Friday came so fast! My family had arrived and I had a few last minute items to take care of... .like organizing my gear bags, racking my bike, etc. I also had to go visit my A.R.T. friend JOE. He hooked me up again, but my sacrum wouldn't budge so he told me to come back at noon, just before they close.
There was an insane storm brewing. 25mph winds, heavy rain, and double red flags on the beach. Thank God the race wasn't on Friday! I knew that the front would pass and a North wind would calm the ocean for Saturday so I wasn't really worried. There were several, IMO, idiots who were attempting to swim anyway. I mean, why on earth would you go into a "DO NOT SWIM, DANGER, RIPTIDE" water the day before your big race? You gain nothing by swimming the day before anyway. The energy it would require to get through those breakers was not worth it, plus, major riptide warnings! I just watched from shore and hoped no one drowned.
Kellie and I with the RED flag. It eventually went to double red (meaning NO SWIMMING).
I double bagged all my gear, because you had to leave your bags in the parking lot, in this monsoon. I had 2 gallon ziplocks inside my gear bags. Sure it would take an extra 10 seconds in transition, but was worth it to have DRY stuff!
I headed off to rack my bike, of course there is always a rule that you must rack by the seat. My bike is so small 49cm, so if I hang it by the seat it dangles 3" off the ground. It's rather dangerous on a normal day, but with 25mph winds it was insane to leave my bike banging into the others.
I hung it by the handlebars then went to find an official. I found one who told me that "once they're all on the rack, they wont swing" and that "he would watch mine for me." The person next to me never racked their bike so mine had a full 2 feet to swing back and fourth! **Note when I arrived on Saturday AM, they had switched my bike, un-trued my race wheel and screwed up my brakes. Thanks Ironman you SUCK! I even talked to the RD and he basically said "so what, that's the rule." Hm, really? how about you keep my gear safe, you would never do that to those damn Princes or the Pros.. so why the rest of us? I think you have a DUTY to keep our gear safe, especially when you have a KNOWN risk. Not sure if my wheel can be fixed, I guess I'm just out $1K. Bleh!
I did find Joe in the A.R.T. tent again and he was able to put humpty dumpty back together again! WOOHOO. I felt pretty darn good!
As I was leaving, I ran into Joe Stone and crew. I helped check in his killer wheels, by this time there was a HUGE line and we had to wonder to the back. This gave me some time to hang out with Joe. Really, I'll say it again, check out his story! www.ironmansjourney.com He is amazing.
Joe is an advocate for getting others out there and active, regardless of their limitations. I feel the same way with overweight AND with Ehlers Danlos folks. He inspired me to be a little more open about my EDS. In the past I felt I was complaining if I mentioned it too much, but I learned this weekend that I can help others by just showing they aren't alone.
On Friday the Ehlers Danlos National Foundation also posted a link about me and I started to get some amazing support from my fellow EDSers. I was partially glued to my phone looking at the comments on my facebook page for fatgirl. SO many comments, I felt I had a thousand people to do this for! The feeling was pretty surreal.
After the bike racking, I headed back to my room to hang with my family. So happy to have my husband John, parents, brother and 2 cousins come to cheer me on.
I didn't go out to eat, my pre-race meal is a Shrimp Alfredo from a restaurant in Massachusetts. I ate half of it and froze it before we left. It seems like a heavy meal, but I ate it once and it worked, so I continue to eat it before every race, even if I have to transport it 1400 miles!
After dinner we just hung out and everyone left pretty early.
I turned my facebook page over to 3 awesome admins: Kelly, Rebekah and Naomi. *Wow, they did an awesome job! *
I tried to go to sleep. Yea right. No one sleeps the night before an Ironman.
I packed up work stuff on Thursday Oct 24 and was ready to go! I had all day Friday to pack and get things in order. I had my list and checked things off 3x. I should have just packed them in clear bags as I felt the need to open each back 3 more times to make sure I had everything.
Friday AM I headed out to get my nails done, I knew I had to step it up this time so this is what I ended up with : Ironman Florida, plus zebra to represent my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome!
In the days leading up to our departure I had several medical issues, from bones, ligaments, out of whack to a sinus and ear infection! YIPPIEE!! I also could not run the last 2 weeks because my last half marathon just killed my hip. I was indeed worried about the race, but I figured I'd stress about that on Race day.
First non-physical stress of the week was the RV turn signal would not work.. I think we need that. Luckily banging on the light fixed it.
We spent 3 days taking our time on the 1400 mile drive from MA to FL. I spent half the time (probably more) on Facebook, posting to Fatgirl and chatting with my virtual BAZINGA team! What an amazing group of folks, it was so nice to have everyone!
I was very excited to make it to the beach. Warm sunshine YIPPIE! - Although in my haste to pack, I did not pack any "non-race" bike shirts, so I wore my one for race day. IMPROVISE..you have to improvise to do an IM, nothing EVER goes exactly as planned!
