Ironman Arizona 2014

Ironman Arizona Transition

Finally all the training was complete and it was taper time.  Some people were nervous during the 2 week taper but I felt relief.  I felt great accomplishment for the first time all year.  Every workout felt great and my statistics were improving.  It made me really look forward to race day because I knew my tank of energy would be full so anything would be possible at IMAZ.  I spent time reflecting on how far I had come.  I recalled my first TCSD Cares meeting, my first JCC swim class, and nearly choking as I sputtered across 25 yards of the pool, my first bike ride on the 56 bike path where I started to learn how to shift my gears.  I recalled my first super sprint of 200 yard swim, 7 mile bike and 2 mile run which felt like it took forever to complete.  I just kept thinking...LOOK AT ME NOW! I have met so many amazing people on my IMAZ journey.  My village of supporters and encouragers have been endless.  The triathlon family is like no other support system for sure. I felt ready to join the Mdot club!! Best of all, my coach Julie got me to the start line injury free!


We arrived in Tempe on Thursday to really soak up the festivities.  We stayed at the Residence Inn only 1/2 mile from the race so we didn't worry about parking and traffic.  We stopped immediately to athlete check in so I could pickup my race packet and backpack.  That was pretty awesome because I felt like I had just been accepted into the cool kids' club!  Thursday night was especially fun because we joined in the Underpants Run sponsored by Tribe Multisport Club.  It was a charity run where we donated money and dressed in underpants/costumes and ran about 2.5 miles along the Salt River with just the street lights twinkling in the background.  Marcus and I wore Minion attire while many wore superhero gear. It was fun to run for fun with a lot of triclub friends.  My Dunklette family was in full force!

Friday morning,  I went for a 9am bike ride to see how it felt at that hour and it was beautiful.  I felt like I was not going to need arm coolers because the temperature was perfect and the winds were so mild. My 1 hour route worked our well because I experienced the beginning of the bike course from town and u-turned before the Beeline Highway hill.  Then I went to the mandatory athlete race information meeting and we browsed the expo for a long time.  The Tribe club had a party from 3-5 but I declined and stayed off my feet until the Welcome Ceremony started at 6:30.  It was so inspirational to hear Mike Reilly speak to us and meet exceptional athletes that were physically challenged or the oldest racers aged 72 female and 84 male. It was incredible to watch a video that told us after we swam 1.2 miles, biked 112 miles, and ran 26.2 miles, that we would have earned bragging rights for a lifetime. 

Dunkle teammates with Mike Reilly - The Voice of Ironman

It never mentioned speed and it really made me proud to know that unless something horrific happened, I knew I had trained hard enough to finish under the cutoffs and that becoming an Ironman was literally only hours away. It was more important to enjoy every moment because it would happen so fast.  I tried to remember that my entire race day. Race with a Smile!! This is a pretty easy goal to attain with thousands of complete strangers telling you that you are awesome for up to 17 hours!

Saturday morning, I ran for 20 minutes to warmup before our athlete pre-swim for 800 meters in the lake. They kept announcing the water was 71 degrees which meant no booties were allowed on race day.  This was a disappointment because I really wanted the feet protection for the long .35 mile jog to transition from the swim exit.  I jumped into the lake and then GASPED because there is no way that water was 71 degrees.  It felt closer to 61 degrees without the salt.  I had a comfortable swim without too much bumping of elbows and was grateful for the experience.  After the swim, I quickly put on a bike kit and rode some of the run course for about 30 minutes. I wanted to check out Curry hill so I would know how it felt and also check out the secret "clean" bathroom at mile 9 on that corner that my Cactus buddies on FB had talked about!. The hill was very easy but I knew it would bother me on the second loop.  The good news was after the hill was a nice downgrade to make up for any lost time. After my ride, it was time to gather the bike and run/bike bags for pre-race check-in. As I hurried to get in line while still in my swimbikemom kit, the SBM Arizona Ambassador Esther chased me down and gave me a sweet goodie bag and hilarious inspirational

note. It felt so good to know that I had her support.  The bike check-in includes taking a picture of your bike which I assume assures you leave with what you came with and don't somehow magically swap wheels with someone I guess.  Anyway, good news, my rack was right by the entrance after the changing tent, but the bad news was I was the farthest possible distance from the bike exit!  oh well  my rack was so short that we had less bikes to jostle around too.  It was a bit shocking to dropoff the run and bike bags because the lines of bags were endless but orderly. Right then I visualized the in and out for swim/bike/run and my heart started racing! I was glad I added bright orange tape to my bags so I could spot them quickly in case a volunteer couldn't get to it before me.  After checkin, all the dunklettes met up and we had a last minute encouraging coaching session from Julie Dunkle.  The best warning was to be careful of Ironman porta potties at night because you don't want to step in poo cones from those that missed the toilet! ewwww! Take note...only go in one if you must and it better be well lit! We then all went to lunch together and rested at our hotel for the Big Race Day!

