ironcheryl2018

I am going to challenge myself to run 200 miles in May 2020. So the natural question would be, why? Coronavirus has completely turned the world upside down; for everyone. While I have kept training for the past 7 weeks of “stay at home”, I have no idea what I am training for. No idea when I will be able to do a triathlon again. So, rather then feeling sorry for myself, I am going to run 200 miles.

If you’ve read this blog from the beginning, you know that I started this IRONMAN journey out of desperation for a situation I couldn’t control. At the time I could never have guessed how triathlon would change my life and bring me so much joy; but something amazing came out of something truly awful. Maybe that’s what is happening again. Sometimes, that’s how life works. You just don’t know so you just have to keep the faith.

So let’s be clear.  My triathlon coach thinks this is a terrible idea. Not just bad, terrible. Typically I would listen to my coach; but this is really not about triathlon. I am not running 200 miles to get faster or better at triathlon. I am not running 200 miles to lose weight. I am running 200 miles because I am having one of those Forest Gump moments. I just want to run. I love running. I love that I can think and fight through the tough miles and get to the amazing ones. I love running and smelling people’s laundry drying and bacon cooking and yeah, sometimes someone smoking weed on their patio…….. I love running in the rain. I just love to run.

I’m not sure I can fully describe why I think this will help me and why I think it’s a good idea for me, but I do. So I’m going to document these 31 days here and share what I discover along the way.

DAY 1 – 5/1/20

Today, I woke up and got out the door by 5:35 for 6 miles. I felt the spider webs on my skin, knowledge that I was the first to run on that sidewalk for the day and broke that night’s web work. It was a beautiful morning; crisp 60 degrees and low humidity – so refreshing for SE Texas. Thought about how hot is would be by May 31 and quickly moved on to other thoughts.

Today was pretty slow pace, but felt strong and was just an easy run down to Branch Crossing and back. I’m going to try to vary my routes and do some fun and different things since I’ll be running every day.

Nothing too spectacular to report today but the first 3% of the 200 miles is done. Excited for this journey.

 

Yesterday was to be the IRONMAN TEXAS 2020 race. I wasn’t going to participate; I was going to volunteer at the swim exit. I was excited to see teammates participate. COVID-19 has meant everything is cancelled. People are dying; the economy is crashing; and I’ve been under a stay-at-home order since mid-March. Crazy times and not certain why all this is happening.

Yesterday was the 2-year anniversary of becoming an IRONMAN. I had planned a race a month for most of 2020. Now I wonder if I will even get to do one or two and with everything happening around me, I know it’s just going to take a long time.

But yesterday rather than mourning what was lost, I participated in a Virtual Duathlon with my Tri Team; Valhalla + Valkyrie Racing. I assisted in planning the event. It’s funny how doing something to help other people feels so much better than just helping yourself. While none of us were “together” doing this race, everyone is posting their pictures and results on our team Facebook page and it is SO MUCH FUN to see people forgetting about the pandemic for a little while and using their training and challenging themselves. Coronavirus does not kill our spirit for the things we love!!!!

David came with me as I went to Carl Barton and did my Olympic ride for this duathlon. I’ve been working super hard to improve my bike and day by day, little by little, I have been improving. So I decided to push as hard as I could yesterday. As I was moving down FM 1485 at 22 mph, I was reflecting on how 2 years earlier while training for IMTX2018, I was riding 12 or 13 mph. I was scared. I wasn’t in aero yet. I really wasn’t enjoying myself – LOL. And yesterday I was perfectly comfortable and LOVED being outside and riding. LOVE LOVE LOVE……… So while I do love to race, I reminded myself how very lucky I was to be outside on a beautiful day, doing something I love, with the man I love out there with me as my sherpa. The end result: highest 60 minute power ride ever (137 watts ; that’s 9 points higher than any previous ride) and 18.9 avg mph – fastest ride ever. For over 2 years, I’ve been working on “making my weakness my strength”. I know I still have a long way to go, but I have come so far thanks to hard work, believing in myself and my amazing coach Jana Richtrova taking the time to patiently teach me what I need to know.

So I don’t know when I will get to step up to a start line again. But I know I will and I know that when I do, I will be ready to do my best. I am continuing to train every day and will take this time to get stronger and mentally tough. And continue to have fun!!!!

Two years ago I came to IMAZ to do the swim and the bike in preparation for IMTX2018. While I had never swam more than 1.2 miles or ridden more than 56 miles, I had this crazy idea the week before that maybe I could finish the whole IM, sans anything more than HIM training. I got to mile 20 of the run and got pulled from the course at the last run cutoff at 10:30 pm. While what I did was absolutely a heroic effort, it made me crazy to not finish something I started.