I posted a note to the Bazinga group as I needed to do an easy hour ride, Matt agreed to meet me and we headed into the State park. This is where I had my first REAL race panic. I was looking for my Garmin, could not find it. I ripped apart EVERY bag I had packed. I had them in their respective race bags too! The funny thing was I had TWO Garmin's with me TWO and could not find either! 10 min later they appeared.. WHEW!
There was some wind, but totally doable. It was a nice relaxing ride and even included some deer and a baby that were NOT afraid of us!
Tuesday was our first swim. I met a few of the Bazinga team. See, I REALLY AM SHORT! These guys were awesome. I was the slowest of the bunch and they waited for me on the turns :) thanks guys!
Immediately following the swim I met Joe Stone's crew (Kevin and Fiance Amy) If you haven't read his story, please do http://ironmansjourney.com/ He chose Florida to be his attempt at being the first quadriplegic to complete an Ironman. Inspired to say the least!
Wednesday was the start of Ironman Village. It was also the day we checked into the Hotel. We had 2 places to stay, our RV across the street and a room in the SWIM OUT. That was rather convenient! NO port-o-potty for me, or my crew! This is the view from our back door. Those are the showers for the swim out.
I had an interesting encounter as I was checking into the Hotel. Some random guy was there, getting his 'balcony room' so he could watch the swim. I said "no watching for me, I'm doing it." He looked me up and down and said "REALLY?"-- I know so many of the bigger triathletes get this all the time, seriously folks, you are spectating, get over yourself and stop judging.
In Ironman Village, they had the clock ticking down. 72 hours. Note behind the sign, secret service types (men in suits in the 80 degree Florida weather). They were 'guarding' 2 Middle Eastern Princes. I do have to say that these guys were quite annoying, their posse was everywhere, and even bothered several folks on the course with their 'chase vehicles.' They had so much special attention it was sick. They even kicked several folks out of their hotel who had reservations from the year before! (and caused them an additional $150 at the NEXT hotel). Not cool Ironman!
So my next stress was when I was about to pick up my packet. I got a call and text from my cleaning lady. Frantic. Apparently our electric stove top was ON, heat coming from it, but everything was in the 'off' position. She was smart enough to go cut the breaker to the kitchen and shut if off. Everything cooled down. Insanity! Panic, seriously did I need to have my HOUSE burn down as a stress? 30 min later my neighbor went over and everything was fine once the power was cut. What an insane thing, and thank God she came that day!
So, as I tried to lower my heart rate, I went and stood in line to get my packet. It was uneventful.
The swag was kind of cheap, my Eagleman bag is SO much nicer! *the finisher tshirt and hat were also pretty lame*- but I shall use them them pride anyway!. Although I doubt that plastic licence plate holder will last one winter here in New England.
I guess it is real now!
Apollo and Athena made the trip with us. Athena is named for a category in triathlon, and mr Apollo is one irondog! He is going on 13 years old in a breed that lives 6-8 years. I swear he needed to see me through this!
Kellie and I (Tri NewEngland peeps) hung for a bit, attended the pre-race briefing and just enjoyed the day.
I am happy to stalk Rinny again, but am also super upset at Ironman for running out of medals and making the pros not stick around till Midnight. I KNOW she would have given me my medal!
I had asked around to see if there was a chiropractor around and I got an early Christmas present, there was an ENTIRE TENT full of them! A.R.T. practitioners, doing FREE, yes FREE work! My sacrum and hip were out of place. JOE hooked me up and told me to come back on Friday. I eventually figured out that the sacrum issue was from the HOTEL TOILET, yes toilet. EDS is a strange disorder! The height and angle of the toilet just pulled apart my sacrum! nice, eh? The toilet hurt me more than an Ironman! - I'm so glad Joe was there to hook me up!
Thursday we had another group swim, with team Bazinga- what an awesome group.
Thursday evening was the athlete banquet. We paid $30 for John and in my opinion, was quite overpriced for what it was. I was, however, impressed with how they can serve 2000+ people that quickly though. We were PACKED in. There is no way to actually capture the number of folks in this room.
We listened to the program, heard Joe Stone speak and ventured home to rest. Thursday is supposed to be a 'feet up' day, YEA RIGHT!
Race week FLEW by, I was surrounded by awesome people, new teammates and great family and friends!
I thank each and every one of you for your support over the last year, and I want to thank my husband John for putting up with this for the last 5 years! A few of us are lucky to have supportive spouses! He is my Sherpa, house cleaner, cook, and anything else you can imagine. You can't do this without a supportive spouse! I know I am super lucky! If you see John, say hi (He will most likely have 2 bernese mountain dogs with him and my green team shirt).
First and really important, for my East Coast friends, please note that Panama City Beach is on Central Time! Start time is actually 8AM EDT and I'll be finishing at 1AM EDT!