Marcus went to pickup our kids and their spouses at the airport while I rested at the hotel and prepared mentally and rechecked my stuff was all ready for the next day.  When he came back with

them, they presented me with an amazing banner and a personal note from THE swimbikemom Meredith, wishing me the best of luck and to enjoy every moment.  It brought tears to my eyes that a complete stranger cared enough to encourage me to achieve my goals.  I so wished SBM was my Mom at that moment!  They also showed me their personalized Team IronMom tshirts they would wear proudly so we could easily find each other on the course.  It was a pretty spectacular moment and the only thing left to do was make my dream come true the next day!  Laid my wetsuit by the door and tied a bag to the frig to make sure these things were not forgotten !! I applied my tri-tats at night so I didn't need to stand in the bodymarking line in the morning. The port potty line would be long enough! We had a great early dinner where I had chicken and plain pasta until I was stuffed. I took my niteaid pills at 730 with OSMO pre-hydration and was asleep by 8. 

Alarm went off at 3:30am because I needed to eat everything by 4am for all the fuel to be out of the stomach.  Breakfast included Pre-Race Osmo with banana, hearty oatmeal, pumpkin bagel with nutella and coffee.  I was stuffed with 800 calories! Put on all my swim stuff and warm clothes and grabbed the remaining bags for special needs x2 and my morning bag.  It was beautiful outside at 5am and we walked the 1/2 mile to the transition area.   Transition energy is crazy electric!  Mill Bridge was lit like a Christmas tree and just stunning.  It reminded me I would swim under 2 bridges and after the 3rd bridge would mean the turnaround was coming soon. I just love bridges. It means "connection" to me.  Two things are joined together by a bridge that were once separated.  Now they are one.  That's pretty special.

I met up with my family outside of transition for a few minutes with hugs and kisses.  They looked excited and blurry eyed but I was so happy all 4 of my kids were there!  They had a minion balloon and letter L so I could locate them on the course throughout the day.  I wanted to get in the water early so I didn't feel panicked to swim the 200 yards to the start line.  I also wanted to start to the right of the start line buoy.  I just couldn't go into the mass of 2500 swimmers and feel safe. I'd rather swim further than panic with arms and elbows and feet all over me. 

As I started to leave, I had a moment of panic over the cannon start gun and the masses.  I hugged Marcus with all my strength and begged him to go with me!  I felt so vulnerable! He assured me I would be fine so I let go and ran off, never looking back.  I was so scared.

I positioned myself exactly where I expected from my visualization.  Go to the front inside buoy, backup 100 yards, start with the buoy on the right while the masses were on the left of the buoy. However, I stopped in a sea of green caps!  EEEKK all males!  I would surely be water boarded!  I treaded about until I had a few pink caps around me.  I had less than a minute to wait for 7am and then Mike Reilly said FIVE more minutes!  OMG suddenly everyone squeezed closer together. It was so claustrophobic!  The cannon exploded and a WHOOSH of swimming piranhas rushed forward!  The washing machine had started!  I couldn't lay horizontal because racers were so close but yet I was moving forward quickly with the group draft.  I kept my head up for a few minutes so I didn't get kicked in the face.  Then I had some space and just sighted constantly to try to find open spots to swim. Swimmers eventually gave some space but there were limbs everywhere and people zigzagging every direction.  It was rough to the 1 mile turn around.  Space opened up on the return but it was harder, like swimming up stream. 

I still stayed close to the inside of the river but apparently the winds had already started and were blowing against us causing some current although I didn't know it at the time.  It was so gratifying to pass under the bridges.  I knew exactly where I was and could see the last red buoy was in reach.  I was so excited to swim toward the stairs.  I still had so many people around me but I tried to pick the stairs with the least line of swimmers, my lesson learned at SOMA.  I learned at the preswim to hop on the first stair with my butt and then pull up with my arms.  This worked great except I suddenly had sea legs and couldn't support my weight.  A guy came to me and lifted me right up to my feet and walked me to the platform.  I INSTANTLY saw Marcus and SCREAMED.  YESSSS  I MADE IT OUT ALIVE!!!  What a rush of adrenaline!  I gave him a kiss and took off to the wetsuit strippers and changing tent with a huge smile on my face.

