It's kind of sad sitting here to write my last post. A few times throughout this whole thing the actual process of sitting down to write has been hard... hard to get motivated... and sometimes time consuming. But looking back I am so happy to have such a record of the past 18 weeks.
I left you last Thursday getting ready to head down to Busso. Due to a few circumstances I ended up leaving Perth around 6am and had a good run into Busselton. I was happy to be on my own , with my own thoughts. I was feeling pretty good. Once in Busso I unpacked and then met Mum, Dad, Brad and Ian for a coffee down at Fat Ducks. A great little bike shop with a coffee shop attached and man it was buzzing!!! Lycra was everywhere!!!
After coffee I headed down to register and browse the Expo. Probably the only disappointment for the weekend was the Expo...what expo????. Shame ,as in the past the expo has been the social hub where everyone bumps into everyone. Hopefully with some feedback they can improve on that for next year.
Anyway , I wandered around for an hour or two on my own. I was in a good mind space. Checked out the swim exit, walked onto transition and then checked out the finish line. I then headed back home had some lunch and put my feet up.
It was not long till the others started arriving at the house. Nicki and Nat were the first to arrive. While I rested they headed off to do all the rego etc for themselves. On their return we took Nat for a 1 lap drive of the course as she had not had a chance to look at it up until then. A quiet evening ,however a bit of a restless nights sleep.
Saturday morning and the weather wasn't looking good. Nat and I managed to get a very short ride in before the heavens opened up . We just did 14k's as a last bike check and lucky we did as Nat realised her computer was hanging by a thread on the front fork of her bike. Certainly couldn't have been a better place to get it sorted so after a little running around we managed to purchase a new computer . Our friend Chris (the legend) came over and fitted it for her.
I had spent a fair bit of time calculating my nutrition, (Carbs and Sodium) and had a time line of what to eat every 15mins on my bike as a reference plus we had organised all out gear the day before but we were keen on double checking it again. So after checking once and checking it twice ( and thrice!!) we headed off to drop the gear and bikes into transition. Nothing more to do now till race day.
Nat and I with our Bike and Run Bags Transition Area 1 and 2
Over the afternoon the others (Julz, Sue, Arron and Craig) started arriving with my husband Will and my boys Kale and Jordan not arriving till about 9 that night.
I had gone to bed around 8 30 but just couldn't sleep. Grabbed a magazine hoping that would help.. no such luck. Then Will and the boys arrived . For sure I would now fall asleep or was that wishful thinking. Apparently so... We then started getting calls from Perth to tell us that they had our dog Lucy. Somehow she had got out and headed off to a strangers house. How she knew we weren't just going out for the evening like we do is beyond me. She had been fed and was going to the neighbours first thing in the morning ..supposedly!!! Well after a few phone calls back and forward to Perth that got sorted out. I finally fell asleep about 12.30 -1. Alarm went off at 3.15 so with very little sleep I got up to have my pre race breakfast. An English muffin with a mashed banana and honey on top accompanied by a hot Milo.
Down to get body marked , add the last few things to the bike, 2 more toilet stops, wetsuit and down to the race start.
Here I was ..finally. I thought I would have been more nervous than I was (maybe I was too tired to be nervous). Someone the night before passed on some advice that they had been given from one of our club members.."Even if you do 10 ironmans in your life, you will never ever do your first Ironman again. It's unique and special. So smile and enjoy."
With those words circling thru my mind I can honestly say standing on that beach I was calm. And that's how I stayed for the rest of the race. I knew I had done the training and I put faith in that... and I smiled!!! The whole race. ... oh except for when I was breathing under water of course.. :)
Aerial shot of the swim start...just love this photo
So off we go. It was certainly a messy start with all the age groupers going off at the same time.I tried to get onto someones feet to get the benefits of the drag but it just never seemed to happen for me. I was feeling good until I got to about a two thirds thru the swim when I was hit by a massive cramp in my left calf. I tried to swim thru it but just couldn't . I managed to find some clear water , turned onto my back and tried to stretch it out. I had a long day ahead of me and wasn't prepared to let this stop my race. With the cramp gone I continued. Unfortunately for the rest of the race that calf was painful and felt like it was going to go into cramp at any moment. Lucky for me it didn't.Swim Time... 1hr 4mins 21 secs
Bike compound .. $$$$$$
T1 took me 6mins 1 sec and then it was on the bike.