If you are at the race, starttime is 7AM Central, you will want to arrive at 6 or earlier. Watching the sun rise with all the athletes is a sight to see!
Most of you know that tracking on "ironman athlete tracker" is prone to issues, so I have some alternatives. in addition to the standard trackers, Please check out ironmanlive.com as there is a feed all day on the finish line. I do expect to be in the last hour, but be warned, the video feed is something you will be glued to as so many cross that finish line!
My Athlete Tracker
During race day I will be wearing a small device which will transmit my location via cell phone signal. I have elected to wear this device in order to make your experience more enjoyable as a spectator!
The easiest way to track me using this device will be to download the My Athlete app which can be found in the iPhone Store or Google Play Store on your smart phone.
Just look up MyAthlete or MyAthleteLive and you should find the free application.
On race day you can see exactly where I am by plugging in my #837 - Laura Backus
You are all welcome to take screen shots along the way and send them to my Fatgirl page!
I will have some guest Admins on Fatgirl, so NO I will not be posting during the race ;) Thank you Rebekah and Kelly!
The swim:
The swim is a 2 loop course, where we will all exit the water at the half way point, run on the beach then back into the water. Best photo ops, other than a top floor room in the hotel, are best at the water exit, especially for loop one. Once finished with loop 2, I will run under the shoot and head to the wetsuit strippers and then to the transition area.
The Bike:
I will exit the hotel/ T1 / Changing area and someone will hand me my bike and I will be on my way to riding 112 miles through the towns. I will be wearing some visible clothing, my shirt is green and yellow with the best motto "Be realistic plan for a miracle." This is my team shirt from the Pan Mass Challenge, a big bike ride / charity fundraiser for Cancer research and care! Once you see me leave, head to the beach, it will be a while before I return.
Once I complete the bike, I will return to the transition area. Look for signs "Bike dismount", you will see me there. It would be best to head toward the run out at that point.
The Run:
I will change my shirt to a sleeveless "Be realistic" shirt and I will have a sparky green shirt on. I kind of stand out. The run is a 2 loop run, you will be able to see me at the run turnaround. Look for signs or ask directions to the turnaround.
The Finish:
The finish line will be hopping, especially in the last hour. It is an electric place and you will be caught up in it, whether I'm there or not. You will want to get there early especially if you would like a good spot in the bleachers or along the shoot.
My estimated times are as follows:
I expect a 1:35 - 1:50 on the swim.
5-7 minutes in transition
7-8 hours on the bike.
4-5 min in transition
My run is the wild card. You will want to check the GPS to find my pace. Use this chart as an estimate.
For those that will be at the race:
My family will be wearing the 'Team Laura' t-shirt, if you see them, say hi!
Every athlete loves to be called by name or number. Look at their race bibs for that info. For Example-“John you are looking great” or “Great Job #1302” or “Awesome Bike Ride #121”
Don’t be scared to cheer for people you don’t know!
Cheering “You are almost there” is never a good idea unless you are standing in the finishers chute! :)
See someone with a lightening bolt on their left calf? YELL BAZINGA! This is my virtual team from facebook. An awesome group of folks who have been encouraging each other all season.
If you see me, saying "GO Fatgirl" is also OK! I'll know you found me here! (Unless you're my brother, in case he will just be so happy to speak 'fatgirl' this and not get yelled at, Norm, no yelling this at anyone else.)!
Thank you to Stephanie# 694 for writing much of this content for herself, and allowing me to copy! If you see her, please give her a shout!
It seems like last week that I created this blog and had this pipe dream of becoming an Ironman. I fell in love with triathlon and true to my driving spirit, I wanted to go to the 'holy grail'- pushing my body through 140.6 miles. At one point I had a revelation that running was so terribly painful that I would just 'do a Half Ironman' and that would suffice. I mean 70.3 with Ehlers Danlos is an accomplishment right?
Of course that would not suffice. 2 months after the Providence half, I completed and WON the Athena division for Chesapeakeman Aquavelo. That is 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike. And I did it in a time that would ALLOW me to do a full Ironman!
It seems like yesterday that I booked a flight and went by myself to volunteer for Ironman Florida 2012. I had the time of my life, met some amazing people with whom I now share this un-explainable bond!
I had surgery in Feb and put me about 1 month behind my schedule. BUT, a breast reduction was basically prep for IM anyway! In April I was ready to go. I racked up the miles, swim, bike and run. I went through several cycles of hating one sport or another. At one point I actually didn't "hate" running. (that didn't last long).
I pretty much stopped talking to anyone that wasn't involved in the sport in someway. Not that I don't love you non-athletes, but there is "sleeping, working, and working out" and if you aren't in one of those categories, there wasn't much time. I promise I'll get to you in January, thank you for your patience :).