I noticed there were plenty in the tent which meant my swim was decent and found a seat.  Ladies on both sides were shaking so I guess they were cold but I felt great. Water temp supposedly was 68 so not booties legal unfortunately.  It still felt much colder without the salt.  I'm a slow steady swimmer and the goal was to feel warmed up after the swim and not exhausted so that goal was achieved!  My volunteer helped me change my shirt and we prepared me for the bike.  I took off grabbing my bike after the tent exit and ran to bike out. My family was right there cheering me on! the walls were lined with cheerleaders and I squealed with excitement!

my husband

I had cycled this course in my warm-up so I was confident in where I was going which really calmed my nerves.  However as soon as we turned on Alma School Road, the same direction as Beeline Hill,  I knew this was different.  I slammed into a headwind...It's 9am!!! this doesn't happen until 3pm right??!!  Not today!  20mph winds in the face made for a crawl until the next turn...I was worried that the 3rd lap might be unbearable and I decided to take it easy because it was a long day.  Beeline hwy was a bear.  I was crawling 8mph up a 3% grade!  the wind gusts were up to 30 mph and trying to knock me over and I could see the volunteers' hair and flags blowing in every direction.  I then saw a guy laid out on the pavement on the downhill. He wasn't moving and his body looked like hamburger meat. All his clothing was shredded.  He must have slid down hill over this bike.  I decided to be cautious and be aware of who was around me. So many riders were getting flats although the roads looked clean to me.  I heard the wind was blowing billy goat thorns across the road.  My best investment has been $10 bottle of OrangeSeal gel inside my tubes for flat prevention.  I hit a staple at Lake Stevens, pulled it out, and both holes healed themselves.  I won't race without it now and it lasts seemingly forever! At the uturn on Shea Blvd, there was a moment of bliss because the fight was over, then the wind came from behind pushing you forward with mighty strength.  I was flying and tried to hold tight as I flew 35 mph!  It was such a relief to see Marcus at the special needs station at mile 25 although I would stop only on the 2nd lap.  We picked the perfect volunteer shift for them to see me the most on the bike.

My kids were on the opposite side of the street holding my banner and it was wonderful to see them screaming for me! they saw me because of the yellow DO EPIC SHIT socks and I saw Marcus with his bright yellow hat!  Seeing my

My daughter

my Coach

my son and spouses

support team was such a relief.  It gave me milestones to reach them each direction as soon as possible. At 2:30, my front bottle was empty and right on schedule.  I had 3 bottles for the course with 510cals ea of IM Perform and Carbo Pro. However I was scared to fill it in route due to wind so pulled over to refill  I wouldn't open my bento box either so ea hour I grabbed a small snack like banana piece or GU as I passed the aid station . I reached special needs at mile 66 to grab my 3rd bottle and neck muscle cream and my family was holding my bag open for me.  They each held stuff out so I could grab it as I could, switch nutrition bottles and take off quickly.  they were an awesome team!  They loved helping out all the cyclists and cheered for everyone while the wind was blowing so hard and freezing although I was pretty comfortable!  My race plan was to STOP every negative thought and replace with gratefulness. Vineman Aquabike Full nearly cooked me to death!  I was grateful for the cooling winds since I never overheated!  I think I smiled for 7 hours straight!   The third lap came and  I saw my family as I went up slowly again but they were gone on my return and it was a let down but I pushed hard to reach them at the bike finish, excited to start my marathon of all marathons!

