NOW I'M AN IRONWOMAN!

Okay Okay it's time,

it's time to write,

it's time to admit to myself that the race is over and finally write a race report.

Unlike this report, it was easy to sit down and write the thank you cards. That was SO satisfying. I realized what a team effort this self-absorbed endeavour really is. I got across the line because of the support, sponsorship, faith and encouragement of my friends, family, students and colleagues. Thank you.

What is an Ironman?
______________________________________________________________

• 3.8 km. Swim
  
• 180 km Bike
• 42.2km Run
  
• Do all of this in one day, and manage my nutrition throughout.

HOW I PREPARED?
______________________________________________________________

• Longest Ride: 185km, 7:30:00
• Longest Swim: 4,500m 1:36:00
• Longest Run: Marathon 3:46:00
• Committed to sleeping 7-9 hours a night
• Trained between 13 and 22 hours a week
• Got a coach who planned out my training & race prep
  
• Trained twice/ day 6 days/week (5:00am and 7:00pm)
• Committed to healthy whole-foods diet for faster recovery
• Joined a team to train with friends on the long rides and runs
  
• Prayed

Results? ____________________________________________________________________

• Swim: 1:11
• Bike: 5:58
• Run: 4:06

TOTAL 11:24:27
Place in Age Group: 10/77 women
Place in Women: 75/710
Place Overall: 547/2750 finishers.

report...

5 days to Race Day: Feeling like I'm going to Disneyland

I'll start with some pre-race notes. Its hard to know where to begin because so many extraordinary things happened, but i really want to keep it snappy-ish.

On Tuesday, Sept 21st, Steph' and I got our bikes on the car and ferried to the mainland for a super fun road-trip. We arrived in Penticton with cherries, peaches, frozen yogurt cones and ready to enjoy the beaches for a few days.


3 days out: stressed by the magnitude...

3 days from race day I become a stress ball. The magnitude of preparation and planning for this event is overwhelming and I lose all sense of how to be social. It made me not enjoy the hype of Ironman and feel a bit ashamed of how self-centred the event really is.

My body starts to lash out. My niggling injuries seem magnified. My food cravings are hardly satiated. And I become hyper-lactose intolerant. Any trace of milk inflated my belly into a bloated mess of cramping knots and pains... AHHH!

Any endeavour to prepare for the race becomes as large as the race itself. Like drinking. I drink a lot of water. A litre an hour. I drink obsessively. If you saw the depleted Julie Moss cross her first Ironman finish in the 1980's, you might understand why.


CLICK! video of Julie Moss Crossing Line

Oh, it was too much.

Thankfully, My coach had us meet on Lake Skaha for a Picnic. It was awesome. If you do Ironman, join a team and get a coach. Have a circle of friends who support you and experience it together. We got a picture together at the edge of town with the sign that fired us up "welcome Ironman athletes."







2 days out and... I became a "covergirl." I was scoping out the water in Lake Okanagan when a photographer took my photo and info. I then wound up on the cover of Penticton's local news. It was a strange day seeing myself all over the city. "Ironman takes Grip of Penticton." So does Aynsley O'Carroll! HA! so funny!







1 Day out, I'm totally self-absorbed and can't really express how i feel.

Several friends joined us on Saturday at the house with plans to sign up the following day. It was so much fun to be around "Iron-people" and have my sisters, who have never experienced anything like Ironman, surrounded by the passion and fire that illuminates anyone with first hand experience. Wow- everyone was super encouraging and understanding. They helped me coast through the last few waking hours before the race... until moments before I tried to go to bed.

the tears:Because the early morning excitement can be self-absorbing, I tried to wish friends and family my love and gratitude for their support before bed. I hugged my sisters first. As I turned towards a friend, I burst into uncontrollable tears. The reality and fear of the day that laid ahead of me overwhelmed me. How is it possible to swim 4 km with almost 3000 people. How will I manage to control my competitive ego in 180km of biking. How will I run a marathon?

Crying actually gave me a great release. I needed it- Something very intense was welling inside me.

10 hours to race start: Pre-Race Inspiration...

9:00pm - I tried to go to bed, (Time from here on in monopolizes my thoughts.)

9:05pm. No sleep. I wanted some final inspiration from Ironmen available on Youtube.

I first watched the video of Blazeman. He was diagnosed with ALS as a young man - a disease that degenerates your body within 2 years. In 2005 he raced in Kona to raise awareness and finished, in 2006 he spectated and this May, 2007, he died.

