We did it! What an experience!

We did it! 70.3! What a journey!

As I sit back and reflect on the past 6 months, I feel inspired.  Joe and I successfully completed the Racine 70.3 Ironman.  It was probably, next to natural childbirth, the most physically and mentally grueling thing I have ever done. I am going to try and relive that day on this blog the best I can.  

 

Saturday started out with a busy day for Joe and me.  I met him and Ashley in Madison at 8:30am at my in-laws house.  We traveled to Racine and reached our destination at my parents'house.  We headed down to the Racine Civic Center to get checked in and attend an athlete debriefing meeting about the rules of the course, what to expect etc...talk about overwhelming! When we got there we had to go through several different checkpoints to get checked in.  We showed our ID, got a ticket with our bib number.  Then we had to go sign a Waiver (that was freaky-I know it's pretty standard for a run, but it just seemed freakier with what we were about to do). We picked up our timing chips and shirts and race packet.  I went crazy in the Ironman store-everything was pretty sweet.  Joe went and got some awesome wheels put on his bike that he rented for race day.  I was feeling a little overwhelmed but good until we sat down for the 35 minutes debriefing meeting.  Rules, rules and more rules. He talked about making sure if we decided not to finish the race, not to walk off with the timing chip, especially after the swim because they want to make sure the same number of people come in from the swim as head out or they would have to drag the lake looking....I think I almost threw up in my mouth a little.  After the meeting, we then had to go to the transition area to check in our bikes.  We put our stickers on the frame and front and then parked them for the night.  It was pretty windy and the lake was pretty rough so we opted out of taking a practice swim and decided to get some lunch.  As we were eating lunch, I got a frantic text from my friend and one of my training partners that they couldn't camp at the campsite they had reserved because there were storms heading our way that they were currently trying to outrun.  So they ended up staying at my parents' house with Joe, Ashley, Me, Shane and the boys.  My parents don't have a large house, but we made it work and having her and her husband with us the entire time was a Godsend. They are both happy, fun and positive people and I can't speak for Joe, but it really helped relax the mood a lot! 

 

That night we headed to Olive Garden to meet up with the other friends that were coming to cheer us on.  It was a night full of laugher as I tried to choke down my food and force myself to eat, all the while I felt like I could hurl at any given moment.  At dinner my friend Annie gave me a special book of messages written to me by my friends from the SWAT class I teach.  I couldn't read it at the table because I knew I'd lose it, so I waited until I was by myself that night.  The positive wishes, notes and love that exploded from that book was exactly what I needed to calm me down.  I also read a post from Mary that contained the blog that Jenna had written about Bryce.  I thought of the others that inspire me so and I turned the lights out at 9:39pm to be exact.  3 hours later....still up!  I could NOT fall asleep.  The clock in my parents' room seemed to ticking right inside my ear, some neighbors decided setting off fireworks at 11:30pm would be cool and every time my husband snored or grinded his teeth it seemed amplified.  The last time I looked at my Fitbit it was well after midnight.  I woke up at 3:30am and laid there thinking" How the heck am I going to do this?" I was awake until it was time to get up. Which was a good thing, because the alarm clock got unplugged (that would have been BAD)!.

 

We got up, double checked our gear and headed for the beach.  There wasn't a whole lot of conversation in the car. Again, I can't speak for Joe, but I was freaking out...just a bit.  I wrote a few sayings on my arms to remind me of some important words of wisdom:

 

 

 

 

 

 



Although I couldn't see these when I put my wetsuit on, I knew they were there and I'd have them for the rest of the day as well.  When we got down there it was already buzzing with athletes getting body marked and mentally preparing themselves for the day.  It was a BEAUTIFUL morning! No rain, very little wind and a water temperature of 60.1 degrees.  A little chilly, but could have been so much worse! This is the sunrise we were greeted to:

 

 

My anxiety slowly began to grow as I started getting my things unpacked.  I asked a few questions to a couple people and everyone was so nice. It was very evident that I seemed a little out of my league with all the experienced triathletes here, but I tried to remember that this was MY RACE to OWN and it didn't matter what anyone else did.  Once Joe and I got settled, we made the mile long trek to the starting point of the swim.  It was there that I saw Stacey, Stacy, Annie and Megan waiting for us as we headed down to the beach.  The excitement on their faces and their body language made me smile.  They seemed so excited for us and it warmed my heart to have them there.  I probably was not very social during those moments as I was really getting nervous looking at the sheer distance of the swim.  I could feel my heart beating out of my chest.  And then I saw Nikki.  Bryce's aunt.  She made it just in time before I had to swim and gave me the biggest hug.  I almost lost it. We walked down the beach and we took a few pictures.  Joe and I went in and took a dip in the water.  BRRRR!!!  It was really chilly.  We watched the professionals start their wave (STUDS) and before I knew it, I needed to line up with my wave of yellow caps.  Now was the point that I was really freaking out.  Just then I saw my Ironman friend Jen, who had come to some of her Mt. Horeb friends doing their first 70.3 and me.  She took one look at my face and knew I was struggling. She gave me some great words of wisdom about just taking one buoy at a time.  That along with what was written on my arms, kept me calm.  I gave Joe a hug, wished him good luck and headed to the starting line.