The bike chute was a blast!  my family held my banner at the top of a platform and met me at the transition.  I quickly peed and striped in the port potty to save time.  I dashed into the tent and lathered my feet in Run Goo, changed top and shoes, grabbed a handful of chips and water and took off in a streak, missing my family on the exit !  Luckily I rented an additional tracker, MyLiveAthlete GPS tracker so they learned I was already on the course as they franticly looked for me. When I first started, I felt like I had been riding a horse forever.  I concentrated on jogging  11-12 min pace for 5 minutes and 30 sec walk.  I hung on to this painfully until it started to get dark.  I just yearned for the special needs station at mile 13.  When I got there, I sat down and opened my bag and had no idea what I was looking at.  Everything in the bag looked useless.  I was scared to change socks.  The ball of both feet had been burning so I didn't know if they were hot spots or blisters.  I decided I wouldn't look at the them in case it was a bloody mess.  I TOTALLY regret this decision.  I wish I had dumped my bag and looked at each item.  I had packed backup plans and used none of them.  I had duct tape that I could have taped on my feet.  I had fresh socks.  I had RUN GOO.  I had pain reliever meds.  I wish I had packed a long sleeve shirt or windbreaker for the night run! All I grabbed were M&Ms and Minion Peeps!  I stuffed the sugary peeps in my mouth, stuffed the candy in my bra and took off as Marcus told me every loving supportive thing he could think of as I pleaded that IT HURTSSSS !!!  I also grabbed my highlighter pink wristbands that lit up at night.  It was nice to see them in the pitch black of night.  Two sections of the run are completely dark unless you see another runner with something that glows.  Racers loved my lights!

On the second loop, everything is familiar.  You urge to see the mileage markers and aid stations and chicken soup.  Mile 9 and mile 22 have the longest little upgrades which hurt like hell on Curry Road.  I promised myself to run down hill on Lakeview because the gravity was free and chicken soup was at the bottom!  Also before this hill is a REAL bathroom that is so clean and lit up.  I used it on both laps to avoid the port potty.  The other side of the river is just cold and dark and lonely.  My best friend became my hidden pack of M&Ms eating a few at a time! My awesome coach Julie was placed exactly where we needed her which was on the dark side turnaround!  I saw her and started to cry for the first time in the race.  I knew I had lost focus, I was missing my goals and suddenly I felt a heavy burden of disappointment.  I was going to embarrass my coach because I am so slow.  She yelled at me.  (I love that)  She said she would never be disappointed unless I quit.  JUST DONT QUIT!!....sniffle sniffle...ok I won't. I trotted along looking forward to the clean bathroom at Curry road.  Stay positive! Damn no chicken soup but still peed.  Up Curry at a snail's pace...like everyone in front of me which made me smile again.  ahhh the team sufferfest is better than a lonely one..and whallaaa I was at the top and as I ran down THERE IS SEF!!!  squeeze a hug....click click for photos and he says...HURRY now, Joy hasn't passed you yet but she is getting close!  OMG REALLLYYY!  she always catches me in a tri!

I will hurry!  It was the lift I needed for sure to get going a little faster.  And there suddenly was my chicken soup!  whooopeee!  Seriously this salty hot liquid is what kept me going and warm until... I started to shake and feel dizzy.  A man passed me and asked what was wrong and all I could say was...sooo cold.... and he said to ask for an aluminum blanket at the next aid station and he was gone.  Ugh... up the little grade of the river and I stopped to look for a blanket and saw nothing. I asked for it and a man went off to his little jeep cart and grabbed one out of the back!  It felt so good to have this metal cape wrapped around me.  Looking back, surely I was starting to shut down because I can't recall eating anything on the marathon except soup which is only after dark, water, a couple marshmallow peeps, and a bag of M&Ms.  I definitely should have eaten more food but somehow I just worried about liquids.  A big SHOUT OUT to Lisa Reilly who single handedly may have saved my run with those Minion peeps which I threw in my special needs bag at the last minute.  So odd... I hate peeps and it is nearly the only thing I saw in my bag...well minions are my special little friends that keep me smiling so that is probably why I grabbed them! Certainly my brain was dead by the time I got to Run Special Needs. I really could have used runner's gloves on that 2nd loop. If you know it will be dark, pack gloves.  My hands were numb and I pulled my sun sleeves over my fingers for more coverage.