I slacked on my blog. I would have thought I would post weekly at least, but there was no time. Ugh, Time. No one can REALLY understand how scheduled a life can be until you try to train for an Ironman.
I have almost entered the full taper. My workouts are shorter. By shorter, I mean a 50 mile bike ride and a 12 mile run! I am starting to have time. This time is spent scouring the internet and commiserating with others about to do this same thing.. Ironman Florida!
I keep looking at videos of the races. Each bring up so much emotion. Excitement, elation, fear, anxiety, and most of all- awe. Yes AWE, I cannot believe I'm so close to attempting this goal!
Each video adds a little more to the excitement. I am so close. There is nothing else I can do, the training is behind me. I can only prepare for my 17 hour day.
I look forward to having many of you behind me, I look forward to hearing "Laura Backus, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN"..
**Like my page on facebook to follow me on Race day*
I try to stay positive, but sometimes I can't help but whine a little. I do feel I owe some of the readers too, because I do have several EDS followers who have told me they feel inspired by me and they know they can "DO IT" - no matter what that "DO IT" is!
I get so frustrated at the EDS community, I have mentioned this before in the many other EDS related posts , but I have received basically hate mail from some that are mad at me for posting that I CAN do this stuff. Some say "I must not have EDS if I can do this" some say "stop posting things because you make me feel bad." What I say to them is.. I advocate being healthy and pushing yourself to YOUR limits. YOUR limits may be taking yourself from not getting out of bed all day to making an effort to sit up 2 more times than usual. It may be trying to walk a little further, one extra trip to the kitchen. It may be trying to work up to walking one mile. It may be for my crazy self, doing the ultimate challenge for your body: attempting an Ironman.
Conversely, I am brought to tears on a regular basis by the really awesome emails/messages I receive. Most of my readers are awesome. I just LOVE to hear the stories of how you have gone from point A to point B. (Both my athlete friends who have gone from 100 lbs overweight, smoking, alcoholics, to those with EDS who decided if I can do this, they can do XYZ).
I am 18 days out from my Ironman, and I do it for me, but I do it for all of you too! I carry each and every one of those stories with me!
Anyway! They point of this post is to just tell you a little more about training with EDS. It has it's ups and downs! Like anyone training for an any event! Some days you feel good, some days not. Some days you have a 'sore something' some days not (well that one is not true for EDS).
The thing is, you LOOK normal, and you just WANT to compare yourself to everyone else and you just can't! I have learned, although reluctantly, to look at past performance, compare to current. I can't even count on 'increases' in performance, what I have to assess is "How did I do today and how did I FEEL" vs "How did I do yesterday and how did I FEEL."
Each day is different. May athletes with an injury of some sort can sort of relate. Say you have plantar fasciitis. You know your feet are going to hurt. You can tape, massage, wear the boot. You KNOW what is needed to mend it, and you know that each day you rest it, you will get a little better.
With EDS, that is not the case. You can wake up one day and have a knee, hip, and shoulder out of place. Next day, that knee is back where it belongs but then your fingers are out and your neck is killing you. It is almost impossible to keep up with all of it.
For me, I tend to have to deal with 1 or 2 issues at a time. I have an extremely high tolerance for pain, so that is good. BUT with that comes some risk. I have to KNOW what is doing damage, vs what I can push through.
This past month has been pretty brutal for me. I do think the Fall is terrible for my body. The temp and pressure changes suck the life out of me. When I did my longest run, 20 miles, my hip was out of place. Which means the head of my femur rubbed on the hip socket for probably 15 miles. It caused major inflammation and loosened the connective tissue, making it easier for the hip to continue to fall out. I could not stand up/ walk for 2 days and I had a hard time walking for the next 2 weeks. Riding a bike was ok because of the position of my leg rotation (YEA TRI BIKES). I didn't actually run again until my half marathon on Sunday.
The difference of someone with an injury and a genetic disorder like EDS, is I really have no idea what might be wrong on any given day. I could be perfectly fine one day, then a pile of mush the next day. Saturday this week, I had a long bike ride. I had some really weird things hurting; my fingers; my knee caps; and my big toes. That isn't typical for me! I took meds, went to bed, and hoped for the best for the Half on Sunday.
Sunday, I loaded up on antiinflammatories, taped my knee and hip and hoped for the best. Before I even started running, my arch was collapsed. I now carry a chiropractic activator and I put the arch back at least 5x before the start. I was also fighting a 3 day long migraine.
Believe it or not, I had a great first 10K. I believe my 5K pace might have been PR, it was around :42. Then I hit 10K at 1:28, that was definitely a PR, cool right? - it started to go downhill from there. For some reason my right knee, ACL felt very 'tight.' With EDS that can just happen! Then right foot arch was collapsed again, something was up with my left heel, left patella was out of place and left hip was out. I was really trying to focus on keeping my hip in place. For those of you who have ever tried to focus on 'form' you'll get a little of this. For every step, I had to focus on the hip and leg, make sure it did not go outside of the range, and sort of 'clench' my butt to pull it in. EVERY STEP!