So on Sunday morning, I found myself back at the swim start of this race to finish what I started. And I did. I finished at 10:11 pm, about 2 hours ahead of what I did two years ago. The past two years have been an incredible journey for me. I am now a 3 time IRONMAN, I am no longer finishing at the bottom of my age group at races and I no longer get dropped from every ride I do. I love riding my bike now and my quest to “make my weakness my strength” is not done by any means, but it is making significant progress.

Walking to the race site on race morning, I got somewhat emotional. Now I know that while I love to race, an IM day is going to hurt. The water was 62 degrees. I had done the practice swim and elected not to use a neoprene cap or booties since I hadn’t ever practiced with them. During the practice swim, I warmed up after the first 100 yards. On race day, it was about 3 or 4 degrees colder and I never did warm up. Started with the 1:20 finish group and really had no issues with traffic and felt like I was swimming strong. It was cloudy until about 75% complete and then the sun came out, but it was behind me so not in my eyes. Got out and surprised to see 1:37 on my watch. I somehow swam 4930 yards instead of 4224: looking at my Garmin afterwards I zig zagged a bit. So I was swimming 2:00 pace, just swam way too long 😦   I got out and the wet suit strippers helped me get my wet suit off. Now to run .4 mile to the transition tent wet in 50 degrees. Honestly that was the worst part of the whole race; very cold. Had an amazing volunteer helping me in the tent. My hands were cold and I couldn’t zip up my kit top. She had trouble with the zipper too. I was so cold I could barely talk but felt better once I got my wind vest, arm warmers, buff and winter gloves on.

Got on the bike pretty fast after that and started off on the 112 miles. Coach Jana’s instruction to me was to control my power at 100-105 all day. Was well above that at the start so knew I needed to settle down. Made it to the first climb up the false flat and there was that wind in my face that I remembered from 2017. I don’t think as strong – maybe 10 mph. Wanted to attack it, but followed instruction and kept my power at 105. It’s only 11 miles up and I knew that the way back down would be magical. Stopped at the top to use the bathroom and regroup. Unfortunately when I got my bike back from the volunteer, my chain had come off. Quickly got that resolved and then flew back, peaking at 30 mph, to start loop 2. Kept looking forward to special needs on loop 2 and the chance to eat something besides a gel and tailwind. I was staying on my nutrition but it was starting to be less then satisfying. Got up the hill and stopped again to use the bathroom. This was a problem because Jana only wanted me to stop twice and I was only at mile 56. Shed my arm warmers and buff as it was getting warmer. Made it to special needs and ate my peanut butter bar and refilled my bottles with tailwind. David had made his way out to the aid station across from special needs and cheered me on as I went by – hard to explain how much this support means. Also saw the Bell family at the end of loop 2 cheering for me!!!! Started loop 3 and was happy to see my power was just under 100 and avg mph was 16. Still felt good at this point and knew once I made it up that false flat to mile 94, I was home free. A lot of ugly thoughts go through your head when you are on mile 82 or so of an IM and you are going 11 mph into a headwind. But I kept reminding myself my power was where Jana wanted it. And I started praying. Prayed for a lot of people – it’s a long time on the bike. Never been so happy to get to the top! I got off and used the bathroom again – more in need of a mental break then anything else. So this 112 miles was 6:58 minutes of ride time for me. 13 minutes were the four stops. But that is my best 112 mile ride ever. My avg power was 95 and it was only 75 at IMTX in April. So all the hard work I’ve been doing on the bike is starting to pay off. Rather then starting off super hard and dying, I controlled my power evenly over the whole ride. And I knew this set me up for a good run.

My goal here was to run the whole marathon. Got in and out of T2 pretty fast – again thanks to an amazing volunteer. Started running and looked at my watch. Jana wanted me to keep my heart rate at 130-135. I never run by heart rate but I once again followed her instruction. In the past, I would start off running fast and then by the end, I was walking. This was not my best IM run leg, but I am proud to say I ran the whole thing, except for walking through aid stations. I broke up this race into four 6.5 mile segments. So I finished the first one and stopped to use the bathroom. Two miles into the next segment, I was starting to feel low on energy. Remembered that I needed to be taking in gel blocks, so got back on track with those. The sun started going down during the last bit of the first loop and it was absolutely beautiful with the sun sinking into the desert and the lights of Tempe Town Lake reflecting off the water – always helps to have something so pretty to divert your attention from everything hurting. Got back to IM village and the 13 mile point. Saw David here and seeing him and the people cheering us through this stretch helped. Then back out for loop 2. It was significantly quieter on this loop. Dark now and starting to get cold. Lots of people walking at this point. I knew I just had to keep my head down and keep running and watching my heart rate. My watch died at during mile 18. Was pretty mad at myself because that happened at IMTX too and I had known I should have completely shut it off during the bike, but forgot. So now I had to trust my inner pace to stay on track. So I was just moving from aid station and mile marker to the next one. Felt really happy when I made it to mile 20. Asked some what time it was and it was around 8:30 – way in front of any cutoff. So just kept moving from mile to mile. Got lots of encouragement from athletes walking who told me I was looking strong. At mile 24 I was feeling pretty exhausted. Almost stopped running and this pretty lady with a Team Empower kit that I had been passing and then falling back with said to me, “don’t you stop now – I’ve been watching you all day.” That little bit of encouragement was all I needed. Suddenly was at mile 25. A volunteer who saw the pain on my face told me “you are really close.” I knew it was true but we were on a very dark empty road and I was getting really cold. Suddenly, someone said the finish line was right around the corner. I could hear Mike Reilly’s voice and the music playing. I turned a corner and there it was. I started crying. A lady spectator yelled at me “don’t you ugly cry – they are going to take your picture – you smile!”

