and be nasty dude!

After this happened, I kept my eyes peeled for the next big yellow penalty tent.  I was super paranoid that I would miss it and get kicked out of the race or something.  Additionally, I was super paranoid about getting another red card and made sure to be nowhere near other bikers as much as I could control it!

I finally saw a yellow tent marked "PENALTY BOX" about 15 miles or so after I had received the penalty.  I slowed my pace and rolled to a stop in front of the tent.  As soon as I stopped, a volunteer hit "start" on a yellow stop watch in his hand.  Another volunteer asked me for my name, race number and for the color of card that I had received.  I gave them the requested information...and also informed them that I thought it was a stupid call and that I didn't feel I deserved the penalty.  They shrugged (not that I expected any other sort of response, I guess :)).  They told me that I would be allowed to continue on my way after 4 minutes.  During my wait, they took a big fat Sharpie and marked a slash through the race numbers on my bike and on my helmet.  I felt like I was wearing a scarlet letter or something!  Soon, a second poor soul stopped for his punishment.  I sulked for a few minutes and then realized that I should've been using the time to re-hydrate and force down some nutrition.  I drank some water and part of another Bonk Breaker bar and was soon told that I could go on my way.

One of my favorite parts of being stuck in the penalty box is the fact that my good friend Dan passed by as I was waiting.  He looked at me incredulously and asked what I was doing.  I informed him with a frown that I was a "bayad girl," to which he smirked and continued on his way.

As I rolled out of the penalty box, my mood was poor at best.  I had held onto a 16-17mph average pace until that point (I had a 16 mph goal for myself for the ride), but the 4 minutes of not moving did nothing but hurt my average speed.  As luck would have it after just a few miles as I rode through a quiet neighborhood in Verona, I heard a girl to my left screaming my name.  It was my good friend Rosalee!  She was in a backyard, along with her husband Bob and their sweet 1-year-old Lincoln!  Naturally I didn't stop or visit or anything like that, but just seeing them and hearing their cheering voices helped immediately pick up my mood.  I COULD carry on...thanks to the Lentz family!  I smiled, picked up my pace, and pressed onward. 

Riding through the scenic Wisconsin farmland

Slightly past the halfway point of the bike course was the bike Special Needs stop.  Here a large group of volunteers stood with the neatly organized special needs bags each participant had the opportunity to drop off the morning of the race.  In my special needs bag, I had placed some extra nutrition items (including pink lemonade Honey Stinger chews), chap stick, bandaids, chamois cream and salty plain potato chips...my favorite frequent during-long-ride craving.  I made the choice to stop to eat my chips, use the porta potty and re-apply the chamois cream.  I had dealt with some pretty nasty chafing throughout the training season.  While I felt "ok" and not as if chafing was imminent, I wanted to be proactive on race day and made sure to apply ample chamois cream at all opportunities!  When I stopped, I lamented the fact that I had JUST stopped less than 15 minutes prior (at the darned penalty box)...but knew that some salt, chamois cream and a bathroom stop trumped saving a few minutes at this point in the race for me.


All smiles :)...having a little bit of fun.  Pretty sure I didn't look this cheerful through all of the bike course though!

After the special needs stop, I hopped back on my bike and set off, ready to start the second go-around of the loop of the lovely lollipop.  My second time around was definitely more challenging:  I was starting to get a bit tired and I know my average speed continued to decrease.  I did my best to keep my head up (and my heart strong!).  The spectators definitely helped my morale!  Not only was it encouraging to see members of my personal entourage (including my parents, sister, brother in law, niece, the Tegeler family, the Lentz family, Jillian and Andrea, Jill and Brooke) but it was also awesome to see my good friend Kelly along with other friends and fellow members of the Tri Sharks...as well as a surprise sighting of my friend from undergrad, Rachel, cheering out along the bike course!  

It was great seeing my family at a number of places out on the course.  My sister, Megan, did an excellent job of coordinating my "fan club" and at providing advice to people regarding where to go and when.  Later I was also informed that my cousin Matt did a stellar job of navigating and getting the group around to places on the course!  THANKS to all of you!  One of the best moments of seeing my family out on the bike course involved hearing my mom yelling, "DON'T QUIT!"  This instantly brought a big smile to my face.

Additionally, the many enthusiastic strangers along the course provided welcome distraction as well.  One area in particular, Old Sauk Pass where there is a series of long and challenging ascents, had incredible crowd support.  Crazy fans in costumes (including a number of Satan-clad spectators informing cyclists "You're in HELL!"), with cowbells and other noisemakers and with colorful posters all provided entertainment.  At one point, a fairy smacked me in the butt with a sparkly wand as I fought my way up a hill.  During my second pass through Old Sauk Pass, a loud and steady almost tribal-sounding drum beat helped me find a steady internal rhythm to grind my way up the hill.

