Simple Goals for Rookie Ironman

#1 Survive the Swim! #2 Run because you can!

The Swim – The photos from the swim hardly capture the gravity of the situation. 2500 athletes, 80% men, smashed onto 150 yards of beach. A few of us got stuck in transition just before the race started so when we walked around the crowds onto the beach I was blown away by the vastness of green caps, loud music and cacophony of noise from the crowd! I had no idea what I was about to attempt! The cold water instantly became the least of my problems! John and I stood on the beach about 10 feet from the back wall when the gun went off. Hundreds of bodies threw themselves into the water, paddling, stroking, kicking and clawing for position. I stood frozen baffled and stunned by the site…what to do. Like most of my decisions in life, I made it quickly while taking a deep breath…I walked down to the water shoulder to shoulder with some other men, walked into the water until I was waist deep and then I started to swim. Once the cold water covered my body and face it was no longer an issue. The real issue was swimming in the middle of the bell curve. Keith had warned me about “the dreaded bell curve” but I had no clue…
Throughout the entire first lap (the swim was 2 laps which meant I had to be intentional about getting out and then back in!) I was covered by body parts. Men’s elbows, feet, forearms, shoulders, bellies, hands and more covered my entire body! I was never alone and never found any clear water. My anxiety about completing the swim shifted to high anxiety about surviving the swim. Not getting kicked unconscious became my focus. I had my head up too much but it allowed me to avoid some serious blows.
The 2^nd lap was just as bad and now I was pissed. I was pissed that the race director designed a swim like this, I was pissed that people can’t site for shit and I was pissed that I couldn’t escape! At one point I floated on the shoulders of the men in front of me as the draft carried us around the far buoy.  All I focused on was keeping my head down and keeping a strong pull throughout my stroke because otherwise I would get so frustrated I would sit up and yell! Not very productive but it helped me blow off some steam!  Once I got kicked so hard in the face I thought for sure I would have a bloody nose!
The biggest shock was that my first lap took less than an hour! I was stunned! I expected to be in the water for at least 1:45 and 2 hours would have been OK with me. When I ran out of my first lap and saw the clock I was shocked and assumed that it was the time from when the pros started so I added 30 minutes to that time. That made more sense to me. When I finally emerged alive I was so exhausted and grateful I didn’t care that it had taken me almost 1:50 (including the pros time) to get er done! I was done! I KNEW I could finish the ride and run in the next 14 hours! Phew!
I ran out of the water and hugged a volunteer and she spun me around! I really was happy to be alive! Then I wandered up the sand and there on the corner of the fence was the very best cheering squad ever! I spread around some high fives and headed for the wetsuit peelers! What a crack up those people are! They are having a blast and they made me laugh too! My peeler pushed me over and I lay flat out on the ground as he pulled off my suit. This was the beginning of a very long T1 experience.
I trotted to get my ride bag in the pile, right where I left it, and headed into the women’s changing tent. It was a mad house! Bodies everywhere. I was stunned and tired so I sat down…bad idea. I sat and stared and people watched and marveled at the chaos and commitment. All I could think was “slow down everyone, what’s your hurry?”  I was clearly out of it a bit. When I turned my head to the right I was confronted by some big ole boobies. A bit of a shock! The woman next to me had put on her tri top and because she was wet it curled up into her armpits and she was too cold to pull it down. So I spent a couple minutes trying to help her get dressed. Poor thing, she was so wound up and worried about getting out of the tent. I was not. Once she was organized and on her way I started to strip off my wet duds and put on warm clothes. I think I might have looked over dressed but I was very dry and warm when I wandered out of T1. I had on a dry bra, shirt, jacket, gloves, arm warmers and cap! Happy and warm. I got to the Mount area and started to roll out of transition. It felt good to be “free” and rolling along. The cap kept me warm and cut out the sounds of the wind and my squeaky bike!