I started looking for lights and listening for noise.  I knew the supeheros' aid station was on the corner of the overpass.  I pushed through with more chicken soup.  I couldn't run but I wanted to run.  I begged myself to trot but I just leaned forward more, still trotting 15 min mile pace with my feet on fire.  I focused on the street sign.  Rio Salado was lit up.  One more turn to the next aid station.  I passed it with determination.  I was over 15 hours and for a second it made me sad.  My feet were now raging on fire. My fingers were frozen. Then I smiled.  The crowd was getting louder. I could see the bend on Rio Salado to the right.  It was lined with people screaming that the chute was just in front.  I was in shock.  REALLY REALLY?? YES she said with big eyes and rushing me along.   I ripped off my superhero cape of aluminum and it flew off into the wind like a helium balloon. Free at Last. YOU MUST RUN!!  and I did....tears filled my eyes and I turned the corner blinking into the bright lights.  First I saw Chris Holley who had finished long ago and we high fived! Everyone was banging on the chute walls.  I didn't even realize 4 of us were together in the chute.  I wanted to take my time and cherish this moment but it was so hard.  I couldn't see my family in the bright lights. I couldn't see the timer clock. I couldn't hear anything but noise and then suddenly all was silent except for The Voice I had dreamed of hearing say....  LISA SERRANO...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN.... and just then I saw my family to my right as I went under the arch with a time of 15:41.
Yep all the previous Ironmen were correct.  The final chute is WAY TOO SHORT!!  It was over in a flash.

YOU ARE AN IRONMAN video

 I just wanted a blanket and my UGGS!  Then, Esther, the AZ Ambassador to SwimBikeMom draped me with my medal and I cried like a baby and squeezed her so tight.  She was part of my perfect ending of the day.  It started with SBM and it ended with SBM.  My volunteer asked how I felt and still I was so cold, which is so odd for me.  I'm never cold.  His name was Hector and he held on to me tightly and wrapped me in aluminum and stood by me while we waited for the ironman finisher picture.  He held all my stuff, waited, and rewrapped me.  He urged me to take 2 chocolate milks but I couldn't fathom drinking that much! hahaha!

  I looked at all the pizza and decided maybe fresh French fries with salt would be good.  I sat down and ate 3 fries with my milk.  I chatted with Celin, her #2 IM and Julianna who chased me all race and was only 3 minutes behind at the finish!  It was awesome to be with so many friends in this race.  I can't imagine my first Ironman without my TCSD friends everywhere whether suffering or volunteering.  Every single GOTRICLUB was so powerful.  I don't think any other branded race would have held the same power to get me across the finishline.  Now I see why San Diego triathletes repeat this race.  It's not the course, because it is rather boring, but it's the camaraderie.  You are on a team and you are supported and reminded constantly of this support.  It's incredibly powerful.  My family found me slumped in a chair and gave me a sweatshirt.  We waited until the last of my friends completed the journey.  I was so proud to see they made the cutoffs with time to spare and then we rented a pedal pusher cart to drive us back to the hotel.  I couldn't eat even at the hotel because I was nauseous .  I soaked in Epsom salt.  I took a warm shower.  I rolled around in bed painfully until 3am when my hunger jolted me out of bed. I drank a muscle milk.  We were awake at 5am.  Marcus needed to get in line for his IMAZ 2015 registration and I wanted my finisher's jacket.  It was so cold and I was so thankful this wasn't race morning.  We quickly spent $1000 between his entry and my Ironman stuff and finally I had breakfast.  We packed up and drove off into the sunset where I dozed for most of the way home!  My thoughts were solely on my tattoo.


I had prepared my kids for this event.  Ironman Finish. Ironman tattoo. No debate. No pause.  My family had nicknamed me Ironmom and it seemed appropriate to customize my mdot in some way that included my family.  I did research, asked for recommendations, and by Friday, I was ready to commit.  I went to Avalon because two other ironmen had recommended this place.  Hunter was such a professional and showed me how everything was sterile and one time use.  He downloaded the registered Mdot emblem and gave me multiple fonts to choose for the IRONMOM.  We placed it a few times for the best position and after 45 minutes and minimal pain, my journey was complete. Now I can't swim for 2 weeks (or donate blood for a year) but it's worth it.

Why did I want this tattoo?  I have had a difficult childhood.  I never belonged.  I have had 8 half-siblings in my life with my mom's 4 marriages. I always had a different name until my mom just forged her 3rd husband's last name on my school records to shut me up. I was mostly an only child living with a lot of turmoil. I have never played sports. I have never been on a team. TCSD Cares accepted me on their team as is. No judgment. No expectation. Loads of support.  As I graduated in triathlon distances, I still belonged to the TCSD club and GO TRICLUB became the most awesome two words in my world.  I love hearing it.  I have always worn my TCSD kit just to encourage it.  Everyone supports one another no matter what your ability or speed.  We are a family of 3000.  However there is a subset in this family.  Those that reach the peak are Ironmen.  We respect them all with awe.  When I see the mdot on someone,  I know what they have endured. It is the ultimate accomplishment that requires more mental than physical strength. Now, I am connected to a unique team called Ironmen and I want others to see my tattoo and know I BELONG.  So I proudly wear my badge of two major accomplishments in my life to show I believe that  Anything is Possible. I AM A PROUD MOM of 2 amazing kids and an IRONMAN.  I AM IRONMOM and I want to inspire others to belong.