At some point, I ended up with a cramp under my scapula. How does one do that while RUNNING? well, if you have EDS, you don't need to 'do' something, sometimes your stuff just moves!
By the time I got to mile 10, I had enough, but I had to finish. I don't know the word "quit." I slowed down to a pace that I knew would get me through IMFL and stayed there. I slogged through the last 3 miles and got my medal! To give you an idea of pain level, I took a percocet and it did NOTHING.
I knew I would have trouble walking the next day, it's just how life goes.
Sunday was as I expected, it would take me 3 steps to get upright. I walk like someone who needs a hip replacement.
Monday I saw my massage therapist; For 2 hrs 15 minutes! NOTHING was normal. My ligaments felt funny, such as the ones in my feet actually moved over. Same with my knees. The insertion points were literally not where they belonged. Also typical for EDS. My ITBands are normally rock hard and really painful on massage or foam roller, however yesterday it was my QUADS that were beat up. That never happens! I have no idea why the switch, other than EDS has a mind of it's own!
I really never know if my body is going to show up or not. I don't know on any given day WHICH body part will be out (it's not a question if IF, it is "which one"). And I have a mild case of Ehlers Danlos!
This isn't a pity post, no worries. I know what I'm getting into when I do these things. This is more to spread some awareness of what we deal with, also to show that yea- I'm out there, publishing some really cool stuff, but it isn't' all rainbows and unicorns!
**Like my page on facebook to get all my tri rantings**
You pass a car on the
highway and mutter, "On your left" – Catherine D.
You have a bigger
selection of running socks than you do dress socks – Bill D
You are are still hungry
15 minutes after your fifth meal of the day – Dave P.
Spin teachers want you to
do the drills where you stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down.... But instead
you stay seated and crank the gear to practice IMCDA hills – Jai M.
When you hold your breath
that your car with 170k miles will pass inspection, only to then go straight to
the bike shop for your 2nd tuneup of the year. – ME!
You take your kids for a
swim in the ocean and you describe it not as cold, but as "wetsuit legal"
– Jim B.
When You race so hard you
vomit and your first concern is "there goes all my hydration! "
– Jeff M.
When you take a nap at
10am in your car! – Tata F.
You dread winter because
everything you wear will soon smell of chlorine. And sheets. And car. –
Blaik O.
Your equipment could have
been designed by NASA and it cost as much as a lunar mission.- Dwayne A.
Your bike is always up on
maintenance and your car is 3000 miles overdue for an oil change –
Melissa K.
People complain about how
long the line for the portas are at a local 5k and you think, 'you've got no
clue'. Ryan K.
You own more Lycra than
cotton or denim – Damien T.
Getting dressed for a
workout less than an hour seems like a waste of time. – Stefan M.
When your wife
affectionately calls the Cervelo P3 hanging on the bedroom wall your mistress.
– Stephen P.
When you do a sprint tri
then do 12 miles after- Shawn H.
You ride more miles on
your Tri bike than your motorcycle [car] annually. – Eric E.
That moment where you're
70.3 sticker just doesn't feel cool any more. – Kristel S.
When, as a man, you have
more pair of tights than any female in your family- Reed M.
You are more worried
about your bike than yourself after a hard crash.. – Shawn H.
When...If your house was
burning down you would grab the tri bike... Dwayne A.
When you invited for your
sister wedding to cyprus, and you seeking a triathlon contest on the island - Gabor W.
A bike in the living room
is perfectly normal.- Dwayne A.
When every family
vacation has to include a race or training time. – Mark M.
all day your wondering
'did i eat enough protein?'- Jeremy B.
When you wake up from a
dream in a panic thinking that you lost your wetsuit the morning of your IM
race. – Lance W.
When your house looks
like hyenas live in it two days before leaving for IM a week early! –
Christa M.
You have to wait for the
sun to come up to go for an open water swim.- Dwayne A.
When you don't question
biking 100 miles but think driving 5 is far – Colette S.
When one workout a day
feels like you wimped out. – Shawna B.
You are insulted when
people refer to your IRONMAN as a MARATHON – Julie S.
When 9 PM is kinda late.-
Dwayne A.
When one minute under the
hour is a very big deal.- Shawna B.
When you spot random
numbers painted on the street and you try to figure out if you are on some sort
of course.- Dwayne A.
When you have not styled
your hair or worn make -up in weeks...why bother...you are just going to either
get wet or sweaty and it's way too much work. – Ren H.
When you ride your bike
farther in a day than most people drive their cars in a weekend!- Nicole
J.
When you start taking
days off work to get in that 100+ mile ride for the week...- Kelly O.
Your gym locker smells
better than your car!- Mauricio S.