CLICK! BLAZE MAN VIDEO: THE WARRIOR POET

After, my sisters sat in quiet. One is a doctor and fully understood how quickly ALS sets in and kills a person. And it killed John Blais. While I couldn't quite put it in words - the purpose of pursuing Ironman started to make sense; it started to develop meaning beyond what my friend Ken called: a really long race.


Then, we watched the video about Jim Howle who nearly died of AIDS. He should have died at Ironman. But, he saved his life through the disciplined training and chasing of a dream. I needed to hear him say these words again and again, and my family and friends were so patient as I rewound and wound and wound those words into my heart.

"I believe diseases like HIV are diseases of dis-empowerment. Exercise empowers people. It does that by changing our attitudes. And, when we change our attitudes, we have courage. And when we have courage we have the empowerment. And exercise can give everyone the power to say no to whatever it is they don't want in their lives... for me all of a sudden, I have a future."

CLICK! JIM HOWLE VIDEO - THE IRON FIGHT AGAINST AIDS


I don't believe that it is exercise alone that empowers us. I believe it is pursuing a higher purpose. We all have this burning desire to be great- to surpass our boundaries, to be the best we can be. Because when we do, we have pride, courage and, as Howle realized, we are empowered.

9:15pm Okay, I'm not cut out to be Dr. Phil...I really needed to get to bed.

9:30pm My eyes close and I fall asleep. I'm told I won't sleep, but I knew there was nothing else I could do. This was the end of a year of hard training, anxiety, excitement, constant new experiences, endless unknowns, injuries, appointments, practice races. - tomorrow is the time to have fun.

I was so ready that I slept.

I think part of that confidence and peace of mind came from a very dry looking book called Psyching for Sport by Terry Orlick. It is so accessible, and gives very easy to follow steps on how to be mentally prepared for competition. As it emphasizes, it was now all about the moment.

CLICK! AuthorTerry Orlick's Website: Zone of Excellence

goodnight.


RACE MORNING PREP: 3 HOURS TO START
3:55 am - wake up

4:00 am - I start my oatmeal.
- I pack my bottles from the freezer into one of the 5 transition bags I organized 3 days before.


(what I ate: It took me 4-6 hours of packing and repacking to prepare my transition bags and special needs bags. My coach's lists dragged on for 6 pages of things to remember. I had to stir up and freeze 9 bottles of my E-Load sport drink, 27 Gu gels, and 2 super-protein/carbohydrate drinks of Perpetuem. I committed to a liquids only diet to keep my stomach from getting woozy, but the thought of passing my hardest day of training without any solid food also made me woozy. I counted out baggies with Succeed Salt tablets, ibuprofen, tums. I had to tape spare tubes to my bike and then just stare at my bike and then I just stared at my bike. I kissed my bike before I went to race. I was going a bit looney. I adored my bike. it happens. I bought it last year in May, and that night fell asleep staring at my bike with a smile. I love bikes. This is a picture of Jan's transition bags. I wanted to show all the items we had in the bag. My number was 2097)

4:15am - I slug down my coffee,

4:25 am- realize my oatmeal was only 170 calories and I needed 800 more.

4:40 am I ate a white bagle with raspeberry jam while playing the Forest Gump theme song . (my sport visualization song. You should listen to it- it is perfect undulating tempo instrumental that typifies a day on the courts, fields or road.)

CLICK! FOREST GUMP SONG

FUNNY OBSERVATION: no-one looks at me- everyone is afraid to look at me. I felt estranged when I saw my sister clumsily search for a place to eat in the dark so she didn't feel she might disturb my "routine"

4:55 am we're in the car!
My walkman overtakes my ears... listening to the tape I made specially for this event. I let out a howl, the sun is rising and I am way way tooo excited to get to the race start.

5:10am Steph and I walk to the Body marking.


(In line for body-marking, I had soooo much stuff. I was a bit embarrassed with the heavy loaded bags I brought. I could have done the race on Everest with the amount of all- weather gear in my bags. I was a rookie.)









5:18am I see a training acquaintance volunteering at the body marking. Wyatt. Instantly I knew that he was destined to body-mark me. As I stepped up, I wanted to tell him he was really messy with the marker and to do a tidier job- I wanted the numbers to stay on forever and he seemed to be smudging like crazy. But I didn't want to rattle anything. The smudge was meant to be. (this is a picture of Jan getting body marked.)

5:30am I'm marked. Racer # 2097 on my arms. My age on my calf.

5:50am, I'm finally at my bike in the transition area.