None too soon, I completed the second loop and made my way back along the "stick" toward Monona Terrace to complete the bike leg of the race.  Riding along Lake Monona on a trail parallel to John Nolan Drive, I stared out at the lake reminiscing on the 2.4 mile swim that I had already completed hours before.  I realized I was about to complete my second first-time feat of the day:  riding my bike 112 miles!  Not only had I never swam 2.4 miles prior to IM Wisconsin, but the longest bike ride I'd completed until that point was 104 miles.  It was a pretty great feeling to have these two accomplishments behind me as I rode up the helix at Monona Terrace to my second and final transition.  

I hopped off my bike and thrust it into the hands of a waiting volunteer.  I wanted to say, "Keep it forever!  I never want to see it again!" but refrained.  I hurried inside to the second transition area where volunteers were waiting, happy to help us sweaty and tired athletes change into our running shoes, etc.!

Bike time:  7:26:41, which is an average of 15.04 mph for the 112 mile course

T2:  6:43...five minutes faster than my first transition, transitioning from the bike to run is a bit less complicated than transitioning from the swim to the bike!  I kept my same tri kit on, though I considered changing my shorts.  I ate another fruit puree, drank some water, re-applied chamois cream, changed my shoes and was on my way!

The Run:

I remember vividly that my legs felt pretty odd as I began running.  The sensation was a bizarre combination of heavy and jello-y.  Thankfully, they did loosen up after a few minutes of running.  In spite of my fatigue and minor generalized pain, I was excited to be starting on the run as it is the event that I am the most comfortable with out of the three.

I was able to spot fellow Epic athletes Steve, David and Dan all twice during the run.  The course was an out and back course with a few extra small loops that is completed twice.  This is a bit of cruel torture as runners are forced to pass by the finish line after one half-marathon-distance loop and then must continue on for a second loop.  As I passed the finish line my first time around I had to actually listen to the crowd cheering as finishers were announced.  Sigh.  My consolation prize was a quick stop at the area with the run special needs bags that was not far past the turnaround.  I didn't take much at this stop...just a few potato chips...and continued on my way.

I was able to see my friend Sarah with her three sweet kiddos twice as they cheered in the downtown area by the capital.  In addition, my friends Jill and Brooke camped out nearby the same area.  Brooke took off running with me so we could chat for a few blocks on two different occasions as I passed them....definitely a fun distraction.

I also saw my family in a few places along the run course.  Most notably, I saw my dad and sister somewhere after the halfway point and witnessed my dad chasing me down so he could take a picture with his phone.  I actually did stop and humored him with a smile so he could snap the photo :).  Later, Megan told me she was glad I slowed and stopped so that my dad didn't have a heart attack.  Ha!

My sister informed me that she would see me again at mile 19, and I clung to those words for the next ~5 miles.  I ran (slowly!) most of the way, but allowed myself to walk through the aid stations as the fatigue was setting in with a vengeance.  It started getting darker, which was a bit of a mood killer. 

Unfortunately, my gastrointestinal system was not kind to me throughout my big race.  I mentioned having stomach unrest on the bike, and it got increasingly worse during the run.  I had to visit ~5 porta potties during the run.  Ugh.  Thankfully my "issues" weren't super horrible, but things were unpleasant to say the least.  Later, when I checked out my Garmin data for the race I noted that 11+ minutes of my run were "not moving" read: on the porta potty.  Sick!  Eh, I guess it's the name of the game for endurance athletes at one time or another.

I saw one bright yellow sign that made me smile along my running journey:  "Go, Random Stranger, Go!"  In May I met my own "random stranger," JB, at the River City Marathon in Peoria.  Since that race, we've become more than simply "random strangers" and are now good friends...but still continue to call one another "Random Stranger."  Seeing this sign was almost as if it were a message from her, and it made me smile.  Thanks, Jen!  You have now gotten me through TWO races!! :)

As I approached the noisy State Street area and mile 19, I heard Megan yelling and saw her running toward me.  She ended up running the next mile and a half with me...a very welcome distraction.  I'm pretty sure this is frowned upon by race officials...but I was beyond caring at that point.  Plus, it was dark...so it was probably pretty hard to tell that she didn't have a race number or chip on.

