Ironman Texas 2013 - Smashing It!!!!

Hello!!  Here it is finally...my race report from Ironman Texas!! This ironman was just as amazing and tough as it was last year, but for different reasons...

Thursday, May 16

Early Thursday morning my friend Jenny and I headed out for the Woodlands...the drive was uneventful, and I was feeling a nervous excitement for this race this year, it was a different feeling than I had had last year, which was more of a sheer terror at the thought of what I was about to do.  But I had completed IMTX in 2012, so I knew what to expect going in this year - knew the course, knew there was going to be heat and humidity, and I was excited to get the chance to race it again!! My ultimate goal was to have a big PR, to crush my 16:27:01 from last year, and I knew that I could do it!! I had nailed all of my training this time around AND attended a triathlon camp that forced me to push myself to a level that I had never been before...I was ready for TX - BRING IT!!

We lucked out (since I called our hotel every hour on the hour during our drive up about early check in) that our room was ready (I'm sure they were like - just get this girl her room so she will stop calling us!! LOL!!)...anyways, we unloaded the vehicles and chilled out for a few minutes, and by about that time Kris, Aixa, and Robert were getting to the Woodlands so we all headed over to athlete check-in...in matchy matchy green outfits of course!! ;)



Jenny, me, Aixa, and Kris ready to crush IMTX!!

 While we were there we even each got interviewed for the Ironman youtube channel, which was such a fun experience, I had never done anything like that before!!  Although we each had our own stories as to why we were here to race IMTX, this race had brought us all together along the way, and I am grateful to have shared this journey with these amazing ladies!!  After check-in it was time to head back to the hotel, and rest for just a bit before the athlete dinner that evening...at this point I started to feel a little "off" and was a little paranoid about coming down with something right before the race...several of my students had been sick at school this past week, so the thoughts of coming down with something crept into my mind pretty quickly after we got back from check-in...I even took my temperature to be sure - it was normal, so I just needed to take a deep breath and calm down.  Since I was feeling not quite right, I don't remember as much about the dinner this year as I did last year, mainly just that I really didn't want to be sick right before the race, and just wanted to head straight back to the hotel as soon as possible and go to bed so hopefully the sleep would kill off anything that was brewing in my body.  As soon as we got back from the dinner I took my temp again - still normal, which I should have been happy about but was not...my face was on fire and even my body felt hot - how could I not be running a temp?!  So, my friend Jenny to the rescue - she's known me forever, since high school (we both were on the swim team), and she knows that sometimes I can work myself up over nothing, and this was one of those times.  Since this was her first Ironman (which she totally crushed by the way), she started asking me questions about the practice swim Friday, and how bike and bag check-in worked, etc, etc.  Basically, just getting me to think about something else other than what I was thinking about...and it worked...I was being silly...I was fine - I had busted my tail off to get here, had put in all kinds of amazing training...I was ready to go!! 

Friday, May 17

Woke up Friday morning excited about the practice swim, and fingers crossed that the water would warm up to above 76.1 degrees so that it would be not be a wetsuit legal race.  I am not fond of wetsuits, but if everyone else is wearing one then I would be at a disadvantage if I did not wear mine, so fingers crossed for NO wetsuits!!  We all rode together over for the swim, and of course we were matchy matchy again - it was good luck!! :)  And Jenny actually matched Kris's husband Robert by accident, so the whole group was matchy matchy in one way or another...we are crazy ridiculous and I love it!!!!