(The transition area is WAY COOL. I looked on it fondly last year, at the millions of dollars of bike equipment, the organized lines of transition bags filled with runners, anti-chafe sticks and well-wishing notes from friends and family. We have to drop off our bikes on the Saturday before the race. When I entered that transition area that day, I let out a Howl! HOW FUN IS THIS! So great to be dropping off my bike. to fit in! To be apart of this. To qualify. To have made it, while hinging on niggling injuries, insecurities,
rookie-logies.... YAHOO! it was definitive. This is a photo of Adrian placing his bags. It looks chaotic, but everything is lined up by number.)

5:51am- Pee line. 30 minutes of anguish. The Black Eyed Peas tell me to get it Started and Coldplay to tell me "Where do I go...." I love it. The sky is slowly lighting up, but the days are getting shorter. I remind myself that I will finish before sunset. This race is against the night. I'm doing this one in the light.

6:21am: Boy was it a moment.

6:22 am - 38 minutes to race start. I can't remember the song playing, but I'm so in the zone. I walk with confidence, without hesitation. There are thousands of competitors milling in countless directions fussing over their body glides, wet-suits, bike pumps, and water bottles. But I didn't stumble once. I didn't bump once. I moved with grace, stealth and poise. I knew that it was important that I be in the moment and it was so exhilarating to feel myself move so easily in what seemed like a well designed matrix...

(My bike was set up right next to the section of men between 65 and 70. That's pretty fun. They were pretty neat. There was a set of Dick-Ed's... who I believe were out to race their 24th consecutive ironman. Another white haired man was wrestling with his wet suit and asking in a childlike way if the nervousness ever subsides. A rooky at 65 +!? One of them seemed to hit on me and feel like he should rattle off his wisdom and knowledge of the course... like the pot hole on mile 37... yeah-, I'm sure I'll remember to look for that.)

6:24 am - STEPH! I was worried she wouldn't find me on the other side of the fence. She seemed so far away - definitely out of ear shot. Without talking we gestured the famours "Fantastique" and my heart exploded with joy and I was crying simultaneously. And chuckling too, asking: what kind of ironman did I sign up to be?

(I pumped up my tires to the right pressure. and then emptied out my bag on the grass. One of the Dick'Eds asked if we were running out of time... he was a bit overwhelmed by my spacious explosion. I strapped my heart rate monitor around my chest. I sunscreened myself, I put on my race chip, I pulled on my wetsuit, I peed in the bush shamelessly (that or wait a 1/2 hour!) I ran to Steph gave this wanna hug you but this tall wiry awkward fence divides us, and so did she.)

6:45 am. And then I that song "SHUT UP" came on. Again, I walked with confidence, poise, grace and light feet through the bustling crowd.

I walked myself close to the Swim Gate, and amidst the bustle, And pooF! There was JAn! JAN! JAN! My nautical shepherd, my confidante.

(I asked Jan if I could be beside her to feel safe at the swim start. This had been the one event that was stifling to visualize... it is often called a washing machine of swimmers... I'm not really keen to be apart of the biggest mass-start swim ever. Jan has done this race twice and swims a bit faster than me. She became part of the race plan.)

6:48 am: Wow- are things ever coming together! We light up when we see each other, and then walk holding hands towards the beach. I stand at the water's edge- there are thousands upon thousands of people here.

6:50am: I suck back gel numero uno. Wow- as I reflect, so little time has passed- but really- sooooo much has happened. I'm in the moment.

Then I peed my pants. I got a bit self conscious cuz I wasn't yet in the water, and there were thousands of people there. I looked down to see if anyone could tell. When it was clear that I hadn't made a total embarrassing display, I howled out in excitement... today- anything can happen. Leave it out there. No shame. You're ready. You're trained. You're strong. This is way tooo fun.

We set up in the water, and I can feel that same lump in my throat. The 10 minutes last forever. I'm looking desperately to see my family's face, but don't find them. I see my coach, and can't help but blow her kisses. I am so happy to be here. what a privilege. I 'm dancing to the music. Wishing teamates good luck. Frantic. (I'm in this picture- isn't that amazing that we could connect with friends! If you follow the gal with the blue x at the front in the photo, then there's another x beside her to your left, and then there's me, just in front of Christiane with a grey sweep down her side- my little blue patch on the back.)

Jan boldly placed us 3 people from the front on the side of the buoy line. Usually tentative swimmers stand meekly to the farthest edge opposite the race line.. Wow- this is bold, but I'm okay and I'm ready and Jan my shepherd is here.

Someone shouted that they dreaded this. I said no way- this is all too fun. I had no time for sarcasm or any form of belittling comments this day. Its not the place. I'm fully out here- I have nothing to defend myself for. This is my 100% effort and I'm proud of it. I'm going to have fun.