During our run together, I told her the story about my red card from the bike.  A man behind us spoke up, "sorry to eavesdrop, but do you have a green road bike?" I told him that I indeed do and he replied, "I was right behind you when you got that red card!  I thought it was total BS!  It was impossible to not be close to people at that point!"  He went on to say, "I definitely made sure to back way off of everyone around me after I saw that!  I didn't want to get a red card myself!"  We chatted a bit more about the asinine call and I felt validated that an un-related person offered up his unbiased opinion that I had indeed done nothing wrong (at least not intentionally!).  As if it really matters ;).

Around mile 20.5 Megan turned around to run back to where our father was waiting for her around mile 19 and told me she'd see me in about an hour at the finish!  I remember telling her, "Hopefully less than that!"  Well...I had to FIGHT through those next 5.7 miles at a run/walk/shuffle and I am sure it was actually MORE than an hour :).

My Finish:

As I ran into the downtown Madison area, the crowd of spectators became larger and louder.  I increased my speed a bit out of sheer excitement.  As I neared the finish, I tried to drink in all of the sights and sounds so that I would never forget them.  I rounded the last turn and ran down to the finish line as I heard the words, "Rachel Matyasse from Normal, IL....you are an Ironman!"  To my left I saw fellow Epic athlete Steve cheering and to my right I saw my good friends Jill and Brooke.  I crossed the finish line in 14:35:18.  Having estimated a finish time of 14-16 hours for myself, I was pleased and proud of this finish time!

Run time:  5:07:34 (the SLOWEST of my now nine marathons :)).

High fives

Strong finish!  This felt unreal :).

As soon as I crossed, two volunteers ran up to me and one grabbed each arm.  They brought me two cartons of chocolate milk and opened one for me...it tasted like heaven.  One asked if I would like a blanket (one of the shiny metal blankets handed out after many races) and I remember saying, "I don't really know!"  She took this as a yes and grabbed one for me, I was glad that she did!  I didn't realize how cold I was until I stopped moving.  Another volunteer put my medal around my neck and I was guided to the area where the finishers' photos were shot.  After a few seconds of waiting, my picture was snapped. 

Rachel Matyasse, You are an Ironman!

I remember everything seeming very loud and my stomach feeling awful and my head hurting a bit.  I saw my friends Brooke and Jill to my right and exited the finish area to go chat with them.  I sat with them and ate some grapes and salty potato chips (MMMMM) and then my family (dad, mom and sister) found me.  After a while I decided I needed to lay down to put pressure on my stomach...it was feeling really upset.  Additionally, I remember really wanting to block out some of the very loud noises.

This felt GREAT!  My dad snapped this photo

While I rested in my half-passed-out state, my sister went to a local candy shop that was still open and bought me some salted caramel fudge.  Upon her return I ate a big chunk...YUM!



Fun with Numbers:

My finish was 76th out of 105 in my division (30-34 year old females...interestingly I increased my standing in my division from 86th after the swim to 84th after the bike to 76th after the run!), 385th out of 637 females and 1781 out of 2544 overall participants.  One set of numbers that astounds me is the comparison of total number of males (1907) to females (637).  There were three times as many men in this event as women.  Crazy!  Kinda makes me me feel a bit more hard-core :).

This experience was truly one of the best of my entire life.  I am so thankful for having had the opportunity to train for and complete the 2013 Ironman Wisconsin.  I learned that I am capable of far more than I dreamed possible at the beginning of this journey.  I am grateful for the support of my family and friends who have stood by me as I worked toward this lofty goal.  I know most didn't really understand what I was doing, or why, but still stood by me and it means a lot.  I have an incredible support system.  

Thanks to my talented, patient and skilled coach Laura who provided advice and stellar training plans.  Thanks to all of the athletes and friends in my area who swam, biked and ran with me over the past year, as well as offered advice.  One of the great things about triathletes is that most never tire of talking about the sport!  I was always able to find someone who wanted to talk about whatever I was curious about....for example, a simple timid question about my ill-fitting bike saddle sparked a Facebook conversation among a wide variety of women that lasted for days and resulted in me finding a saddle that worked MUCH better for me on my long rides than what I had been previously suffering with.  The triathlon community is fun, supportive...and hilarious...and I am honored to be a part of it!

Now that Ironman Wisconsin is behind me...what's next??

Well...I'm participating in the 2013 NYC Marathon in just 48 days!  I am jumping back on the running wagon tomorrow with an easy 4-mile run to see what kind of condition my body is in (I'd taken the past week off of training, aside from a hot power yoga session on Thursday and tonight!).  I'm also going to be hitting my fundraising efforts hard over the next month!  Check out my story to learn more about Easter Seals, an organization that serves children with special needs, and why I'm excited to run with Team Believe to help raise funds for these children and their families. 