The swim this time was fantastic compared to last year's practice swim!! Last year I could barely swim a couple hundred yards without my hamstrings tightening up because the water was so freaking hot it was like a bathtub!! 76 degrees felt amazing, I just hoped it would not get too much warmer than that for the swim tomorrow...so, I swam my 20 minutes, went through my different gears - sprinting out of the start, settling into a quick pace, then easy for the remainder...I was ready for the swim, and couldn't wait to see what I could do race day!! I should at this point also tell you that one of my other goals (this race had multiple goals embedded in it) was to win the swim, which I did not do, but was closer than I was last year, which I was stoked about, and this will continue to be a goal of mine in future ironman races :)  After my 20 minute swim, I hopped back in for another quick couple of minutes to try out my second set of goggles, just in case something happened to my main pair, I wanted to be comfortable in my back up pair (I am always prepared, you just never know...).  My second pair worked great, I hopped out of the lake feeling great about the swim, and pretty much great about the whole race in general - yay for a successful practice swim!! We loaded back in my car and headed back to the hotel - Jenny and I hopped on our bikes and rode them around for about 20 minutes or so, checking all the gears, making sure everything was in order before we dropped them off in the afternoon...then it was time to get the swim, bike, run, and special needs bags ready, which fortunately I had already put what I had needed in drawstring bags, so I transferred my stuff, and was all set.  At about this time my hubby, Patrick, had made it to the Woodlands, and I was so excited he was able to be there!!!  So we all followed each other to the parking garage and walked our bikes to the transition area...I let a little air out of my tires, and double checked my run and bike bags, then it was time to go!! Game on!! Can't wait to get this party started!!

So, after checking in all of our stuff, we are famished so we eat Grimaldi's again for lunch, then it was time to head to the Houston Lululemon store where they had all of the names of the participants of IMTX on the windows!!  It was fun to see our names up there, and of course to do a little shopping there was a big bonus as well!!  Another matchy matchy pic for the books!! ;)

Jenny, Aixa, me, and Kris at Lulu!!

It was now time to head back to the hotel, and rest up for the big day that lay ahead of us tomorrow...we just ate dinner at the hotel that night, and planned to leave by 4:30 AM the next morning...I got the opportunity to talk to Coachie and nail down the final race plan for tomorrow...I also got to talk to my friends Herb, Brian, and Orissa who were on their way to the Woodlands and would be part of our support crew for the weekend - so excited they were going to be here!!  After the phone calls, I started working on my nutrition, and as I was finishing it I noticed that we had some unexpected guests in our room - roaches!!! Gross!! Jenny and I were ready to tackle the ironman but were not ready to face the roaches!! LOL!! So, thankfully, Patrick got rid of them momentarily (oh, they would be back), and we got back to the business of getting ready for tomorrow and getting to bed as soon as possible...unfortunately, I never sleep well the night before big races, but since I know this about myself, I make sure to get plenty of sleep the week before, so I am still ready to rock and roll come race day!!!

Saturday, May 18 - GAME DAY

The alarm came much too soon that morning...oh my, 4 AM is so early...I rolled out of bed and meandered over to my food - it was time for Special K red berry cereal, a banana, and a chocolate milk.  I put on my swim suit, packed my bags with my other nutrition, grabbed my Garmin, and was about ready to go.  Jenny had already been up for a bit, so she was all ready to go before I was.  Patrick drove us to transition and dropped us off, and it was time to get my bike ready and double check my bags.  I counted the rows one more time just like I did yesterday from the swim out - 8 was the lucky number...I pumped my tires up, then put my infinit bottle up front, and filled my front and back water bottle, and then put my sandwich in my bento box, along with my salt tabs...I went back and put my extra sandwich and chips in my bike bag, along with my garmin, and my gels in my run bag...I had double checked everything and was ready to go (or so I thought...)...as I was getting ready to leave transition I saw everyone - Orissa and Brian, Herb, Heather and Omar - they had all come up to cheer us on!!  I told them I'd be right back, wanted to put the pump back in the car, and get my chip on, take off some of my extra clothes (I get cold in the morning even though it was sticky humid), and head to the swim start.  Mistake #1 - not putting the chip on before leaving the hotel room...I could not find my chip...I started to panic, where was it?  Jenny asked if I had emptied my bag, maybe it was at the bottom?  I double checked...no chip...oh crap.  Seriously, it's not my first rodeo, why didn't I put on the stupid chip beforehand?!?  I knew better!! I was chastising myself all the way to the lake - how could I be so stupid??  As soon as I got marked, I asked around where could I get an extra chip, and was pointed in the right direction...I got my replacement chip, and all was well again (for a moment...sigh)...I found my girls in the porta potty line and jumped in (Shelly had just joined us at the swim start - yay!!) and there was that nervous excitement in the air all around us - we were finally here...game day.  I put on sunscreen while in line and mistake #2 - rubbing the sunscreen over the permanent marker wiped it off, another mini panic attack...Patrick and the girls pointed out I can just go right over and get it done again, no problem...I relaxed a little...as soon as I finished with the bathroom, I made a beeline for the body markers, and got it taken care of...okay, back in the happy, semi-calm place, nervous about the day ahead, but excited too, so I focused on that.  It seemed like right after I got my arm marked again, it was time for the age groupers to start heading for the water...I hugged the girls, and suddenly I was overwhelmed with emotion, just like last year at the start...I was so grateful to be here and so blessed to be sharing this experience with my amazing hubby and amazing friends...I was also a little nervous about the swim, I wanted to do so well, and I had put it out there that I wanted to do well, something that I don't always do, mainly because I have a nasty habit of tying my self-worth with how I perform, something I've always struggled with...Kris could see that emotion play across on my face and gave me a hug and said that if I win the swim I'm a bad ass and if I don't win the swim I'm still a bad ass...I smiled - she was right.  I gave my hubby a kiss and a big hug and he told me that I was going to do great and he was so proud of me...more high fives and hugs ensued, then it was time to head to the water, and get to work!!