My swim was incredible! The course was a triangle. 1400m, 600m, 1800m. It was effortless to the first house boat, where we turned. There were scuba divers under me, and when I waved, they waved back.
( I wonder if someone else waved at the same time and we all felt individualized.. kinda like when you see Justin Timberlake in concert and you know he is singing just to you. It humanizes the experience that is shared with hundreds and thousands.)



At the second turn chaos loomed. I remember "Muscle-E" - this beefy man in a sleeveless wetsuit who dunked me and swatted. In a panic, I kicked weird, got an instant incapacitating cramp in my calf, and lost my orientation... where the hell is home?

Again, I feel that book primed me up well psychologically. The crisis was so short. I told myself relax, breath energy.




I then found the buoys, coasted in the speedy wake of some random swimmers and got so excited for the pending bike leg bike.

I couldn't really see when I exited. Water got in my goggles and my eyesight was totally blurred. (another moment that has me stand back and question my so-called ironman quest)

I thought I swam 1hour 15 and I was soooo delighted. I howled on my way to transition. When my sister told me after the finish line that I swam 1hour 11, I felt so proud so satisfied. I don't need to swim with that many people ever again. That was 8 minutes faster than what I thought was reasonably possible. wow.

SWIM TIME 3.8 km: 1:11:06

T-1 (transition 1)
My transition was super fast. There were really nice volunteers. Got to my bike, still couldn't really see, but I was sooooo excited and happy to be there right there. I howled and jogged my way to the gate! Woo hoo!

Bike
I hopped on my bike with ease and rode through a chute of fans everywhere for 10 blocks. My family was 4 blocks down- and I was so excited to see them- I wonder how on earth, in that chaos, we managed to see each other- but it fired me up... so much that I nearly crashed out an Italian dude who angrily shouted at me "fantastic" .... little did he know how much that word motivates me!

Woops- I forgot sunscreen. don't rely on getting that in transition- have it in your bags!

Off I went- the bike was awesome. I had that calf cramp still, so I decided to get right into the salt tablets immediately and 15 minutes later I even took an ibuprofen in order to help simmer that down.

There were a few woman I immediately associated with as "virtous" competitors. For no reason. I just wanted them to do well- I even boldly called one my mentor- she was 45. Their pace was good, and they had that vibrating energy that jived with mine. They were the ones that I picked out like Jan.. my two wheeled tribe.

off we went. I had a blast. Apparently there was all sorts of cool things going on with fans and aid-stations (like Christmas themes...) but I was so in my game I noticed none of it.

I remember Shannon Bernardo passing me just after Oliver. What a great cyclist. She's in the age group below and Canada's next Lisa Bentley. When she passed me aggressively I cheered her on and then latched on to her rear-end... Only having to pee would separate us. Well that's what I thought until we hit the first of 2 big climbs. Richter pass. It stretches high and long for 11 km. I didn't want to burn out on the run so I let her go. Steady and strong.

Its pretty gratifying on my little bike to be passing so many people. and so many men. In Ironman, gender (unless you're in the top 100 athletes) just doesn't really make a whole lot of difference. And even a pro ... in fact I passed 3 pros, and they began 15 minutes ahead of us. I thought something HAD to be going wrong. It was irreverent of me to pass the woman. I wanted her to go, to be strong. I cheered for her. IT wasn't right- I knew how much she had invested in it... well I thought I did, and I thought she had to finish strong. it was only natural.

The headwinds started at Richter Pass, and they never subsided, in fact they just increased in intensity. And just as I wished I had Jennifer to pace off of, Wanda arrived. Its funny, because I could find a Wanda on the results list, but that's what her shorts said clearly on both butt cheeks.

26 year old "Wanda" : Thank you. You hammered me through the relentless winds to Keremeos, and then at the turnaround something died in you and I lost you. Thanks for that trail. I then was on a journey alone. I kept thinking my family would turn up somewhere.

2 of my training partners Adam and John had just passed me. That made me pretty proud- I was kicking some royal if they only just passed me.

2/3 rds through the OUT AND BACK (approx'ly 22 km... it goes forever and its tough!) we had our first special needs bags point. My bag was essential because I was opting out of the gatorade. In it, I had frozen bottles of my drinks and a note from my sister. I tried to be all fancy and not stop- but it got awkward. I stopped, stood over my bike and my bladder instantly released a huge puddle below me. I felt bad for the gal who just stopped right behind me. But anything happens on the road and stays there in Ironman. What a relief that I'm peeing... its a sign that I'll be hydrated for the marathon.

My sister's note made me cry. I can't even remember what it said. I let out one of those weird deep throated wales that I sort of coughed up, and after an instant I was riding on. In the moment.


Wow- time to climb yellow lake.