After that?  I'm currently undecided :).  Over the next few weeks I hope to give serious thought to next summer's race calendar and start to formulate a plan.  For certain, 2014 will involve a 70.3 (or two) and a marathon...preferably a marathon in a new-to-me state so I can add to my list of states (that currently includes Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Virginia, California, Washington DC, Wisconsin and will soon include New York!).

If you actually made it this far...I'm impressed!  Thanks for reading...and thanks for your support!  It truly means a lot.  Diana Nyad commented after her record-breaking swim a few weeks ago that hers is not a solitary sport.  The same is true of triathlon.  From the outside looking in, it may appear to be...but in reality behind each athlete is a team of supporters without whom their accomplishments would not be possible.  I am eternally grateful for mine, including both people mentioned in this post and those not specifically mentioned as there are really too many to name.

In closing...if you have aspirations of chasing a lofty dream:  Go for it!  I truly believe that if I could chase and accomplish mine, so can anyone!

Happy training (and dreaming!)

Keep your head up

As I've previously posted, I'm currently planning to run in this year's New York City Marathon with a team of 10 total runners raising money to support Easter Seals of Central Illinois. One of our runners, Andy, has been a leader in the group. He sends out weekly inspirational emails with details regarding his training adventures as well as advice and funny anecdotes. He typically signs off with the following lyrics:  "keep your head up, keep your heart strong."  Corny, maybe, but this has been a good mantra for me these past couple of weeks. 

To be frank while hopefully not being overly dramatic, I've been worn out these past couple of weeks. The long training sessions have been extra-tiring and my body is feeling serious fatigue, aches and pains. Some days, it's been hard to convince myself to press on and complete target workouts. If nothing else, I've been learning how to keep my mind strong when my body is weak. A few times, though, it's been the other way around:  when my mind has felt weak and vulnerable and near its breaking point...my body has stepped up and proved that the training IS working and that I am stronger than I usually think I am. 

IM Wisconsin is two weeks away from this past Sunday.  I now have just 10 training days before my A-race of this season.  Long training rides and runs are a thing of the past (until after IM).  Taper is the name of the game. These next 10 days are all about maintenance...healing...and keeping my head up and my heart strong. 

This past Sunday I had planned to go out for a 15-20 mile run...what was to be my last long run prior to IM. My right Achilles has given me some moderate grief these past few weeks, so my coach advised me to take it easy and to listen to my body. I planned to run some large loops on the trail not far from my home and to keep water fountains and home not more than a few miles away. It was a HOT day, plus I truly did plan on heading home as soon as my ankle started giving me much pain. 

I set out around 12:30 on my run. It was hot, but regardless it felt good to be out. Running is still my favorite part of IM training. My Achilles was a bit achey, but nothing too bad so I pressed onward. 

When I reached 5.8 miles on my watch, I approached a crosswalk near the busier downtown area near where I live (near Uptown Normal...the Mulberry Street crossing on the Constitution Trail).  I slowed and watched a white SUV make a left-hand turn and go in front of me on the road. The next car, a black SUV, pulled up to the stop sign and slowed but did not completely stop. I watched the driver look to her right (it is a one-way street, so all cars are coming from the drivers' right here)...during which time I made the error of crossing the street at a jog. She then began turning without ever even looking to her left...at me. She kept turning and I kept expecting her to see me and slow...she didn't. I tried to quickly run/jump out of the way but it was apparent the vehicle was going to make contact with some part of my body. I threw my arms out in front of me and leaned into the hood with my chest, jumping my legs out of the way. It made a really fun, dull noise as I smacked her hood. She continued moving!  I spun to the side after she hit me and ran after her  vehicle. I banged on her driver's side door and she rolled down the window, staring at me. 

I began SCREAMING at the woman. I yelled, "you just hit me!  You hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk!"  She replied, "I'm sorry I didn't see you."  I screamed back, "I know you didn't see me!  You never even LOOKED!"  She continued staring at me and said, "I'm sorry."  Seeing two teen-looking boys in the vehicle, I yelled, "sorry doesn't fix things!  What if you killed me?!  What if you killed someone's daughter?!"  She seemed stunned by this (and I was proud!) and replied, "I'm really sorry. I just didn't see you."  I continued yelling at her and said, "well promise me you will LOOK from now on!  Look in crosswalks!  Don't you dare hit another runner!  Because next time it could be far worse than this!"  She didn't really say anything else, but rolled her window up and drove quickly away. 