Me and my hubby!!

 I positioned myself to the far left, right next to the buoy, and was planning on swimming right on the buoy line as much as possible...I was in the front row, lots of green caps all round, a few pink scattered here and there, but mostly green...all of a sudden I heard my name - Jenny had moved up in the front group as well - it was so good to see her at the swim start!!  Okay, time to get the game face on...this year since I knew exactly where I wanted to be, I was treading most of the 10 minutes, whereas last year I was a little later to get in, and was only treading about 5...I love the water, and was super stoked about my position, so I was happy to tread water a little longer this year in order to have that spot...when the cannon went off, I sprinted for the first several hundred meters - there were quite a few green caps swimming over me, there were hands on my feet, and my arms kept getting caught in others' arms, but at least my goggles didn't get kicked off this year, which was a bonus!!  The water was a fantastic 77 degrees by the way, and I felt great!!

Settled into a pace pretty quickly, and stayed along the buoy line pretty well this year...after the first third was finished and we rounded the red buoy to head back towards the canal, I still felt solid, and knew I was going at a good pace...at this point I spotted some pink caps, and figured the chase was on!! So the next third of the swim I was chasing the pink caps in front of me, and caught both as I entered the canal!! Woohoo!!! Rock on!!  The canal was just as wavy as I remembered, but I was not phased, I was expecting it, so I just pressed on through...at about halfway through the canal one of the pink caps passed me back, and I debated as to whether to take it up another notch to pass her back, but I certainly didn't want to leave it all out on the swim, I still had the bike and the run to go!! Oh, foot cramp!! Good times!! I shook it off and kept pressing on!!  Suddenly I could see the end ahead...almost done with the swim already!!  As I raced for the ladder at least I was not cramping all over like I was last year, although I was still quite disoriented as I ran up the stairs - maybe that's just always how I'll feel after a 2.4 mile swim...no matter now, it was on to the bike!! As I ran out I glanced at my watch - right at an hour swim!! Yea!! Cut 3 minutes from last year, next time I know I'll be under for sure!!  (1:00:56 for the swim)

I was yelling for my number as I headed into transition and I heard people yelling my name but I was focused on the next task at hand - a quick change and off on the bike!!  My friend Augie was jumping up and down with excitement as I raced in the change tent - she was volunteering in the swim portion again this year, so for the second year in a row she helped me change from swim to bike gear in a quick amount of time...T1 was a little over 7 minutes (7:33) which wasn't too bad...I would also like to add that at this time in the change tent as I grabbed my Garmin I saw my chip in the same bag, if I had gone back and double checked my bike bag I might have avoided the whole chip debacle earlier - lesson learned ;) now it was time to conquer that bike!!

Smiling as I head out - it's gonna be a great day!!