12/1/2013 to 11/16/2014 training for IMAZ 11/16/14

Cycled 4916 miles in 333 hours

Ran 920 miles in 162 hours

Swam 408,905 yds= 232 miles in 140 hours

avg 4.7 miles swimming a week (8272yds)

avg  103 miles cycling a week

avg 19.71 miles running a week

avg training hours per week = 13 hours

Worked a fulltime job.

SOMA 70.3: A race or a Training day?

I raced SOMA this year....hhhhmmmm first mistake right there in black and white... but it took months for me to see it. This will be a different kind of race report...more reflection.

It has taken me all YEAR and then a month after the event to realize the difference in a big training day and a racing event.  My plan was to train around races this year in preparation for IMAZ.  Surely I would PR at every race because I would  be in the best condition of my life.  I raced Oceanside 70 in March,  Aquabike full in July, Chula Vista Challenge Olympic & Lake Stevens 70 in August and SOMA 70 in October.  Every race brought me disappointment. I never PR'd. My runs were the most disappointing of all. I couldn't understand why until I heard the words "deep fatigue".  It was like a symphony of bells went off in my head.  I have hit about 99% of my coach's training plan this year. I have asked for more.  I have swam on my off days.  More More More...If I felt like I was going to drop dead, I'd take a real day off. After all my events this year were complete except my A race, I learned to respect TAPER .  When you plan a year of events, your goals need to reflect the level of effort to achieve them and include the proper 2 week TAPER time to give yourself a fighting chance to hit those numerical goals. 

Two weeks before SOMA I trained 14.5 hours; One week before SOMA, I trained 3 days of cycling and then 3 days of swim/run in Kona, and 1 day of walking all day at the World Championships. (That's actually quite a leg workout!)  This was a 10 hour training week where I missed a 1:30 run due to deep leg fatigue in humidity hell in Kona. Then add the 17 hour day walking around to watch the Champs as well as the race closers before midnight.  We took the red eye out of Kona Sunday night, landing Monday morning in SD and by noon, I was on a 5 hour bike ride.  So I basically had an exhausting 2 weeks and then nearly dropped dead for the next 5 days prior to SOMA somehow expecting a PR!

As the days closed in on race day, I started pressuring myself to finally PR my last race before IMAZ. Even my thoughts were exhausting.

I finally decided I had no actual numerical goals.  I just wanted to be satisfied that I had improved at SOMETHING!  "Just be positive!" was my mantra.

Last year I was upset with the SOMA swim because the exit was clogged up with racers and only one way out on the far right side which delayed the swim time as well as the swim clock ended far from the swim exit adding mileage as well.  I decided this year to be sure to swim wide to the stairs and was lucky to only have one person in front of me.  As soon as I stood up, I hit LAP on my garmin so "my T1" would start where it should be.  I needed to see my actual swim time without the run to transition and I was happy to see a 5 minute swim time improvement.  When I got to the swim time mat at T1, I saw it took me another 2 minutes to get there so WAALAA, not only did I really swim faster, but last year wasn't as bad as I thought either because I didn't realize the T1 run was so long.  Finally I had a positive attitude in T1! 

Last year on the bike, I pushed hard every lap and by the one little hill at mile 50, I got a severe thigh cramp which ruined my run.  This year, I tried to ride steady, hold back just a little, and be sure to spin in the easiest gear up the little hill and NEVER stand up! My goal was to be steady and save some for the run.  I also noticed my garmin distances were different than the previous course.  I think since they added an Olympic course that they added mileage this year to fix the half  distance in preparation for the Olympic distance.  2013 bike 54.35 and 2014 bike 55.38.  My end result was 3:10 for both years.  However, you can see, I rode over one mile more and had no cramps.  Yea, another positive ending!  I also patted myself for taking the 12 uturns much tighter by gearing down and slowly gearing back up on the straight away.  I never felt like I was surging to make up for lost time.