Suddenly I was at the finish and Mike Reilly said “55-year old Cheryl Perry from Spring, Texas……Cheryl Perry, You Are An Ironman!”  And I had done it. It was 10:11 pm. I was a little delirious. Someone came and gave me my space blanket and asked me if I was OK. Funny, I thought it was this guy Bob who I knew from my first tri team – haha. Then I realized he was a stranger and remembered IM finish lines had catchers. Got some pizza and chips because I was starving then found David for a big hug.

I came to finish – CHECK.  I came to have a bike PR – CHECK.  I didn’t really think about an overall PR but since my first Texas race the bike course was 5 or 6 miles short due to road construction or something (can’t remember why), this would indeed be a PR – BONUS CHECK.

Training for two IRONMAN races in one year has been tough. Not just on me, but David has had to sacrifice a lot as well. Long weekends out training. Asleep by 8 pm because so exhausted from training. It’s time, money, mental exhaustion. But he stayed right there with me and came here to Arizona with me with the same unwavering support he has exhibited since day 1 of this triathlon journey.

So 48 hours removed, feeling pretty good. Everything hurt yesterday. Today just key spots – quads, triceps and neck (from being in aero). Time to rest and recover now. Amanda at Specialized Body Works will fix me all up here shortly.

What next? Made a decision not to decide until I finished up this race. So home to concentrate on my family and Thanksgiving for a few days and then I will work on my 2020 race plan.

Incredibly grateful for my coach Jana. She is absolutely amazing. Patient but absolutely tells me where I fall down which is just what I need. She helped guide me with not just workouts but nutrition and mental preparation and so much more. I’m extremely lucky to be working with her.

Also very grateful for my swim coach Gemma who also raced an IM this weekend in Cozumel. While the swim wasn’t my focus this training cycle – her support and guidance are incredibly important to me.

My Valkyrie teammates – amazing support and encouragement!!!!!!! Gabi, Marci, Gemma, Jen, Michelle especially with so many words of encouragement to help me get through this tough week.

David Perry – no words can describe your support so I’m not even going to try – just tell you how much I love you. Same to Mom and Dad, sweet Jacquelyne and Kyle and Ryan for their encouragement. And all my family and friends who support me with kind words and encouragement.

Picking up this IMAZ medal closes this chapter of my tri journey but these past two years are just the first few chapters of this story. Not exactly sure where it goes from here or how it ends but that’s part of the fun. I feel very alive when I am doing all this and isn’t that an incredible gift?

 

 

 

20 days to go til IMAZ. I am completely and utterly exhausted. 18 hours of training this week including a race simlulation with 107 mile ride and 10 miles of running. This morning’s run was a train wreck, but I somehow managed to get it done and not walk any of it.

I trust my coach and I trust my training. I have done it all. Every. Single. Workout. I am eating right. I am drinking more water then I have in my entire life. I am doing everything I am supposed to be doing, so I trust that I am supposed to feel this way.

Stepping back and reading my journal entry from 2 years ago at IMAZ, I know I have traveled a long, long way on this journey. I am infinitely stronger on the bike and my bike handling skills are 1000% improved. I understand fueling for the race. And I know I have two IM races under my belt. Honestly, looking back, I have no idea how I even did what I did 2 years ago.

My goal for this IM race is to finish what I started. That is my why. I don’t leave things unfinished in my life and regardless of if I was trained for that first attempt or not, I feel I have unfinished business in Tempe. So there is no time goal. I’m not trying to beat anyone or qualify for anything. There is just me versus me. I am going out there to prove to myself that I can finish that race and do it with strength and grace.

So time to start the process of tapering down these workouts and building my strength back up to get this done. Not sure where this journey will go from here but I know this isn’t the right time to think about that. My focus needs to be 11-24-19.

It’s been 4 months since IRONMAN TEXAS and I’ve neglected to post here. Lots to record but decided to post today because I had a pretty major break through in my training this past week.