When you see the sunrise
more often than the sunset – Kristin M.
When your colleagues ask
who is smelling like a rubber duck after a lunch break wetsuit swim –
Volker E.
You know yer an Ironman
when you CAN'T SHADDUP ABOUT IRONMAN!!! - Dee C.
Your spare room is a
large walk in closet, laundry and sorting area – Ron E.
You just bought a Trek
9.9 and you have no problem telling people what you paid. –Chris W
Your wet suit costs more
than your nicest dress suit. Sina S.
Your social life is reduced to Facebooking with only friends whose profile pics are of them doing some race.- Matt I.
The facebook group is run
by the owner of Energylab, check them out, and thank them for crowd-sourcing this gem!
Here are my top 10:
Check out my facebookpage for more updates of my Journey!
I did Cman last year, and loved it. I signed up for this year a primer for Ironman Florida. I was to do the aquabike: 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike. Followed by a training run of 12 miles.
WELL.. life had a different plan for me.
We arrived in Cambridge MD on Friday AM, headed straight to the packet pickup that was to open at 10. I had my day planned out, I would pick up the packet at 10, go straight to T1, do a quick ride then rack my bike. Well, I need to learn to read the Athlete guide because you couldn't rack your bike until 2PM. I guess that's what I get for 'assuming' I knew what to do since I did it last year.
So alternate plan, we would take the RV over to the High School and get set up, I would go for a ride, that would end at T1. From there I would rack my bike and hitch a ride back with someone. FAIL #2 of the day!.. You couldn't really set up until SCHOOL was out.
We headed to the Great Marsh Park in the RV to wait out the afternoon. I decided that since I had some time now, I would go for a swim. The water LOOKED perfect.
I got in and swam 10 min out 10 min back, and was stung about 5x by the Jellyfish. They call them sea netties in MD. It wasn't that bad, just annoying. I decided I would lather up with aquaphor on race day. I went for a quick 30 min ride, racked my bike and went to the High School.
The evening was uneventful, the camping was rather peaceful and not as many RVs as Eagleman. I had a nice early bedtime.
Race AM: On the bus at 4:45AM. The worst thing about late season races is how long it takes the sun to get up. Although when it did make an appearance, it was beautiful.
Race prep was non-eventful for me, that is good. I was trying some new fuel options, since this was a training race. I added some salt potatoes to my bike and I added a new bento box between my areo bars to just 'pick' at peanut butter stuffed pretzels and Swedish fish.
I was getting ready, slathering myself with aquaphor and I saw this panicked woman who left her wetsuit back at the hotel. Talk about having a plan B! I offered her some aquaphor if she needed it, but we were all hopeful that someone would have an extra wetsuit..well SOMEONE DID. You have to love the tri-community. I swear some might even bring an extra bike.
I was prepared, ready for today.. SO I THOUGHT!
Lap 1 of the swim was fine, lots of arms and legs, and the normal bump and whack. There didn't seem to be much current on the way out. Coming back I was sighting on the buoys and TOTALLY thought the 2nd to last buoy was the turn buoy, only to get there and realize there was another 100 yards. Headed back for loop 2, there was a pretty swift current to face, luckily it was short.
I then turned and faced the jellyfish from HELL! I felt my first sting in my armpit. Then I grabbed one on a down stroke, yuck. Then I meet up with this total jerk. He was a 15 foot zigzagger. 15 feet to the left, then 15 feet to the right. I tried to sprint to get in front of him, or just slow down and let him go. I tried to go outside, then inside. I could NOT get away from him. He had one of the wetsuits with the rough elbows, so every time he'd hit me it would scratch me! I got to a point where I was contemplating how I could hurt him. For a moment I thought of just taking his goggles.
So as I was fighting him, I kept getting stung. One wrapped itself round my garmin and May-poled itself down my arm. I thought I'd flick it off, but that didn't work. I had to stop and detangle the thing from me and in the process it stung my fingers! This happened 3 or 4 more times and once on my FOOT!
As I turned on the far turn, I contemplated quitting. I have NEVER, EVER thought of quitting a race.. but I did today. I then thought about the medal and my nails, how stupid right? but that dumb thing kept me going.
I FINALLY ended the swim and was beyond pissed. I was SO slow, 1:55. My first thought was CRAP I can't afford that much extra time on the swim in Florida.
I was just inspecting my arms as I got out, thinking "really? just REALLY?"
I huffed over to the change tent. I had fully expected a quick T1, because I wasn't changing. All I had to do was remove wetsuit, put on shirt, and lube. I noticed I cut my toe and it was bleeding ..awesome. I just stood there for a min just looking dumbfounded, then proceeded out of the tent.
How's this for the most defeated, pissed off face?
From there I was ready for the bike... or so I thought.