It was close to 100 degrees last year and this year more like 90s and I really did feel the difference.  I still had my ice cooler like last year and wore my pre-soaked cooling towel during the run.  I wore my KONA hat instead of a visor because I liked that it was netted at the top for cooling but yet my head was covered.  I had to lift my hat for ice water dumps but it seemed to help keep me cooler with some coverage.  I verbally beat myself up bad last year on the run.  This year I just wanted to be positive.  I tried a 5 minute run/ 30 sec walk with hopes of making it to the aid station in the next 5 minutes so I could walk and recover another 30 seconds.  This worked pretty well until about mile 5 and my legs turned to stone.  Instead of hating my legs, I asked them why?  They were not speaking to me. They were pissed off.  What could I do to keep running and not walk the next 8 miles?  Do what Julie did when she was in pain during IM Canada.  Count.  I counted 75 left, rights while jogging, and then walked 25 counts.  It kept my mind occupied and there was no room for negative talk.  I kept this up until I felt better and started only counting the right leg to I would run longer.

I was grateful to see Marcus a couple times on the run.  He had a freak ankle issue as soon as we arrived in Tempe but somehow we popped air out of the joint or something and he was able to walk/run the entire half.... and he had a GREAT attitude.  He didn't PR like he expected.  But we agreed it was awesome that he could finish.  I was a little sad about my slow run and not beating my time from last year, but I knew that I was underestimating "taper" and my legs were just cement toast.  I was grateful they were still working without painful cramps.  I had worked out hard for my A game event on Nov 16.  I had thoroughly exhausted myself in Kona.  My body just couldn't give anymore so I crossed the finishline and said thank you to my legs for getting me there.  It was a hard training day, not a racing event for me.  That was good enough for me.  I am looking forward to my IMAZ taper so I can perform at my best.

Kona from a Misfit's Point of View

October was pretty special.  Marcus and I celebrated our birthdays late and decided to go see the Kona World Championships in Hawaii and watch my coach and her gang race against other champions.  My IMAZ training continued however which gave me a brand new level of respect to those race conditions.  I compressed my cycling that week into MTW, and then swam in Kailua Bay where the racers swim, and ran every day along Ali'i drive, where the racers run an out and back.

When we arrived Thursday, it was very windy and the water was choppy so we delayed our workout until pre dinner for the 30 minute swim and ended up running an hour mostly in the dark.  It was cooler but the humidity was obvious and we were as soaked after running as if we had been swimming, but without sun! All I could think was//HOW do these Champs do it on race day?? We ran out of water and found a Subway sandwich shop to refill on the way back or we probably would have turned into raisins before reaching the hotel.

 I brought fins for the swim. Why? I am not a fish!  I was a wreck about no wetsuit, no pull buoy, and super fast swimmers all around me and in MY bubble.  I slowly started off and realized I did know how to swim without a wetsuit and pull buoy and started recognizing the amazing clarity of the bay water....so beautiful with fish and coral and as I was smiling and taking it all it SLAMMM into my head!  I screamed as I looked at a male swimmer with eyes shut, goggles cocked-eyed and I grabbed his shoulders asking if he was ok...he had swam right into the top of my head...probably very fast too!  he shook it off , goggles were not broken, and said he was ok but from then on, I was sighting constantly and swimming wide to stay out of the athletes' way!  He probably thought I was Mr. Magoo!


Friday: Coach said, "45 min OW swim on the swim course- A.M. when coffee boat is out"  WTH does that mean?  Marcus said,"let's eat and then swim, (he loves to delay) but NO she said a.m. and coffee boat so we must follow the plan!!  So off we went with our waterproof camera to keep Marcus entertained while I swam out to sea hoping I didn't drown without my wetsuit... and WAALAAA!  a sign on the ocean floor!!!  I squealed with excitement!  Marcus was no where to be seen of course...and I looked up to see a boat out there serving coffee!  As I got closer I could actually smell the Kona coffee!  wow and it tasted amazing and even had mine with some milk!  Got a souvenir Kona swim cap too!  Finally waved Marcus over who had not seen the sign and he got his coffee.  I continued my swim for the full 45 minutes as Marcus took more pictures of fish and on the way back, we found the sign together and got the picture!