I cruised out along Higgens Point and soaked in the beauty and majesty of the entire experience! People cheering as if they knew me against a gorgeous back drop! During my reverie I notice that my water bottle that sits between my aeros was sliding back and forth. The rain from the night before had soaked my duct tape system and it felt off without me noticing. I was at risk of losing my only hydration system so I pulled into the aid station at the top of Higgens point and asked a bunch of X-country boys if they could find me some tape or rope or something! Off they went in search of! They took it as a personal challenge to help me and I just hung out and watched droves of people fly by me…ah well…water was much more important. 5 minutes later this 6 foot 4 110 pound runner came flying toward me with the biggest smile and a roll of duct tape. He slammed it all over my bars ensuring my water bottle might never come off! Nice work boys! Hugs all around and off I road! I found the first real climb of the day to be fun and relaxing. I passed dozens of people and was only passed by a couple young bucks that clearly had a tough swim. The next big continuous climb seemed to go forever and I was cool with it. I just relaxed and soaked it in! It was still cool and I was on mark with food and water! At the top of the climb I stopped at the aid station to strip off some clothes as the sun had emerged and was going to become an issue. I took everything off except my cap. For some reason I liked having that on! I blew back down the hills into town and decided to remove my cap! As soon as I did I heard a horrible squeak and felt bad for the athlete who had to listen to that noise for 112 miles…that would be me! I had NO idea the rain had rinsed off all my oil and I was a squeaky mess! UGH! Pedaling was harder and nosier than it should have been! Excellent learning…keep bike oil in my bike bag in the event of rain…check. I can’t say how much harder it made my ride but it sure didn’t help! Headed out on my 2^nd lap I thought maybe the boys at the Higgens Point aid station would save me again so I stopped and asked for bike oil. The best they could do was Vaseline. Really? They tried really hard with no luck. There was no bike oil to be found so I endured the next 40 miles squeaking past people. I would like to say it kept me focused but I am not sure that is the truth. Somewhere between miles 65 and 85 I started to fade…I hardly remember the ride. I know it was harder and boring and given the choice I would have taken a ride and a beer! Once I made it to the top of the climb I felt confident I could cruise back to the transition area. The run had yet to enter my mind.
As I was rolling down the big hill Tyler came flying by me with a big smile and the words “red solo cup” on his lips! That was just what I needed to bring me back to the race! I started to laugh and then I noticed that my bike was really squishy. Really? My first race flat ever. Nice! I wasn’t upset or worried as the night before the race Anthony had given me a great education about Susie and Chuck and who liked to be screwed into what and how. I had all the equipment I needed and time was clearly not an issue. I started to change the tire when B O B arrived on his angel scooter! He said, “step aside Ms. and I will take care of this for you. I was stunned and thrilled. Then a motorcycle arrived and we chatted while B O B changed my tire. What an amazing crew of volunteers! Just amazing!
After the flat I jumped on my bike and headed up the last big hill in hopes of finding Tyler but he was well ahead of me now. Ah well. T2 was another relaxed, fun experience…way too long. I had the support of 2 grey headed ladies who took care of my every whim. We laughed and giggled and I soaked in the entire moment. The sunscreen ladies were very committed to their effort and I ran out of T2 very foggy.
Then it hit me. Hamstrings were completely locked up, calves screaming and I was so tired I thought if I stopped I could fall asleep on the spot. I started to address the issue at hand..HOW THE HELL DOES ANYONE RUN A MARATHON, 26.2 MILES, AFTER ALL THAT? How??? OH MY! I wanted to quit. I wanted to turn around and lay down in the grass and stop squeezing my brain! I was grasping at something to cling to…how am I going to run 26.2 miles. I couldn’t find anything except that if I kept one foot in front of the other I would see friends and family soon enough and that would keep me going…so I ran out of transition focused on the next 10 blocks…but they weren’t there! WHERE ARE YOU??? Ha, I had run past them in the middle of my brain squeeze just at the edge of transition and I never saw or heard them. I ran the entire first lap fueled by the thought that I would see them soon…and I ran one mile at a time.