So, the bike portion also started off much better this year than last year...last year I was cramping the first 10 miles of the bike still from the boiling hot swim, today the first 10 felt effortless...I felt good, but I knew enough about this day to know that the good feeling wouldn't last, and I would have to be mentally tough when the negative thoughts started to creep in.  I drank water about every 10, infinit every 15, with my sandwich and salt tabs every hour...I had executed this nutrition  plan many times before on my long rides and it had worked perfectly, my main concern on this day was the heat and humidity, something we really didn't have time to acclimate to this year since it was a very mild spring.  Couldn't do anything about the weather, would just have to take it in stride.  Right before mile 20, my front bottle was getting low, and I wanted to refill and maybe dump some water over my head as well, but I didn't want to have to stop.  Last year I stopped at every single one of the aid stations and got off of my bike and refilled - that was NOT going to happen this year, I planned at stopping at 30, 60, and 90...but if I was going to get water at 20 and not stop then I would have to grab the water as I was riding through the station and had NEVER done that before, actually I crashed at Longhorn 2011 trying to do just that.  Hmmm...I had to make a decision...this season has been all about breakthroughs, why not just tack on another...I yelled water as I headed through the station, slowed down, and...SUCCESS!! I grabbed the water!!! And I didn't fall over!!! I felt like celebrating - it's all about the little victories on race day!! 

Still was feeling strong, knew I had a tailwind and decided to enjoy it while it lasted...at mile 30 I did stop quickly to pee and refill, took only about 2 minutes...then it was back on the bike...somewhere in here early on my friend Jenny passed me, it was great to see her, and she would go on to crush the bike :)  By about 40 the winds started to change and I knew as we headed back we were going to get a pretty solid headwind...at 50 I was getting hot again and wanted to get another water but not stop so grabbed again going through the station!! Two for two!!!  I was taking in all of my nutrition when I needed to, so I still was feeling pretty good, but the super fun ride was about to get super hard...the headwind came like we knew it would, so I stayed as low as I could and fought through it...went right through the special needs, I only had a tube and CO2 in the bag which thankfully I didn't need, but I did stop at 60 to pee, refuel, eat some more of my sandwich, as well as my chips!!  This stop took a little longer than the previous one, but I had planned on that, so I was still in good spirits as I headed out...the next 20 miles were really tough, and the first 10 went by a little faster than the second because I was executing the game plan that Coachie and I had discussed the previous day, but after 70 that plan went out the window because it was survival mode (I also would like to mention that at 70 I grabbed my third bottle for the day - THREE FOR THREE in the aid stations!! That's huge for me!! The mini victories kept me going!!)...miles 70-80 were brutally tough, and I got a small boost when I saw my teammate Jeff pass me, and he told me I was doing great and to keep it up!!  Unfortunately, the boost was short-lived, and I felt so beat down that I stopped at mile 80, even though I wasn't planning on it...it was still a brief stop, quick potty break and water over the helmet, but it was a much needed stop.  I fought for 10 more miles, then stopped again at 90 (well, actually, a little past 90, this is the aid station that seems like it's never going to appear)...at this one I stopped longer than anticipated - potty break again, refuel - was sick of infinit, so grabbed some cold perform instead...and just stood there for a moment - saw some other athletes sitting down in the shade, I knew if I sat down I would not want to get back up, time to get going again...at this point I was psyching myself up for the fact that after the next 10 miles our last 12 miles will be winding through the beautiful Woodlands, and last year I remember the last 12 being easy, and going by fast...so NOT the case this year...after getting past 100, I was waiting for those last 12 to feel easy and to fly by, but they never did...as a matter of fact, the last 5 felt like an eternity and I seriously just wanted to get off my bike and run to transition with it, that's how over the bike I was at that point...finally, though, I did roll into transition, and it was time to face the marathon... (6:35:55 for the bike)