Above shows the same two workouts one week apart. The difference in yesterday and today compared to last week is I properly fueled my workouts. While it may sound incredible, I have been training pretty hard for triathlons for the past 3 years now and I have neglected to properly fuel myself to do all that I do. Didn’t properly fuel on the bike for the brick and didn’t eat or drink anything before last week’s 10 mile run and completely fell apart at mile 5. This week; miles 9 and 10 were the fastest. 8 minute better performance this week with proper fuel.

When I think about why this would be, I think it’s because I have a strange relationship with food; well at least complicated. And I don’t think I’m unique in that regard. I eat because I enjoy the taste of food, because I’m hungry, because I’m happy, because I’m sad, because I’m bored……on and on. But I have never eaten to properly fuel my body for the endurance training I do. I have never really looked at food as fuel.

And like a lot of people, I struggle with my weight. Wanting to be thinner even though genetically, I don’t think I am predisposed to be that way. Let’s face it: I couldn’t possibly exercise any more. So that leaves how much food I consume, right?  So the less the better? That has been my thinking and i now believe it is flawed.

So, after seeing rather clearly that less food actually hurts my training and performance, I am going to focus on retraining my brain to think of food as fuel. Sure, food can be entertainment occasionally. But 90% of the time, I am going to eat to fuel my workouts. And not focus on my weight. Focus on my health and performance.

I am a triathlete.  I have to learn that doesn’t just mean swimming, biking and running. It also means proper fueling, stretching, getting enough sleep and mental preparation. These are the pieces I have struggled to add to the mix that are going to move me along my journey to my ultimate goal.

28 Days until Augusta 70.3 and 83 Days until IM ARIZONA. Enough time to develop habits that will impact my performance. Stay tuned for progress notes.

I didn’t record much of this season’s IM training here, but do want to record what happened on April 27, 2019. I trained super hard for this race. I spent a huge amount of time focusing on riding. Last year, if I missed a workout, it was always the bike. But I was determined to have a better bike at this IM and trained much, much harder.

The week leading up to the race is always so much fun. The IM banquet, checking in at IM village, meeting athletes from around the country and the world, buying too much IM gear, the briefing: I love it all.

Race morning I woke up at 3 am. It was great to sleep in my own bed and make the short drive to the race. Started the race with my lane 5 swim buddies Clayton and Willie. The water felt great. I made a decision to take it steady and conserve my energy for the bike; I also swam far outside the bouys which I don’t usually do. I didn’t have any traffic issues until the first turn. Headed back to the canal was pretty uneventful too. The canal is never fun, but kept siting often and stayed out of trouble. Garmin says I swam 450 yards too far; I think because of swimming so far to the outside but not sure. Time was 3 minutes slower than last year but felt very strong and controlled, so I was happy with that.

Got out on the bike and felt great. Woodlands Parkway and Springwood Village segments were fine. Then I hit the Hardy. Headwind straight out of the south. I knew I just had to get through this 20 mile segment and that meant there would be a tailwind. I would still consider myself a bike rookie and not all that great at just using power on the bike. But in this case, I had too. I was way above my power and only going 10-11 mph at some point (I’m not even supposed to look at that). It was also hot and no clouds in the sky. It was demoralizing. About halfway down, I saw an ambulance and thought, I wonder if I pulled over if they would take me back. Then I got really mad at myself for even having that thought. So I started to say to myself all the cliches and motivational quotes I have been putting on Facebook over this training season. Over and over. And praying and thanking God for making me healthy enough to do this and giving me the strength to finish. Made it to the turnaround. Was happy I could go to the bathroom there (means I’m not dehydrated). The tailwind back up the Hardy was magical. I pushed hard to make up the time I had lost on the last leg. I’m not sure that was a good idea. (actually pretty sure it wasn’t) That leg went in a blink. Made it to special needs and had an amazing volunteer help me reload my nutrition and get me back on the road with my PB&J in no time. Then there was that headwind again. This time it seemed worse. Not sure if it was just because I was tired or it was worse. This time I tried to stay tucked in aero the whole time and just kept praying and chanting my day’s mantra: the task in front of you is never as great as the strength inside you. Once I made it to the turnaround, I thought I would be home free. Again, pushing to make up time back up the Hardy and then my feet started to feel like they were on fire. This has never happened to me before. So pretty worriesome. I also knew I was a bit behind on nutrition. I had done pretty well the first half, but by this time my tailwind was warm and gel blocks were tasting yucky. Can’t ever let this happen again. Couldn’t believe I saw my friend Christy Gonzalez cheering me on right near the end of the Hardy – that really lifted me up!!!!