I was HOT. I can't remember the last time I was that mad....and honestly scared.  Sure, nothing bad had happened...I hadn't been hurt. However, I couldn't stop my mind from traveling to the "what if's". What if she had injured me and I couldn't do my Ironman?  What if she killed me...or someone else?  

I sat in the grass against a parking garage and, scared and shaken up, cried. I was mad about my run being cut short and furious about the woman's lack of attention to pedestrians. I felt like I needed to continue my run so that I'd get in my planned long run with only two weeks to go til IM...but definitely didn't feel like running another step. 

Thankfully, my friends Kelly and David came to my "rescue". Maybe I didn't really need rescuing...but maybe I did. Regardless, their presence cheered me up. Had they not appeared, I would've likely sat in the same place for an hour. 

We ended up walking from where I was over to a festival going on in Uptown Normal and got some yummy sweet corn. Truth be told, I had been lamenting the fact that I didn't have time to go to the Sweet Corn and Blues festival...and fresh sweet corn had been sounding realllly good to me!  It was delicious...and sitting there in hot, noisy center of town with good friends I felt myself slowly feeling much better. 

That whole experience Sunday afternoon was a valuable one for me. It was a great reminder of the need to pay close attention to vehicles on the road (both when running and cycling!) and not to assume the drivers are paying attention to you.  "Keep your head up" as far as keeping alertness high can be a good reminder to be mindful of your surroundings. 

This whole "keeping-your-head-up" and "keeping-your-heart-strong" is tiring stuff.   Really I am kind of looking forward to the day that my Ironman is behind me...so I can turn my brain/head off and my heart can rest. I love training and racing, truly I do. However, being able to lay mindlessly on the couch in front of the television sounds blissful right now. Keep your head up, Rachel...no time for that yet!

Ten days...just ten days til I tackle Ironman Wisconsin!  Here's hoping I can keep Andy's mantra in my mind that day...keep your head up, keep your heart strong. I've trained, practiced and prepared both my mind and body...soon it will be time to put them to the test!

Best. 70.3. EVER.

On Sunday, July 21, 2013 I participated in the Ironman 70.3 Racine event in Racine, Wisconsin. This was my first experience at this event...and my first time in Racine. If I convey nothing else successfully in this documentation of the event...know this:  this race is really awesome. If you have the opportunity, DO IT!  Ideal time of year (late July in Wisconsin...I've heard it can be kind of hot some years, but this year was outstanding weather-wise), great course, awesome support, beautiful locale.

This was my second "official" Ironman 70.3 event. My first was last fall...September 23, 2012 in Branson, MO.  It was my 4th time, though, completing the 70.3 distance:
1 - Two weeks prior to Branson last fall, I completed the "long course" at the Square Lake Triathlon in Stillwater, Minnesota with my friend Jillian...it was a non-sanctioned event but was basically 70.3ish miles.
2 - Ironman 70.3 Branson 2012.
3 - The "Kelly 70.3" on July 5th this summer...a good friend wanted to try her hand at the 70.3 distance without it being  in an official race situation, so I joined her for some serious fun and great training.
4 - Ironman 70.3 Racine 2013!

In my opinion, Racine > Branson times a MILLION!!  

Branson was a smaller event...but seeing as it was my first go at an Ironman 70.3 I just kind of assumed that's how they "all" were. The expo was so small and underwhelming (basically a room in a hotel with some stuff for sale) I actually looked around for another "expo", thinking surely that wasn't actually an Ironman 70.3 expo. When I finished, the only food to be seen was some Papa John's pizza and perhaps a few bananas (luckily the finish line was walking distance from an array of yummy restaurants, one of which I hit up right away).  

When I arrived at the Racine Civic Center Saturday afternoon the day before the race, it was immediately apparent that Racine was a much higher attended event than Branson. The expo had a lot to look at, including a display for a gel brand I was unfamiliar with:  huma. I sampled some (yum!) and bought a few packets to bring home to try during some training rides later this summer perhaps (definitely didn't plan to try anything new during the race the next day!).

Earlier on the day prior to the race, I learned that the water temperature that morning had been measured to be around 55 degrees. This conjured up memories of my 55 degree 1.2 mile swim in the Tennessee River in early May during my leg of the Rev3 Knoxville 70.3 relay. For that event, I borrowed a thermal swim cap from my coach/friend/relay teammate Laura. The thing was a life-saver for sure!  During the drive up, I planned to look around at the expo for a thermal swim cap (since I still don't own one of my own...I hadn't seen a point to purchasing one in late spring/summer!).  The first retailer informed me he had just run out but directed me to another retailer to check with.  Luckily, I found one!  It was $28, but I figured it would save my life the next morning and that it would be well worth it.