So, last year my T2 time was 11 minutes because I couldn't put on my compression socks...this year I was not planning on wearing compression socks, but T2 still took me about 10 minutes (10:24) because I was trying to psych myself up for the marathon...Coachie always tells us to get in and get out of the change tent as soon as possible because it's like a black hole in there and she is spot on...I got sucked in a bit this time - I took my time changing, and sat there for a moment, and then when I was getting ready to head out, I heard my name, and it was Aixa!! I was wondering where her and Kris were, I couldn't wait to see them on the course, figured they would pass me on the bike, but when they didn't I was sad I hadn't seen them yet...so yay, Aixa was starting the run with me!! Except it was a walk for me the first few hundred yards, I didn't feel so great, had kind of a headache, which should have tipped me off to start getting more salt in pronto, but I was really out of it that first mile, started to sort of jog, but wasn't moving too fast...Aixa had gone ahead, I wanted to try to catch her...a little ways into the second mile I did, and pulled ahead for a bit...my swim friend Augie was at one of the first aid stations and was going bonkers when she saw me - that girl has so much energy, and it was contagious, right when I needed it the most!!  I continued my nutritional plan of taking perform and water at the aid stations, as well as fruit (I alternated between bananas, oranges, and water melon), and GUs every 40 minutes or so...sometimes I would take a handful or pretzels or chicken broth, depending on how I was feeling...at least I could eat GUs this year - last year early on they made me sick and I couldn't take anymore...I was also stuffing ice and sponges down my tri top at every aid station, and as a result kept my core cool and my heart rate low, which was great since normally my heart rate is sky high when I am running in the heat!!

Smiling on the first loop!!

During this first amazing loop I also saw Coachie on her bike, and she gave me another boost, and then I saw Orissa and Brian and Shelly and Patrick!!  This first loop was going by so fast, and I still felt pretty good!! Hooray!!! Before I knew it I was on the back half of my first loop, and heading for my second, and that's when things got a little ugly for a bit...as I headed up the large dirt hill, and was rounding the corner, I was searching for my hubby, this was the spot he was in last year, but he wasn't here the first loop, and I didn't see him this second loop...my heart sank, where was he?  Just then, he stepped out from the trees, I was so focused I didn't even see him!! And then a moment later I spotted my friend Herb!!  They were both there cheering me on!!  I pressed on and saw my friend Augie at the next aid station!! Another boost!!  But then, I was done for a bit...the headache was back, I was not feeling well...at about this time Aixa catches back up to me...we walk for a little bit, then she's off and running again...I stop to pee when I get my special needs run bag, and gather the extra gels...I didn't even touch my gummy bears, I was so sure I'd want those as a treat, guess not...continued to walk/run in the middle of the second loop, and I was frustrated by this, but I kept telling myself to look at the positive, that at least I was walk/running and not just walking at this point like I was last year (so that was a good thing) -  another mini victory for the day!!  As I approached the waterway I started to run...saw the gang again cheering as I ran along the waterway, and it boosted my spirits!!  Can I just say that the energy on the run course was absolutely amazing!! I was so grateful for all of the volunteers at those aid stations who always pumped me up for my next mile, and I was so excited to see all the spectators out on the course - their energy was always so contagious, and I desperately needed it on this second loop...so I continued to run!!...As I finished up the second loop and headed for the third, I saw my hubby again at the same spot, and I told him I was going to try to go under 14 hours, and I could do it if I could hold 12 minute miles for the last loop...he told me he knew I could do it, and he'd be there at the finishers shoot when I came in...so I headed on my way, my new goal firmly planted in my mind - must get under 14 hours!!! Not far ahead I caught up to Aixa, she had mentioned she had been doing some puking and was trying to rally, so we ran together for a bit and then walked together for a bit, and then I told her I'd see her at the finish, was going to try to break 14...she wished me luck, and I was off!! 

Time to dig deep!!

The last loop hurt the worst but felt the best all at the same time...I felt awful, the headache was still there, I was a little nauseated, but I pushed on through.  It was time to RALLY!!!  I would not be stopped from achieving my new goal, and as I clicked off the miles at the 12 minute pace, I gained even more momentum.  I would do this, there is no doubt in my mind...I climbed a mountain on a bike for crying out loud, I can run a few more miles!! When the negative thoughts creeped up, I pushed them away!!  I thought about all the fears I had conquered this year, all the breakthroughs I had this season, all the training I had put in...all for this moment, right here, right now...couldn't stop...WOULDN'T stop...it was getting dark now, so didn't quite reach my goal of finishing in the daylight but I only had a couple more miles to go!!  As I headed toward the last aid station I knew I was going to do it, it would just be a matter of how far under 14 was I going to go (5:56.46 for the run)...that last mile I did not feel pain like I did last year, only euphoria...it was going to happen, I was going to CRUSH my old PR!!! As I headed into the finishers chute I let a guy pass by, there was no one else behind me, and I wanted to enjoy the chute this year!! I high fived everyone!! My hubby and all my friends were there cheering me on through!!! It was pure euphoria is the only way to describe it.  As I crossed the line I heard Mike Reilly this year (last year I did not, I was too dazed) and I was laughing and crying and I threw my hands in the air and stood under the clock - 13:51:34!!!!!  HOLY COW!!!! A two and a half hour PR!!! So crazy!!!  What an EPIC day!!!!