Made it back to transition and got off. David was right there and gave him a high five. Took off my shoes immediately and walked to the T2 tent, hoping the burning in my feet would stop. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to run. I had put some recovery gel in my bag, so I rubbed that on my feet and it seemed to help. Put on my shoes and got out onto the run. First mile was OK but then it all feel apart pretty quickly. I didn’t want to walk anything but the aid stations for this IM; that was one of my goals. But I think I pushed too hard on the bike and got behind on my nutrition and there was not a lot left in my tank. I was so grateful my stomach wasn’t upset this year, but nothing sounded good to eat. So I tried drinking as much as I could at each aid station. I was walk/running most of the marathon. I had been hoping on the bike that I could still have a good run. I kept saying to myself, you do this all the time; just keep running, even if it’s not fast. But my poor little body was just struggling so hard. So it became about just finishing. Was trying to do math to figure out what pace I had to maintain to just finish; math is hard for me when I haven’t been exercising for 13 hours, so this was a struggle too 🙂 The support on the course, the support from other athletes became the driving force that kept me moving forward. Just keep moving forward. Passing the Valhalla/Valkyrie tent, seeing family and friends along the way (Ryan, Natalie, Ivonne, Karen, Carl, Mary Pat, Allison, Debbie, Susan, Ron, Marcie, Mills, Pam, Kim, Sonia and so many more). Saw my friend Michelle near the end of the second loop and we ran/walked together for a bit. By this point, I was in pain. My feet hurt, my back hurt, I had really bad sunburn from sunscreen fail on the top of my legs, neck and hands. I guess I was lucky though because I didn’t cramp, throw up or really have any GI issues. I saw a lady with medical at mile 18 and I thought to myself, she made it that far and had to stop; keep going Cheryl, keep going!!!!!! You can make it through this and then you can sit down and rest and everything will be OK. So the negotiating started; just run to the next aid station. OK, now just run to the next bathroom and you can stop for a minute. Did that, now just run to the bell. OK almost there, run in and see Mike Reilly.

I’m not sure how, but I finished this IRONMAN. The chute was as magical as it could be. High fiving friends and family, strangers, just super fun. Crossed the line and there was my friend Jen to medal me. And Vic was there to give me a hug too. David, Jacquelyne, Ryan, Natalie and Chris were there and that meant the world to me. Last year, I was able to walk around, talk to people, I ate at a restaurant. This year, it was everything I could do to just make it to the car. Got home and took a shower and a bath and tried to sleep. The adrenaline messes with that a bit though. Woke up feeling so bad. But 24 hours removed, I really think I’m in pretty good shape.

I told myself I would never do another IRONMAN somewhere on the Hardy Toll Road headed south. Woke up today thinking about how I can get better on the bike for ARIZONA in November.  I’m not a naturally gifted athlete. I’m not someone you would expect could do this. For me, it’s almost entirely a mental challenge. Maybe that’s why I love it so much.

I think several things played into this IRONMAN truly, 100% being the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Yes, the wind was strong and it was hot. But I need to learn more about how to ride; power and shifting and how to train harder on it. I also managed to be 5 lbs heavier for this race which I’m sure had an impact. So nutrition during training as well as race day will be a concentration over the coming months. And then strength training, which I never seem to make time for. This is going to become a priority.

If you know me, you know I had a written plan and a goal for this race. That didn’t happen. While that makes me sad, I think I learned a good lesson from it. I’m not in control of everything – haha. I need to take what comes at me and deal with it the best way I can. And I did that. I am so happy I didn’t quit and I found a way to fight til the end.

I’m not sure I really understand why I love this sport so much, but I just do. So I’m going to take what I learned here and apply it to the next race. I have so many things I want to accomplish in this sport and I’m just going to keep moving forward.

David Perry – thank you so much for all your love and support while I do all this super crazy stuff. You are the very best bike sherpa around and I love you very very much.

Jacquelyne, Ryan and Kyle – your mom is living proof that if you set a goal and work hard, you can do whatever you want. The trick is to find what you want and never, never give up. My greatest hope is for you to live your best life.

Mom and Dad – you taught me how to work hard, set goals and believe in myself. I love you both very much!!!

Vantage Point/Valkyrie teammates – no words – your support is everything and I love you all.

John T and Gemma – thank you for getting me to the finish line.

Time to unplug and evaluate what’s next…………..

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve posted here. Lots has happened, but today, I’m back training for IRONMAN TEXAS 2019 in April and then plan to do IRONMAN ARIZONA in November.

So today I decided to post because it’s been a breakthrough week. Last week I was feeling really exhausted and my coach gave me more of a recovery schedule. This helped. But for so long, I would get up every day and do my workout, sometimes two day, and for months and months and months, wouldn’t see any improvement. Sometimes, I went backwards.