After standing in a long but fast-moving line, I checked in.  I gathered my swag (shirt and bag!), timing chip, swim cap (pink!) and number.  I checked out the Ironman gear store but refrained from purchasing any (to be truthful, I am still lusting after a tri top I saw in the store though...).  After I was finished, I hung around for the athlete meeting which was held outside. 

After the meeting, I walked to my car to gather my bike to bring it to transition where it would spend the night.  My arms were full of gear and water, etc., and my head was in the clouds.  I didn't notice the 6" or so curb around the parking lot where my car was parked and tripped UP the stinking curb!  I fell right on both knees and ended up ripping a hole in the right knee of the jeans I was wearing  Worse, I ripped my poor knee open!  It wasn't anything "serious", but it was bad enough that it really hurt.  Of course, I felt like an idiot from causing the scene (athletes walking around me stopped to make sure I was ok...ha!  At least no one I knew was anywhere around!).

I gathered my wits and gear and then headed down to the transition area with some friends and set up my bike...

....and then we walked down to the beach to check out the water situation!  The swim was held in Lake Michigan.  It was huge (duh!) and quite intimidating to me...I had never swam in such a large body of water.  The waves kinda freaked me out as well.  The size and the presence of waves made me almost forget about how cold it felt...

Intimidating or not, it was definitely beautiful out there!
 

After a fun group dinner, I tried to get a good night's sleep (though, as I always seem to do the night before a race, I tossed and turned and didn't sleep all that well).  Before I knew it, it was time to roll out of bed and get ready to rock....


THE SWIM

Ohhh the swim.....

The swim took place in beautiful Lake Michigan. Gorgeous. Breathtaking. Serene. 

Not on Sunday, July 21!!

The water was choppy and disgusting.  It was churning like some sort of possessed washing machine.  It was rumored (a friend who did the race told me he heard this) that there were a lot of people who didn't even start because of the water conditions, and that around 150 ended up getting pulled from the water during the race.  Sick.

I took swimming lessons, as most children do.  However, I was never on any kind of swim team...neither as a child, nor as a student.  The most swim training I have had over the past two years is watching YouTube videos and going with three other friends to have a local accomplished swimmer and triathlete give us an hour lesson in a local pool once this winter.  My swimming skills are not anything to get excited about.

My official swim time was 52:29. This is on the slower end for 70.3 athletes in general...but, more pertinent, is quite slow compared to what I am personally capable of (just to compare:  I swam 1.2 miles in 49:19 in Branson last September and in 48:48 in May during the Rev3 Knoxville relay...and I am definitely much stronger now). This was hands-down the most challenging and scary swim I had ever done...taking into account both training and racing. The water was unbelievably choppy. It was cold...buy honestly, the lower temp (low 60's) felt good/refreshing to me. If it were a whole lot warmer I think the heat would've just added to my panic. But who knows.

I was in the 9th wave (of 24 or so waves), the women age 30-34 with last names starting with L-Z.  We started at 7:28 am, 28 minutes after the official start of the race.  There was a warm-up area roped off to the right of where the swimmers started.  I spent a lot of time in the water while I waited for my wave to be called, getting used to the temperature and trying to calm my nerves.  When the pro men (7:00am) and pro women (7:04am) went off, I was amazed to see how quickly their arms moved in and out of the water, propelling them forward faster than I could ever dream to move!  When the amateur heats started, it was apparent that many people were having difficulty with the strong, fast-moving waves.

When my wave made it to the start, time seemed to move far too quickly!  Soon the horn sounded and women around me began hurrying into the water.  I ran on the sand in the water for as long as I could (I could touch for quite a while actually) and then started TRYING to swim.  I soon discovered that my weakness was no match for the crazy waves.  As the waves pounded me in the face, I struggled to get my breathing under control.  I quickly decided to simply breaststroke so I could keep my face above water more...or at least see when the waves were coming to hit me in the face.  The course went about 200 yards or so straight out into the lake and then made a right hand turn.  At that point, the course ran parallel to the beach for approximately a mile or so until it made another right hand turn and brought swimmers back to the beach.  I ended up breaststroking until well after that first turn.  There were many kayakers around for safety, and I saw a large number of women hanging onto kayaks, gasping for breath (the official Ironman rules state that you may grab onto the kayaks to rest as long as you don't make any forward progress...meaning, you cannot hang onto the kayaks as they are moving/pulling you forward on the course).  I was very, very tempted to hang onto the kayaks or buoys myself, but I knew that if I did it would be even harder to convince myself to get moving again...so I didn't. 