My coach was so surprised to see me and was excited. That means I must be faster than expected. good news. I had no idea about my pacing.

AS I approached the second ascent, a dark sleet storm and heavy head winds approached me. STrong, steady, WARM, breath energy. It was tough. The toughest climb I've had since starting my bike training in February. Weird- I didn't expect that. That was one thing I was over confident about. I could ride these hills. I was prepared, they weren't that bad. It was bad. But the fans were soooooooooo energizing! I couldn't stop smiling. AS they made a narrow corridor on either side for at least 1/2 a km.

I keep looking up for my family.... Wow- the hill is done, I'm going down hill and heading home! where are they?

Phew- it was a relief to make it to the bottom of Yellow Lake- There are lots of stories about cyclists getting the wobbles- but I made it smooth and safe... maybe not super fast, but I'm soo relieved.

And there they were. Lana I saw first- her wild beautiful curls and then joyful cheers. they were all clumsily cheering and trying to take pictures, I was soooooo excited.

Once I passed my family I tuned out, and coached myself in preparation for the run. I told myself It was like a new day of training. Nothing has happened today. I'm strong. I'm steady. I will run the marathon. stick to my plan. stick to my plan, time for the best run of my life.

When I hit the Main Street, ~5 km out, I closed off my bike effort and spun easily into transition.

BIKE 180 km: 5:58

T-2 (Transition #2)
I got my shoes off with ease while still riding my bike (smooth!). Someone grabbed my bike as I grounded with gumby legs... It felt like I had no bones and joints in my wobbly legs, and then headstrung, i tried to imitate some form of a run with a strong form of focus to get my transition bags, get on my shoes and get running.


RUN
The run was great. I was pacing well with a few girls girls at the first 5-10 km, but they weren't interested in the run-walk. I trained for a 10 minute run, 1 minute walk (how tedious!) In the end I passed most of them, or stayed on pace with them. One guy noticed on the turnaround "your strategy is working." We became pace partners and support for the next 10 km, but then I stubbornly stuck to my race plan. In the last 6 km, he got ahead and beat me by 3 minutes.

Another woman in my age group passed me with a lot of strength at that same spot. I want a second try at Ironman so that I can race the last 10 km... not walk a single minute!

Next time.

(In the first 1/2 of the run, after 1 and 1/2 hours, I felt like my time would be super long because it seemed impossible that I'd make it in to the turn around, at the end the lake we were running along, within 2 hours. But somehow I did: sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon...

Again, I was so proud of myself... And baffled: what could be fueling this? Those questions, I think, impacted my race. I didn't visualize such a strong steady run- so I wasn't effective with my race strategy. I lacked the confidence to race it in.

The special needs bag at the turn around was so helpful. I had 2 small bottles 1/2 frozen with my sport drink. I strapped those in behind my bra (AH!) And I also had a quote by Mohammed Ali from the Kingstones:

“Outrun the people who quit when they feel discomfort, outrun the people who stop because of despair, outrun the people who are delayed because of prejudice, outrun the people who surrender to failure and outrun the opponent who loses sight of the goal. Because if you want to win, the will can never retire, the race can never stop, and faith can never weaken.”

I gave the quote away to a spectator and asked him to pass it on to a runner... I wonder if he did? Part of me wishes I held on to it for a bit of inspiration in those last 6 km.

21 km to go...

My sister was at the last 2 mile stretch. This is an interesting section, because we literally pass by the finish, and then leave for almost 4 km loop! I was pretty spent. I saw my sister was wearing sandles but I insisted that she run with me. She didn't carry me, or tell me something new. In fact she was at least 15 feet away from me as we ran. But I insisted "please, stay with me, be beside me," while I can't name what it was that helped me, something about her company helped me reach the finish line I had it in me to finish, I was just a bit tired. I also vainly asked her how I looked... I didn't want some booger or race gel cramping in my race photo glow. That was also in the race plan- amazing how if you plan it, you do it.

I then looked at the actual time for the first time that day. A close friend in Saskatchewan said she'd run at home with me. She really wanted to be there, but couldn't make it. I told her to leave at 6:30. But, on my watch I was finishing before she would even start running. I smiled with satisfaction and wondered if the day really was so seamless and successful?!


Nearing the line, I remember wanting to cry and also look good at the finish line for the photo. All I wanted to hear was " You are an Ironman," Instead I heard my friend Barb call my name. I fell in her arms. I then wept in her arms and I cried "I finished it, I finished it." Then I collapsed and was wheeled to the medical-tent.

RUN: 4:06:00

"Throw your heart over the mountain and your body will follow."

Click Play Below for Finishers Video