Not this week. Today, I did a CSS test and got a new CSS of 1:50. A significant drop for me. Sunday, I rode 65 miles and averaged 16.9 mph, that’s 2 mph faster than I raced in Waco and a good 3-4 mph faster than my average training pace same time last year. And last month, I had a PR at the Houston Half Marathon with an average pace of 8:45.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have a long way to go. But to finally see some improvement after working so hard for so long brings me so much joy.

Keep showing up…..keep working hard. Remember your why. Enjoy the journey.

It’s been 34 days since I became an IRONMAN. It was truly a journey of self discovery. So after basking in all the fun surrounding the event itself, an amazing vacation to Grand Cayman to recover, and getting back to work, I’m left to think about what’s next.

I know this IRONMAN isn’t an “end.” I believe it’s the beginning of many more adventures to come. I’ve learned I can do things I once thought I couldn’t and to keep my mind open to new possibilities.

My next immediate goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon by running a 3:55 in Omaha on 9-16-18. This will certainly be a stretch and require a lot of hard work.  And as I discovered during some interval runs this week, IRONMAN training was long, but marathon training is HARD. Then I will be doing the IRONMAN WACO 70.3 in October and I’d like to have a sub 7 hour race by improving my riding and running. Doing a couple of sprint tris this summer as well (Sylvan Beach 6-10 and Cypress 7-30).

There will certainly be another IRONMAN in my future, most likely in 2019. Weighing my options and will decide by fall. Also thinking I would like to investigate helping guide disabled athletes on triathlons. But feel like I need to be a little better and stronger before I do that.

So what’s next is slowly coming together like my training. Enjoyed a few weeks off, but loving being back running, swimming and biking again. I love being a triathlete and so grateful I discovered that is part of who I am.

Wanting to document the week leading up to my first IRONMAN and the race itself. The week before was filled with team meetings, a meet up with fellow IM athletes at Fleet Feet, team breakfast, IM banquet; all kinds of discussions about preparations but mostly just a chance to burn off nervous energy with fellow athletes.

At the IM banquet, Mike Reilly slipped in and took a chair directly behind me before he popped up from the crowd to emcee the event. Thanks to my friend Michelle alerting me he was there, I was able to get a selfie with him – super fun.

Friday morning, I did the practice swim. The water felt amazing; calm and perfect temperature. Made me so excited for the next day. We checked into the Westin on the waterway and to my surprise, I got a solid 7 hours of sleep before the 3:30 am alarm went off. Got ready: ate my oatmeal and banana with coffee. Headed off to transition, but we walked by the finish line on the way there. It was hard to believe I’d be back there the same day an IRONMAN.

Transition was so cool because the majority of my teammates were all in the same bike rack area. We hugged as we pumped our tires and loaded up our bikes with all the nutrition we would need to get us through the bike. Then headed over to coach JT’s truck for a ride over to the swim start.

More hugs and photos at swim start. Then it was time to slip into my wetsuit (legal this year) and get ready for the task ahead.

Found Jen Lanier and we headed to the 1:20 – 1:30 start position. She grabbed my hand and said a beautiful prayer for us. Calmed me down and lifted me up. As we walked toward the water, I saw Nicole with IRONMAN, who I had met in Arizona and I told her today was the day and she hugged me. TODAY became the day’s mantra.

Started swimming and immediately found space around me. I quickly got into a rhythm. For some reason, I count when I’m swimming. Tried to remember my form; catch and pull all the way through. Everything was fine until the first turn buoy. I got too close to it and so did 10 of my IM peeps. The short swim to the next turn buoy we all didn’t want that to happen again, so we spread out. Then I swam into a large group of green caps and I got hit in the head three or four times. I slowed it way down to try to drop away from them and find some space again. Found myself very close to the shore right before the turn into the canal. Got very crowded very fast in the canal. I could see all the people standing on the shore watching us. Then, some guy flipped over and started back stroking. I hit him with my stroke, which made me pull up. Then he started breaststroking and kicking me. Hard to get away from him, so I slowed up again. Saw the last red buoy and boom it was time to get out. Swim time was 1:33, 15 minutes faster than Arizona!!! The first face I saw when they pulled me off the stairs was my friend Andi. Coach Gemma was there to give me the worlds biggest hug; which gave me a huge boost of energy. Thanks to Dana for snapping a pic of that hug.