I followed my nutrition plan, first street out I ate my Uncrustable. Then I knew I had to tend to the stings. I had biofreeze with me and I figured the menthol would alleviate some of the sting. It worked, a little. I had one on my foot that I couldn't get to and I wasn't about to take my shoe off (OR STOP). About ever 15 min it would feel like someone would electrocute my foot. The exposed ones on my arms would just sting as the wind hit it. The ones under my shirt, like my armpit didn't bother me as much.
I knew I was in for it with the wind, but I never expected what actually happened. I need to learn how to read the 'wind' forecasts. I had planned on the 16 MPH S as coming FROM the south not BLOWING south. So when I mentally prepared, I figured I would have about 30 miles of headwind, 60-70 of tail and 10-20 of cross wind. It was exactly opposite! The first finger of the ride was fine, little bit of wind but nothing to worry about. Once you turned into the Wildlife refuge it was like someone smacked you with a brick wall. My 18 MPH became 14. Every time I saw the road turn I would think "oh finally", only to have the winds blow HARDER. The winds ended up being sustained around 15-17 and gusts to 25+.
The cross wind is REALLY hard for my bike. It is quite aero, but that means in a cross wind I have to hang on for dear life. I HAVE been blown over before, I don't wish to do that again.
I put my head down and pedaled, and swore, and pedaled, and swore. I actually took the time to switch my garmin to show the heading in one of the views, that way I could see which direction this damn wind was going. Turns out, the only time we had a tail wind was when we were headed DUE NORTH... NNW was 'eh' but North was a nice downhill!
The last 15 miles of the loop were N, HOWEVER, the first 4 of those miles we're treated to this terrible road. It feels like you're using a 1950's weight loss 'shaker.' Add insult to injury, the town decided they should cut up the road 5 days before the race! So there were (4) 15 foot sections of sinking gravel/sand that you had to cross. So much for using that tailwind!
The race director said that the town did that like 5 days before the race! How nice, thank you town!
Anyway the last 12 or so miles were pretty fun. I was going double my speed from the last 50 miles! This is a picture from last year, but you get the idea.
I stopped at 2 port-o-potties along the first loop. The 2nd one I almost killed myself. First I noticed a friend's PMC waterbottle. I looked up and saw him, he was sad because his cage broke and he was going to have to abandon it. In case you missed my PMC posts, it is something you cherish and you WANT your waterbottles! Anyway I told him I'd take it, I didn't have anything in my rear cage.
I step into the potty, and my foot slips. I half grab the door which swings open, then I looked for another place to put my other arm. In those 3 seconds I thought of what would be the best way to fall and not hurt anything.. then all I could think of was falling IN.. It was close, but I didn't fall in... I did laugh, and swear some more.
When I came into the first loop, I saw John and threw the PMC bottle at him. It was safely returned to Rick - YEA one win for today!
I was ready to quit by loop one and thought, no way, I have to finish. But about there I decided I was not going to do my training run. I had talked about it, and I knew I should do it, but I just wasn't having it. My body was toast, and my hip still wasn't great from the weekend before. I also knew I was 3mph slower than last year so there was no hope of me winning Athena again.
Head down and pedal and swear..that was the motto. I kept singing this, except the words were "every day I'm SUFFERING..SUFFERING"
I continued with my nutrition and hydration plan, but at some point I just didn't feel like eating or drinking. I just wanted OFF the bike. I managed to bring it in in 7:35, my goal was 7 hrs. I felt so defeated. I wasn't doing my run, I didn't make EITHER of my times. Before anyone replies, I HAVE To do my swim in 1:45 and my bike in 7 or under to make the run for Florida. It is ALL about the time. Although I think this crap is preparing me for the worst, only to give me the BEST conditions ever for race day!
So anyway, I get off the bike and they have a new finish line for Aquabike (YEA!!!). You run into the track just like any of the runners and pass UNDER the real finish line. I was so excited to see a finish line and hear my name.. ONLY to see the finish line.. the damn wind had blown it to pieces!
Hey but the Race director put my medal on!
I was so done. I was itchy, hot, cold, salty, sweaty, and very, very irritated.
I went and had a massage, NO LINE WOOHOO. Then I hear a friend's name as the woman's first place finisher. (She better tell people soon so I can mention it).
OK that was cool.
The woman with the lost wetsuit also found me to thank me for talking her off the ledge, so sweet of her. I'm glad SHE had a good race.
Then I look at the results. I shouldn't have even looked at them. I was 2nd place Athena. Which, I would be happy with in normal circumstances. HOWEVER, I was 38 min slower than last year.. had I reached my goals today, I would have taken first. She only beat me by 5 minutes. So then comes the over analyzing. Where could I have made up 5 min?
peed my pants, yea not doing that, although it would have saved my near death potty experience
not taking my friends water bottle (maybe 30 seconds added?)
not helped an athlete in need. A woman needed an Advil, I had some. So to give it to her we had to slow down and basically hold hands for 10 seconds.