I had 3 goals for the Ironman. 1. Finish the swim. 2. Run the entire marathon. 3. Finish the race. During the run I used my own goal as my carrot…run the entire marathon…just keep putting one foot in front of the other as fast as I can. Sometime after 6 miles I realized my hammies had relaxed and although my calves were sore as shit they were OK so far. Focus on good form, driving with my knees, fast feet and getting it over with! The highlight of the run was seeing Anthony, Sonja and Michelle CRUSH the run course. I still can’t wrap my head around how fast they were running and how amazing they each looked as they cruised past me going the other way! I have a new found respect and admiration for how hard they work and for their commitment to the sport. BOOYA!
Seeing John, Tyler and Keith on the course was the BOMB! We trained together and we raced together and we were all connected in spirit even though Keith dusted the rest of us! To my training partners, my most profound gratitude and thanks for staying with me, encouraging me through a tough spring and smiling with me every time we saw one another on the course. My heart skipped a beat every time I saw one of you coming into view! I even got a little “action” on the course when John ran past me, gave me a big sweaty hug and kiss and a smile to die for! He was so happy! I was not happy at that point…I was running angry. I realized at some point in the last 10 miles that setting any expectations beyond finishing was ridiculous and I got really mad at Keith for all the stupid conversations we’d had about “sub-12” “11:15” etc! IDIOT! These stupid conversations fueled me to the finish so I could punch him…and I did! Ha!

When I rolled over the top of the last hill I knew I had done it. I knew that no matter how slow I could run to the finish. The downhill gave me searing pain on my toes and calves but I could manage that as long as I only had 7 miles left…so I ran and ran and ran! When I reached the point in the course where I got to go left toward the finish line I was stunned…all of a sudden it was done! I ran up this little hill and turned left to see the Ironman Finish line 6 blocks away…all downhill! Damn! The downhill was still not my friend! Ah well, pain was incidental at this point! Plus I got to see the crew one more time! There was no one in front of me so for the next 6 blocks all I could hear was random strangers calling my name, whooping it up for me and smiling uncontrollably at me…and I returned the smile! It was the very best 6 blocks of my life! I laughed, smiled and wooted back! Once in the shoot I shared high fives and fists with dozens of people! An experience everyone should feel one in their lives! The fans and volunteers were the very best thing about the entire race! I remember the flash as I crossed under the finish line and then Gary, volunteer extraordinaire, grabbed me and sheparded me through the finish shoot maze! Are you going to vomit? NO, check. Passout? NO, check. Award medal. Check. Blanket, check. Water, check. Now are you going to vomit? STILL NO. Check. Ironman official finishers photo. Not attractive but whatever! Gary escorted me all the way to the mouth of the shoot and released me into the holding pen where I had to decide between medical help, massage, bad pizza or chocolate milk. Shit…nothing sounded good and then I heard them! THE CREW! THERE THEY WERE CAMERAS AT THE READY! I was so happy to see them! Margaret, Nicole, Michele, Christine, Sonja, Nancy, Joe, and on and on! Then I saw Keith…walked right up to him and smacked him. Now my race was complete! Randi was there too! What a great way to celebrate!  Time to detox…massage, eat, not really, drink and wait for Tyler and John! Tyler’s finish made me as proud as my own! He worked so hard the last 6 months and he executed with such passion and commitment! To see his smiling exhausted face sitting there when I came out of the massage tent made me SOOOOO HAPPY!  Only one more person from the crew…my boy Johnny. Bill, Tyler and I waited at the finishers shoot to see him come through! It was awesome to see him cruise across the line in relaxed John fashion! All smiles and joy! I am so proud of him for starting let alone finishing. His experience can really teach all of us a lesson about expectations and racing relaxed! I love him and our Ironman finishers picture together will be a prized possession for years to come!
Goals achieved? Swim, YES. Ran the entire run. YES. 5 days later I can even say it was fun. My finishing time, included 25 minutes of transition times, 1 flat, 2 long stops for bike maintenance and various stops for hugs and kisses…12 hours, 41 minutes and change. YAHOOOO!
Elizabeth Tennant, among other crazy things, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN! Even though it was AWFUL...I had a blast!