Victorious!!!

As I finished my friend Heather was the catcher so she caught me and helped me walk to the medical tent, I wanted to be assessed just be sure, and I still didn't feel quite right.  They took my vitals, gave me some chicken broth, and then sent me on my merry way, where I reunited with my hubby and headed back to the finish so I could see Kris and Aixa cross...shortly thereafter they did, and it was celebratory hugs all around, and of course lots of pics!!  Also got a great big hug from Coachie and she said she was so proud of me, and of course I was still laughing and crying from the excitement of it all!! Somewhere in the midst of all this, however, I learned a valuable lesson.  Ironmans do that - there are lessons to be learned from each and every one, and one of the biggest lessons I learned from this one is that I need more sodium when it is hot, much more than I think I do because I am a profuse sweater, and I am losing it faster than I am replacing it.  I thought I was taking plenty of salt with the tabs and sports drinks and chicken broth, but apparently I needed more.  To make a long story short, I did, in fact, need the IVs (multiple) to replace my lost sodium (hence the headaches), and in the future will need to take more proactive measures so that I am not in a similar situation...however, this was just a bump in the road at the end of an extraordinary day - once again, IMTX did not disappoint, it was such an AMAZING experience!!!  Can't wait to do another!!!

Last, but certainly not least, there were so many people who supported me on this journey who I would like to thank...first and foremost, I could not have gotten through both of these past couple of ironmans without the love and unwavering support from my husband Patrick, who understood me with perfect clarity why I needed to sign up for ironman #2 so shortly after completing my first one, even though that was not the initial plan.  He was one of my biggest supporters, and always eager to hear about my triathlon adventures, whether it be about camp, or just one of my long training weekends...I love you babe, and I am super stoked you are looking into racing your first triathlon soon!!  I also could not have gotten through both of these (as well as many other milestones in my life) without the love and support from my parents!! You all are amazing and I love you to pieces!! And one of my biggest supporters of this undertaking was my brother, Robert - thank you for always believing in me, love you buddy!!  Then of course, there's my Coachie, Coach Dawn Elder, who has believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, and has pushed me to my limits and beyond, to reach a level that I never thought was possible for me in triathlons...thank you Coachie!!! And Grand Coachie Hillary Biscay - her camp was a pivotal moment for me this season, had huge breakthroughs on the bike there, and it mentally toughened me up for my race here today...I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn so much from her - thank you Grand Coachie!!  Thank you to all of my family, friends, and colleagues who have supported me along the way, and thank you to my Tri-Belief teammates as well for your support (thanks for the fun rides Alphanso and Jeff!!).  And to my awesome friend Augie who was here for me again for my second ironman - thank you!! You are the reason I got into ironmans in the first place, I am so grateful for a friend like you!! And to my friend Jenny, it's been a blast reconnecting after all these years and I am grateful for your friendship...it's been so fun sharing this journey with you - thank you for taking me out so many times on the bike, it helped me immensely this season...hope I didn't slow you down too much ;) !!  Thank you to Kris's husband Robert for always being our official race photographer!!  Your pics are awesome!!  And to my Iron Whiner crew  - I could not have achieved this PR without you!!! You all are amazing!!!  Thank you Herb for always being there, picking me up when I was struggling during this season - your positive energy is contagious; thank you Brian for all of your bike pointers, and for being one of the first to help me on the bike - your help has been crucial to my bike success; and last, but certainly not the least, a great BIG thank you to some amazing ladies (love you all!!) - Orissa, Shelly, Kris, and Aixa - you all set the bar high and have inspired me every step along the way, and I look forward to many more matchy matchy adventures to come!! ;)

Love my Iron-Sherpa hubby!!