My swimming wasn't pretty, but it got the job done.  I tried to breath to both sides, but quickly realized that if I was breathing to my left, I got pummeled in the face by a wave almost every single time.  I resigned myself to breathing only on the right, and for much of the race breathed on every single stroke.  Definitely not efficient, but it got me through it.

Once later waves of swimmers started catching up to me, it was hard not to get discouraged.  I had a number of larger men literally swim over me.  One man actually smacked me in the middle of my back as he brought his hand down and around in a stroke.  It definitely becomes survival mode out there!  I am sure those men swimming on top of me are as annoyed by me and my slow-ness (and being in their way!  ha!) as I am by the fact that they are beating me up in the water.

When I rounded the second right-hand turn and started swimming toward the beach, I was able to pick up my pace (helped out by the waves of course...they pushed me toward the shore!).  When my feet hit the sand for the first time, my legs felt shaky...and as if they each weighed 500 lbs.  As I exited the water, I knew I had just survived what had been the worst swim I had ever experienced.  Even though I knew my time was less than impressive, I was quite proud of myself for getting through it!

Checking my watch as I ran up the beach to transition

I rushed up the beach and entered the transition area.  I was greeted by...strippers!!!  Wetsuit strippers, that is!  I had heard of such things...but hadn't had the pleasure of encountering them until this moment.  I chose my two victims, sat down on the ground and they literally yanked my wetsuit off of me in seconds.  It was awesome!  Wrestling with my wetsuit in T1 (the first transition, or swim-to-bike) is one of my least-favorite parts of triathlon....and these two kind souls eliminated that for me!  Score!

My transition time was 7:05.  Yeah, I took my sweet time :).  I was worried about biking (I am not a strong nor confident biker) and took care to ensure that everything was in place.  I gulped down a yummy Powerbar blueberry banana performance energy blend (one of my favorites...basically pureed fruit!), smeared some of my beloved Buttonhole chamois cream down my shorts, grabbed my bike and secured my helmet and was on my way.

Getting ready to head out on the bike!  Here I am staring at my watch...I messed up my timing at some point during transition; I had pressed "stop" instead of "lap"...so some of my transition time was not accounted for on my Garmin.  I got it figured out before I departed on the bike....so really no big deal :).

 Swim Time:  52:29

Transition 1 (swim-to-bike):  7:05

Total clock time thus far:  59:34

Division place thus far:  98th/139


THE BIKE

Some of the roads the course led us through was annoyingly uneven and bumpy.  Listening to/feeling the bump-bump, bump-bump, bumpity-bumpity-bump got realllllllly irritating after a while.  I had to mentally talk myself down ("Rachel, getting pissed off isn't going to change anything.  Calm down and try to enjoy the ride.") and focus on other things (passing people!) instead of the irritating roads.

After I was able to stay over 20mph (a pretty quick pace for me!) for the first 15 miles, I began to wonder if there was a possibility that I could finish the 56-mile bike course in under 3 hours.  I was almost afraid to even think that thought...because I couldn't bring myself to believe that it could be within the realm of possibility.  Truthfully, biking 56 miles in under 3 hours was something that had NEVER even remotely occurred to me prior to this.  I am not a fast/strong biker.  I am definitely not confident on the bike and haven't quite figured out "how to hurt" on the bike...which means I really don't push myself.  At that 15 mile point, though, I decided to try to stay above 20 mph as much as I could during the course to just see what could happen.

The course had some rolling hills (enough climbing thrown in to keep things interesting at least), but all in all was relatively flat.  The course at Branson, being located in the Ozarks, was a FAR bigger challenge for me last September!  The hills (mountains?!) combined with my wussy demeanor resulted in a finish time of 4:20.32 (kind of embarrassing to admit at this point, really).  I felt like I was FLYING in Racine compared to my experience in Branson!

There were some points where the wind got somewhat irritating, but living smack-dab in the middle of wind farms means I have gotten more than my fair share of biking in headwinds, crosswinds and every other kind of winds! 

I did find enjoyment in passing a large number of people during my time on the bike course, which made me feel slightly better about myself after floundering through the swim.

passing someone...likely illegally in more than the allotted 20 seconds ;).  I still have a lot to learn!