I felt comfortable on the bike today. I stuck to my nutrition plan like glue. Ate every 15mins , stretched every 15mins and kept my fluids up. There was a nice head wind on the way back into town but the knowledge that you were soon to see all your family and friends was enough to keep you going. Only a couple of times my mind wandered to the run leg and then I remembered to stay focused and leave thinking about the run only in the last 10k of the bike ( good coaching advice). I think today I was just travelling on adrenaline. I never once had any negative thoughts out on the course about possibly not finishing . I even felt that I could possibly have gone harder on the bike but I was scared that that would leave me with nothing for the run. So I sat on my 32kms @hr fairly steadily for the entire course.
Bike 5hrs 39mins 46secs..T2 4 mins 24 (including a quick toilet stop)
What an amazing feeling coming in on the end of that bike course. With 2 thirds of the course down and feeling as good as I was , I was looking forward to the run. It was a surprise feeling like this. When I had visualised the course during my training , the run had always been the "X" factor. Always been where I thought I would have some dramas. But in real life it was not to be. Luckily I was feeling good.
Smiles all round
My goal in the run was firstly just to get thru it, secondly I really wanted to break my 2 previous marathon times which were both about the same 4hrs 35mins. The weather was kind to us and so was everyone out on the course. The 150o or so volunteers were just awesome and along with the crowd really help you along. My left calf was hanging in there but felt like it would go at any time. I'd hate to think how much extra sodium I was putting into my body but I was just popping those salt tablets about every 5kms. The only other muscle in my body to give me any trouble was my mouth!!! That's what happens when you don't stop smiling!!! I can honestly say I was having a ball. Yeah it was hard but somehow the brain just flips that pain switch off and I got thru it. I tried to soak the whole thing in. I didn't want to forget anything.
Well another milestone reached... got thru it and marathon time 4hrs 11mins!!!!
Running up the finishing chute is something I don't think I have the words to explain properly. 18 weeks of training, cold mornings, rain, lots of wind, 3 am morning starts, tears... all those things just seemed to disappear out the door and in their place was this huge amount of happiness.... too much happiness for one person. The huge feeling of accomplishment will be with me for a very very long time. I saw my brother on the other side of the finish line and just gave him the biggest hug crying and laughing at the same time. He has always been and always will be a huge source of inspiration to me. He, as a brother and a coach , has had more confidence and faith in my abilities than I had in myself . Thanks Brad ... your the best.
Once they whisk you away out the back there is food and massage available but I just wanted to see my husband. The look on his face is one I will never forget...priceless. It was a bit like a B grade movie with me wanting to run into his arms..... instead I limped very slowly!! But even B grade movies can have happy endings. I got the biggest hug and the knowledge that my husband was so very very proud of me and that was an awesome feeling.
I had set myself the overall goal of completing my first Ironman in 13 hrs ... I exceeded all my expectations by finishing in 11hrs 5mins and even managing to place 3rd in my age group. While I was stoked with these two achievements , I can honestly say I think I would have felt the same no matter what time I had finished.
Ironman isn't just a race ....... it's a place you go to in your life!! Where you push the limits, where you see yourself for who you really are. Sometimes you may not like what you see while other times you surprise yourself. Do I feel different...Yes I think I do. Maybe its still the adrenalin pumping thru my body. That's probably why I think I'll go back for more!
My friends and support crew... the best there is!!
Trophy time at the Awards Night and After Party
So to all of you that have come along every week...THANKYOU , THANKYOU , THANKYOU.
It's been a ride that's for sure.... Hope you enjoyed it!!!
It's been a ride that's for sure.... Hope you enjoyed it!!!