NOT screwing around in transition.. yea that one I could have done different, but that might have been 2 min tops.
Not looking for a pity party, yea I had a REALLY hard day. Days like today make you tough, they make you realize what you CAN get through. I'm very glad that wasn't my first race here or I would never do it again.
I am nervous for Florida, I know what I can and cannot do. I NEED to have a 7 hr bike and a 1:45 swim to make my run. May the wind gods be at my back. and the jellyfish can go F### themselves..
Last can be an evil word in any sport. No one wants to be picked last for dodgeball, no one wants to come in last in any race, but is it a stigma that isn't worthy of it's name! Last really isn't a bad place to be.
If you are an Olympian but come in last in your sport, are you bad? Should you be ashamed? NO WAY, because YOU ARE AN OLYMPIAN! How many people get to say that? If you come in last in the Daytona 500, are you bad? nope, but you just did something not many folks get to do! Finish last in the Masters, uh you got there somehow!... I could go on and on!
When I started this blog, I often said "I have 2 goals, finish and not last." I was TERRIFIED of coming in last, until the day I did.
I was so mad this day. It was a 'stupid little sprint', and it actually wasn't my fault I was last. The swim was re-seeded and I started 10 people from the end in a 1 by 1 swim start. Meaning when I started, I knew I would be last.
I rounded the last corner and had the (insert expletives) police woman following me. She was in a car, she didn't look like she ever walked more than 10 feet in her life, and she was cheering for me "you go girl, you got this." I was PISSED, I wanted to punch something, I wanted her to shuttup. I didn't want to be last. I rounded the last corner as they were tearing down the finish line, my friends ran in with me as I heard my name, no it wasn't for the finish, it was for a "winner must be present" prize. Luckily I had friends scream "SHE'S AT THE FINISH." I was mad, but I finished. It was one of those consolation races where everyone says "at least you finished" or "awesome you tried." I was mad at all of them, especially those comments from the ones who said that and have NEVER TRIED.
I had a 10K last year that made me angry, I was last, but I ran 3 or 4 miles BEFORE the 10K. I was trudging up this hill and when you are last you get a pace-car, a Kayak, a biker, police car, police Harley, etc. Well this day I had an ambulance following me. Not only did I have the annoying rumble of a diesel engine, I had 2 guys who had ZERO interest in acknowledging me. Normally you can have a conversation (like the police woman I wanted to shuttup ?!?). No if I slowed down these guys backed out of my way. Grrr. I eventually passed the finish line and I did hear one guy say "hey I saw her running BEFORE the race,wonder how far she ran?"
After that day I broke the "I don't want to be last" mold. SO some days I might be last, you never know who is in the field? I mean if you run a half marathon with all Kenyan runners, and you are last, how bad are you? It is relative!
I was last for the Providence Half Ironman. Actually I am THE last finisher EVER for the PVD 70.3!
What did I get out of that? Well, I had a Harley pace 'car', I had my own SAG wagon, I had my own cheerleaders at the last 2 water stops, and I had the finish line TO MYSELF. All of my friend were allowed IN the chute! That's the only way I got this picture! My friend Lisa took it (the professional photographer missed this one and caught me on the ground after).
I've been doing this for a long time now, I know my strengths and weaknesses. I know I can DO it though. I have way too many friends who say they could never do a half iron (or even Olympic). They think you just take your speed from the shorter races and you should be able to carry that out for an endurance sport. It doesn't work that way. You can't multiply your 5K speed out to get a marathon time.
I don't mind being last now. As a matter of fact, I will 'take' that spot from a woman who is upset about it. No need to tell us we're ahead of the guy that didn't start, we know it. We know we're awesome.
I did a swim race on Saturday. 2.7 miles. Who does a 2.7 mile swim? I knew before we even STARTED the race that I would be last. I knew most of the participants and there was NO WAY I would be close. My goal was MY time not theirs. I came in last by about 15 minutes, but still 30 min from the cutoff. Plenty of time and I did not fatigue myself. I had my own kayaker the whole way, and let me tell you, THAT was nice. Sighting was a little difficult and she was a great way to sight!.
If I want to do an Ironman in 8 weeks I cannot expend all of my energy on the swim. I must pace myself and if that means last, then I will be last. It is a very individual sport!
What was VERY cool about this past weekend, Back of the Pack Productions is a race company that recognizes that the last athlete matters just as much as the first! They give the exact same prize to last place as they do first place. WOOHOO.. (If you have a chance to go support them, please do)!
It really is OKAY to be last! I am looking forward to being last at Ironman Florida. I will get a Harley pace vehicle, TONS of supporters telling me 'you go girl'- (I welcome that now)!, a GIGANTIC standing room only crowd at the finish line, fireworks, and most likely have my medal placed on me by the Professional champion of the day!