During the swim I felt really good.  I paced myself, controlled my breathing and except for some of the faster swimmers flying by me from the waves that went after mine and my left calf cramping up, I thought the swim went well.  I finished in 47 minutes which is around where I thought I might be.  It was so cool coming around the last buoy and seeing the huge inflatable Ironman arch at the finish of the swim and seeing blue shirts of my friends that were waiting for me at the finish!  And the feeling of "I am really doing this!!!"  As freaked out as I was about the swim, it ended up being my favorite leg of the race! Go figure!

I got out of the water and headed for the transition area to get ready for my 56 miles. I got my wetsuit off and put my bike gear on, reapplied my sunscreen and headed out on the bike.  Hearing my friends cheering as I headed up the hill felt awesome.  The bike was relatively uneventful.  I have a pretty simple road bike, so I was definitely passed more than I passed others.  But I worked hard, only stopping once because I had to go to the bathroom so bad and the bumpy route was killer on the bladder!  I remember towards the beginning of the bike, passing a girl who had a prosthesis on her right leg and thinking, "Wow, if she can do this I can too!"  Joe caught me at about mile 40. It was awesome to see him, as he is a beast on the bike!  I knew after talking to him though, that I hadn't fueled myself before and during the bike leg enough.  I had a feeling I was going to struggle with the run without having anything in the tank.  I even grabbed some Gu Gel from one of the hydration points even though I had never taken that before (that's a no-no).  I finished the bike in just over 3 1/2 hours, again right around where I thought I'd be.  I was tired, but my legs felt ok.  Again I was greeted to massive amounts of cheering as I was coming in on the bike.  More of my friends had arrived.  It was just awesome. I dropped my bike off, reapplied more sunscreen and got ready to start the run.  I saw Ashley and Joe's sister and dad as I headed out, determined to get this run done!

I literally got about a mile into my run and I knew I was in trouble. My legs felt ok but the rest of me felt weak. I struggled during miles 2-5, probably walking more than running. I remember seeing Joe on his way back from the first loop (we had a double out and back to run) and thinking I was never going to finish.  Just as I was at my lowest point, two women, named Mary and Sara asked me if I wanted to run with them.  They were doing a running/walking interval.  I told them I would try and keep up with them and I'm pretty sure at that point I thought I never would be able to.  I ran/walked with them for the last 8 miles and it completely changed my race. They were kind, fun, and kept me going.  If it wasn't for them, I'm pretty sure I may have walked the entire thing. I would have finished, but it would have been close to the cut-off.

When we had about 2 miles left, I looked up and saw someone heading our way.  He had a blue shirt on, but I couldn't quite make out what it had on it.  And then I looked at the shoes.  It was Justin! He had made it.  He had a family baptism that day, so I knew it was going to be close whether or not he'd see me finish.  Not only did he see me finish, but he helped me finish.  He was the breath of fresh air that I needed to finish it and finish it strong.  Just when I thought I had nothing left, there was my encourager, who has encouraged me, supported me, and helped train me for this since the day I signed up.  I knew he wasn't real thrilled when I told him I was doing this because he knew how hard it would be on my body, but he always supported it and here he was to see me finish.  It meant the world to me. As I got to the top of a small hill, in addition to Justin, I saw Megan.  Her sheer, genuine excitement to see me and see me finish gave me even more energy to finish with a smile.  I could hear all my friends and family who had come cheering as I was heading to the finish line.  Immediately I began to get choked up thinking  about this journey, about Bryce, that I was almost done, and about how much love and support I have received. It was truly one of the most overwhelming moments of my life.

 

 

 

I may add a few more pictures as I receive them, but this is my last blog post.  From the bottom of my heart I want to thank everyone that has supported Joe and I for the last several months.  I won't even begin to name names because there are just too many people to thank. This has truly changed my life.  I hope this journey has inspired others to B.Strong no matter what life throws at them.

What's next? That's the question I've been hearing a lot lately. At this point I'm not sure.  My goal is to continue to try and inspire the people in my SWAT class to believe in themselves and work hard.  I have a few goals of my own in the weight room. Another 70.3? Maybe :)