We did a little volunteer work after the swim and decided to take off for my 2 1/2 hour run.  No big deal as I would carry 40oz of water and there would be sponsored water stations along the way.  I was excited to run all of Ali'i drive and the first hill of the run course... AND THEN I STARTED TO COOK...AND SUFFOCATE...AND DRINK EVERYTHING I COULD!   OMG there is no humidity like Kona humidity.  After one hour, I text my coach.  I am dying out here!!!.  This is torture.  She said " think of me at 2pm on race day !"  ....I whimpered...I kept going.  I wore compression to control the swelling but I don't think it helped.  I tried to hold 10min run/ 1 minute walk.  My HOKA Cliftons were killing me, my Achilles was barking, my  hamstrings were screaming... I surely was becoming a raisin..I kept going.  Marcus pushed through hell for 2 hours at his own pace.  I found a water fountain with a blessing note above it right at the 1.5 mile marker before the village and saw it was across from my coach's place.  I sat on the bench and just poured water over my head repeatedly as I reflected on where I was, just a misfit triathlete, amongst all these amazing champions.  I said "suckitupbuttercup"...and took off... but it was like having tape over my mouth while running.  Honestly I could never get used to these conditions.  This was harder than running a marathon.  It was one of the most painful runs of my life.  How do these athlete's adjust to this?  I would have to train inside a sauna for a year.  Alas averaging 11:20 pace, I finished, without the first hill as I just couldn't make myself climb anything at that point and just ran back and forth until my watch said I could stop and collapse.  Time for a nap in A/C please... wow...a champion course is not for the weary.

I went to bed early for Saturday's race monitoring.  I wanted to soak up everything.  Watch the champs in their element while I dragged myself about.  I had seen my coach and friends when they checked in their bikes and they were in great spirits and not nervous since this wasn't their first Kona... hell just another race day for them!  We got pretty good spots for the swim start.  No more total mass starts so first Pro Men, Pro Women, the AG Men, then AG Women.  I started my Garmin watch to check their times as they arrived back from the swim.. the first men were in a bee hive of about 20 swimmers in 55 mins or so!  As the clock ticked by, I knew to look within the AG men for my coach cuz she is THAT fast.  Found  a Roka speedsuit with a pink cap in a swarm of blue caps and there she was in one hour! 

Then we were off to breakfast across from the swim start and listening to the announcer of the other swimmers and we all clapped when the last swimmer made the cutoff which I think was the 75 year old female!  Wow I had the most amazing French toast dipped in macadamia nuts and coconut!

We tracked Coach and friends and others like Apolo and the Nun and the oldest racer with the "new" fan tracker by Ironman... well it's an improvement but still will go for long periods without any updates :(   I watched my coach's bike splits and she was strong and then it dropped a lot and I got worried.  The bike for her is a piece of cake...then we learned the head winds were ferocious and she even saw a girl get blown off her bike!  We saw her start the run and she faked a great smile of silence...or gritted her teeth to pretend she was feeling awesome! Note to self...smile no matter what!  I was in contact with her spouse and he said her hamstrings were killing her.  ummm shall I say..so were mine but hey she is a champ!! We were lucky to have been advised to go to the Newton tent during the expo to leave her an inspirational cheer on video which she received while running through the most difficult part of the run!  It felt great to be a little part of her race day which helped keep her going!

She persevered and had her first IM finish in the dark but the conditions were hell and many DNF'd...and I still was teary-eyed at all she endured  to push through that IM finish arch toward Mike Reilly AGAIN for the 9th time. Missing goals never changed her attitude.  She was grateful to finish and for the experience and that made me even more proud of her.

We rested in our room until 11:45 and rushed down to see the final finishers.  Many had missed all their goals that day due to the conditions.  There's no doubt I never would have made it myself. After the last finisher crossed, the natives danced for the crowd and it was so beautiful to see!  What an awesome memory!

On Sunday, I went for my last wonderful 45 min swim and skipped my run as my legs were toast.  I had knots in my hamstrings and my left achilles was very swollen.  We found a great massage place for a therapeutic massage which was the most painful massage of my life.  I swear she used razor blades on me!  We took the red eye home and landed at 9am in SD.  By noon, I was riding my bike for 5.5 hours and back into my own little IMAZ world of training!

 In summary, all the lean, muscular bodies didn't intimidate me as I expected.  I didn't negative talk myself to death about why I look like me and not like them...I just looked starry-eyed at all of them with such admiration.  I know what they sacrificed to earn that body and those time splits.  I am a mere guppy in the pond of triathletes.  However, our common thread is perseverance, determination, and commitment.  I will honor these champs by standing by these values as I give it my all on November 16, 2014.  Mike Reilly... here I come....