The Most Fun I've Had in My Life!

So earlier this afternoon I competed in and finished my first ever half Ironman. Wow! What an EXHILERATING experience! I had more fun that I would have ever imagined! I was so scared before the race. I was so doubtful that I could complete such a distance! Prior to today, I'd NEVER biked 56 miles continuously (without taking a break) and I had only ran 13.1 miles ONCE (Salt Lake Half Marathon). But thanks to Kris Walker - and my training buddies Kelly Wathne and Gina Katsilometes - I did it! I surpassed the goals I had set for myself - overwhelmingly - en route to a 6:24 finish. AND... icing on the cake... I won the Athena under 40 class and got an amazing plaque and prize bag. I'll post pix of that when I get back to Poky.

The swim was phenomenal! The water was warm! I tried to size up the field on the beach. I started with all the women 35-39 class. There was about 60 (?) in the wave. I wanted to be on the outside (on my favorite breathing side) and in the front. I had no trouble seizing the spot. The buoys were WAAAAAY out there. I never felt rushed at all. I felt a steady pace and I was unbelievably relaxed.... more so than ever on an open water swim! By the time I reached the first buoy, I had already passed people in four waves in front of me. I found a nice line to follow so that made the swim nice. After rounding the second buoy (triangle swim) I ran into some big guys that were about 6 waves in front of me. These guys were pretty big and they didn't want to let me pass. Luckily I found my way around them after about 200 yds. From there it was smooth. I was 5th (i think) woman out of the water in the 35-39 age group... stunning!

T1 took me forever! Over 7 minutes to be exact. There was a looooooooonnnnnng run from the beach to T1. I kept a steady jog. My plan was to be smooth through transition and not to hurry. Considering the length of the race and my experience level, I knew this would be critical for me.

The bike was awesome. My new Cervelo P2C has got to be the smoothest ride ever! I also enjoyed my new Flashpoint dish wheels. They hummed.... and made for a smooth ride. We rode through Disney and out around the north (?) part of the county. We passed through some commercial areas, some golf courses, some really scary looking (alligator infested I'm sure) swamps... orange groves... you name it! It was very pretty. About mile 25 there was quite the rainstorm. I was nervous about it at first, but then I learned to just ENJOY the rainfall. It felt great... and my slick wheels never had any issues. There were some good rolling hills surprisingly enough. At times I slowed to 12mph and was standing to get up them. But I powered down the hills. My friendly neuroma on my left foot (he needs a name!) was AWFUL on the bike. About mile 30 the pain was realllly intense. It disipated by mile 30 and returned HARD CORE about mile 45. I'm definitely gonna get that thing fixed after the tri season. I can't believe how much pain that awnry thing causes! Fueling was great. I had Gatorade in my aero drink... drank two of those (refilled at an aid station)... drank 24 oz bottle of H20 and two additional bottles (less what I spit out to cool my body) at aid stations, and a bottle of Nuun Orange (fizz! but surprisingly good!). I downed two GUs... and 2 packets of Mustard (great electrolyte!). My bike computer had me at 19.2 mph avg on the bike. The official results have me at 18.2... but I'm told that factors in T1 and T2. I'm MORE THAN happy with that!

T2 was good. Don' t really remember anything. I took a gel... a drink.... and a CLIF bar... blueberry! OH THAT THING WAS SOOOO GOOD! I highly recommend them!

The run was a three loop treat. The first 1.2 miles were asphalt through the woods of Ft. Wilderness... and the next 2 miles were KILLER grass covered trails... next to a stagnant creek and ponds. Holy cow was that HOT... especially for the third loop! Aid stations were GREAT! Thanks to all those volunteers. The sponges were incredible... and the "showers" were even better. The fourth aid station was my favorite.... it was a veritable smorgasbord! Overall I had plenty more fuel along the way...bananas, pretzels, grapes, cola, gatorade, water, PowerBar gels (that tasted nummy - like vanilla frosting!) ice... you name it! I ALWAYS ran with a cup of ice in my hand. It was tremendously helpful. I would nibble from mile to mile. I also put ice in my hat and down my bra/jersey. I can honestly say I never had trouble with overheating or dehydrating... and my spirits were TREMENDOUSLY high the entire way! I definitely had the run/walk thing going... but by the finish I felt STRONG! And I was still smiling.

Overall, as I said, it was the most spectacular thing I've ever done. I'm still not quite sure I want to do an Ironman. That might be a little much for me. But that's what I thought about this race, too.

Hey Anna & Dean... if you're reading this... ROCK IT in Boise! You are AMAZING! Go out there and have the time of your life. Take EVERYTHING in.. ENJOY every moment! And perhaps someday I'll train with you to do a full one. Perhaps.

Thanks to all my friends for such great text messages and emails of encouragement!