My bike finish time was 2:54.52, which averages out to 19.21 mph for the 56 mile course.  This is my proudest accomplishment of the day, even more so than my overall finish time.  This is about an hour and twenty five minutes faster than my 70.3 last September.  Regardless of the differences in course difficulty, I think this shows VAST improvement in my overall confidence and skill level on the bike!  Last summer, during shorter triathlons I averaged 17-18mph...so to be able to hold onto 19.2 mph for 56 miles makes me quite proud!  Cruising into T2, I'm sure I was wearing an ear-to-ear smile.  I was truly ecstatic.

Bike Time:  2:54.52

Transition 2 (bike-to-run):  5:47

Total time:  3:54.46

Division place...On the bike I moved up to 49th from 98th on the swim out of 139 in my gender/age group (30-34)!


THE RUN

While I am not a super-fast runner, I am very comfortable as a runner.  Getting the swim and the bike behind me is always reason for a big sigh of relief for me during any tri!

During my second transition, I decided to "reward" myself for a job well-done on the bike course by visiting a porta-potty in the transition area (as opposed to peeing myself).  I knew simply peeing out on the course is pretty widely accepted and practiced, but could also potentially result in some serious chafing as I ran the 13.1 course.  I decided it was well-worth sacrificing a few minutes to pee in a civilized fashion in a porta-potty.  I also took this potty break as an opportunity to re-apply some serious Buttonhole chamois cream to the chamois of my tri shorts...I didn't want ANY reason to chafe during the run!  Looking back, I am slightly disappointed that I missed finishing in 6 hours by 51 stupid seconds.  I probably COULD'VE hurried a bit more in transitions.  Oh well :).

The run course had a few hills, one of which was right at the beginning.  Some people were already walking up it as I approached.  Did I want to walk as opposed to running?  Perhaps.  However, I knew there was really NO reason for me to do so.  Tired or not, I was more than capable of running the entire 13.1 course.  No walk-breaks ALLOWED, I sternly told myself.

The run course was a loop that you had to complete twice....two out-and-backs.  It was nice...I was able to distract myself from the pain of running by spending some time looking for people I knew out on the course.  It was nice to be able to shout words of encouragement as we passed one another!

It started to get kinda hot during the run.  I took water at each aid station, and often took a second cup to dump over my head to stay cool.  A few times I also grabbed some ice cubes to slide down my tri top (ahhhh!  so refreshing!) as well as some wet sponges to wipe my face and neck.  Water never tastes or feels as good as it does during a hot race, that's for certain!

As I made my way through the run course, it was clear to me that not only would I be finishing in under 6:30...but there was a decent chance that I would finish in 6 hours.  This was SO exciting to me, as it was a vast improvement over the 7:35.36 finish I earned in Branson last September!

I finished the 13.1 mile run in 2:00.38, or an average of 9:12/mile pace.  This is pretty average for me.  My half marathon PR is about 17 minutes faster than this (though that half marathon was completed WITHOUT a 57.2 mile "warm-up" :)).  My run leg of the Branson event took 2:14.06...and that course was FLAT as a pancake (I was mentally and physically wiped out from the bike course :)).
 

Check out that heel-strike!  Yeah...my running stride isn't pretty, but I guess it gets the job done! :)

NOT the most flattering of photos...check out that hunched back!  However, I guess it's ok to look somewhat terrible 70.2 miles into a 70.3 mile race!

I was astounded by my finish...6:00.51.  This was 94 minutes and 45 seconds faster than my 70.3 finish in Branson last September!  It was a truly amazing feeling to know that my year of training has been paying off...my awesome coach Laura deserves a LOT of the credit for whipping me into shape!  Sure, it was a lot of blood/sweat/tears on my part...but I couldn't have done it without her guidance!  I am so grateful for her!

Other fun news to report:  After the run, I moved up from 49th in my division to 40th (out of 139).  I moved up 58 places from where I was after the swim (98th!).  Man...do I need to work on my swimming or what?!  I also finished 209th out of 760 women and 956th out of 2275 participants overall.  Clearly I will never be any sort of world champion, but it is still fun to see where I fall!

I was SO proud of my finish! 

Cleaning up my pile of smelly gear from transition...the least exciting part of race day.

 

The day prior to the race, I had scoped out an awesome outdoor shower a ways down the beach from the transition area!  It felt amazing to be able to rinse off and change into clean clothing before the long ride home!  However, I'm sure I looked like a freak excitedly showering outside.

Tomorrow is the last day of July!  Tomorrow I will officially be saying "I am completing an Ironman next month!"  40 short training days are now all that remain between me and Ironman Wisconsin!