T1; no volunteer around to help me so I helped myself. Wasn’t changing, so not much to do anyway. Got out to the bike and out on the road pretty quick. The first part of the course had several turns so I stayed out of aero until Woodlands Parkway. Right before I got to the Hardy Toll Road, two amazing things happened. I came up on my friend Jen and I saw my friend Nancy Charbonneau and her daughter cheering at mile 13 and they had a sign for me! Again – refueled my heart. Stayed behind Jen – just made me feel good to have someone I knew close by me. Loop 1 was so much fun and exciting!!!! There were still pros on the course – so much fun to see them whiz by.  I stopped at mile 30 to refill my speedfill. Saw my friend Pam Poehling here and was feeling great.  Just after mile 40, we were at 610 and turning to head north. The wind was just great and it wasn’t hot yet. My power was around 80 and speed was a solid 16 mph which I knew had me right on pace. The ride back north was good, minus the huge pelotons of riders. I had a swarm come by me and one passed me on the right while another cut right in front of my wheel. Not only is this completely illegal, it is super dangerous and just wrong. Losers and cheaters who don’t exemplify the spirit of IM. Turned at mile 60 and knew special needs was just ahead. Stopped and had a great teenage volunteer help me refill everything. Grabbed my PB&J and was outta there pretty quick. Didn’t stop again until the aid station at mile 80. The wind had shifted a bit and there was a bit of a headwind on this stretch. But nothing compared to what i had trained in, so I just watched my power. The overpasses were harder than loop 1. It was getting hot now too. Grabbed a bottle of water and dumped it on me. I knew I only had 20 more miles and then I would be getting off the Hardy and headed back in. There was still a fair amount of traffic around me, but I could tell the traffic on the other side of the road (behind me) was thinning. I knew some of those people were worrying about the cutoff and after Arizona I said a prayer for them. I spent every day since Arizona trying to make my weakness my strength and wanted to be as far away from that cutoff as possible. The bike cutoff at mile 84 was 3:30. I was at mile 84 at 1:49!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So happy to get to the last turn on the Hardy.  Just about a mile until we exited the Hardy and headed back to the Woodlands. My friend Pam passed me here and I saw my friends Ivonne and Jen were right there too. Right before I got in, saw Coach JT cheering me in. He yelled at me for not being in aero, but I was nearly the entire Toll Road, which I am so proud of!!!!!!

Felt good dismounting the bike. T2 went fast; I just changed out of my cycling shorts and into my kit bottoms and laced up my shoes and I was out. Right when I got on the run course, I saw Kyle, Ryan, Taylor and Michelle – made me sooooo happy!!!!!! Oh, and I saw my giant head poster – haha. I had brought my bottle of Endorux with me and it was very cold – was happy to have it to hold because I realized how hot it was. First mile I was running about 10 minute pace and I knew I needed to slow down. I also realized that my stomach felt terrible. I wasn’t cramping yet, but I knew I needed to do something. Aid station 1, I dumped water over my head and took a salt pill and some pepto I had stuffed in my pocket. Every aid station, I walked and dumped the water on me. Ate oranges at most aid stations. Thank you to the station that had watermelon – nothing has ever tasted that good. Saw my friend Christy pretty quickly on the course; she had a crash on her bike and had road rash on her face, shoulder and elbow; and there she was still going. What a bada//. Made it to East Shore and I saw Patty and Gerald Jolly right near the entrance – they had made a poster for me and their crew was rooting me on. Further down, I found coach JT and he was grinning ear to ear about my bike performance. Still running at this point. Got to the waterway and man oh man, how fun is that. The spectators on this course were AMAZING!!!!!! I high fived everyone and soaked it all in.  Started loop 2; seemed even hotter. I walked over the bridge to north shore park. My stomach had calmed down but mentally I was struggling. Found Sheri Bell in east shore and we ran together for a while. She was on her third loop and I was jealous. REALLY helped to have a friend at this point. We got to the waterway and once again the crowd fueled me up.  Coach Gemma popped out and ran with me for a minute; that was a boast I needed. Finally saw my mom and dad across the waterway and waved my arms until David saw me so they knew I was going to be coming by them soon. Loved running by them and seeing the pride on their faces. Start of loop 3, the sun was starting to set. I was so grateful; couldn’t take any more sun and heat. I knew I was well in front of the run cutoff by now and I would be seeing Mike Reilly soon. But there was still 8 more miles to go. Did some math to figure out if I could walk a bit and stay on plan. Somehow my brain didn’t seem capable and my body was arguing with me. Again, the spectators encouragement and the messages in chalk on the sidewalk kept me moving ahead. By the time I turned onto the sidewalk near Woodlands Parkway, it was very dark. They had a few lights on the course, but it was kind of creepy. So I walked this stretch. Wasn’t going to trip and break my ankle at mile 21. Made it to East Shore and Patty and Gerald Jolly were still there cheering for me!!!!! Gave me a shot of energy. At this point, I wanted this over so I pretty much kept running. Got to the waterway and it seemed even more crowded now. A lot of people were walking now and I was running, so I heard so many people saying “nice pace” which made me feel so good. I came across Ivonne’s support crew and they exploded with a cheer for me – wow – gave me energy. I finally got to the turn where you “ring the bell” for your third loop – I knew it was less than a mile to go now.  So happy to take the veer toward the finish line this time instead of toward starting another loop. I saw Ivonne was right there with me at this point.

As I got to close to the finish line, I looked around and saw only one other person near me. I told him to go so I could run in by myself as so many people had told me to do. When I came into the chute, I saw coach JT, then my Jacquelyne screaming “You Did It” with sheer joy on her face, Kyle and Ryan. I approached the finish and looked up completely amazed that the time was under 15 hours. I heard Mike Reilly say my name and there was David holding my medal. I said “hi” and he put it around my neck. I had asked him to do the VIP medal pass because he had been such a part of this journey I wanted him to be there with me. Ivonne’s friend Susan was my catcher (she had also stripped my wetsuit that morning – bless her for working all day at this event.) I got my t-shirt and photo and then it was time to find the family. So many hugs and kisses. Seeing my family here at the finish line was truly one of the sweetest moments of my life.

Everyone on my Vantage Point team finished and most had PRs. One qualified to go to KONA and one was just 2 spots away from that finishing 4th in her AG. Me; I finished before the last run cutoff at mile 17. I finished with 2 hours and 14 minutes to spare. Thank you to John Tortorici and Gemma Hollis for helping me find the strength and courage to become an endurance athlete. That doesn’t just take technical skill; these people helped prepare me mentally as well as physically and they truly cared about my journey and goals.

Two years ago when I didn’t know how to ride at all, I went to a beginner bike class. I met beautiful girl named Ivonne. We talked briefly, but oddly enough, we figured out that both of us had decided to do IM 2018. We eventually started training together. I want you to know we finished within minutes of each other at IM2018. I truly don’t think I could have kept training without Ivonne’s encouragement. Ivonne is one of those people who is always happy, always encouraging and loving. What a gift to have her help.

Also along the way I met Christy. Christy was already an IM and very proficient on the bike. But Christy didn’t have to always ride fast and leave everyone in her dust. She would ride with me and if she did get ahead of me, would wait for me at turns to make sure I was OK. And she encouraged me. Another gift.

And then Nikki started training with us. Strong and fast, she was another gift because it pushed me to go faster and that was just what I needed at that point.

Jennifer; I haven’t known you very long but somehow I feel like we’ve been friends forever. There were 3000 people in this race and we found each other on the bike ride to encourage each other – no coincidence.

Bob and Sara’s bike group – I only rode with you a few times but each time I did, I learned a lot and got better. Thank you.

Gloria, Kim, Pam, Sheri, Scott, Sandy, Allison, Tony, Arthur, Michelle: thank you for being such awesome teammates! I love you guys.

And then there is David Perry.  This guy didn’t sign up for any of this. But he did it all with me. He made sure I stayed safe, whether that was following me around for hours the back roads of Montgomery when I was too slow to ride with anyone else to make sure I was OK; surprising me with cold water in my car after I finished a long hot ride in July in Woodlane; being my bike sherpa deluxe; putting up with me being gone on long rides and runs all weekend. etc. etc. etc. Thank you for supporting me through this sweetheart.

If you know me well, you know i write everything down. Coach JT wanted me to have a race plan. Look at this; the plan and the actual. Wow. Powerful.

In a small way, I hope my story helps someone else realize that whatever they want in life, they can have. Have a plan, work hard, follow the rules, pray.  I spent a lot of time Saturday praying because let’s be honest, a 7 hour bike ride alone is boring. I told God that I knew there were bad days and good days, and I thanked him that TODAY was going to be one of the good ones. Grateful beyond measure.

 

And yes, i got the tattoo.

There is no other feeling in the world like working hard for something and watching it happen. The past two weeks seemed to move in slow motion and then race day was just a blur. What I know now is that I became an IRONMAN long before April 28, 2018. It happened somewhere in the middle of the 20 hour training weeks and in between the tears generated during a long, hilly, windy bike ride in Montgomery when I didn’t think I could do it. There was no one around to witness it, but in my heart when I kept going despite the feeling that I couldn’t; I knew I was an IRONMAN.

Two years of my life have been dedicated to this goal. Along the way I had to keep reminding myself why this was so important to me and why I was doing this.  I wanted to show my children that “Anything is Possible.” I was never an athlete; I didn’t even run until 5 years ago; I was not all that healthy 5 years ago; I was in kind of a dark place due to a struggle one of the kids was going through. I decided I wanted to do this; I broke it down into all the steps I would need to take to do it; I did ALL those steps; and I got it done. This applies to anything in our lives. My parents taught me about hard work and dedication and I always tried to show that to my children; this weekend was a high dose reinforcement.

What’s next? I’m not sure. I feel so peaceful knowing that all I have to do is decide and I can do it. God wants us to be happy and fulfilled and we have the power inside us to create that life we have imagined. How amazing is that?

Time to head to Grand Cayman and reflect on all this. Oh, and do nothing at all.