I AM AN IRONMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes!!!! At last, I am an Ironman!!! It's hard to describe the feeling and emotions that come after such a long, hot day, but I'm going to try.

I signed my brother up a couple of months ago to come with me to Arizona to primarily be my post race support and driver on the way home. He gladly accepted and I was very excited to not be going to this event alone. After some discussion my mom wanted to come, my sister and also my dad and step-mother (although they had some conflicts). Finally my mom and sister both had plane tickets; my dad and step-mother couldn't rearrange appointments and thus would be unable to attend.

Race week came, my mom, although injured from a recent fall, still boarded the plane and flew to San Diego. My sister, too sick to get out of bed for more than a week, was unable to join us. At a great surprise to me, Saturday evening I got a call from my dad, "...we're in the lobby!" Screaming, I leaped from the bed and brought Dad and Joanne to our room. Visiting, dinner, race-prep, bed. The time had come...

Today, I would become an Ironman. I was up at 3:20 (about 4 hours of sleep). I stretched, ate, put body glide on almost from head to toe, nope, that includes my toes. I also covered the inside on my tri-suit (clothes I would wear all day) and wetsuit collar with body glide too. Finally, I coated my face with zinc and we were out the door around 5 am.

I was worried I didn't have everything. I had a couple of bags, but it didn't seem like enough.

(perhaps I'll add more here later, but for now, I'm on a time crunch)

We plunge into the water like penguins lining the sea, one at a time over the edge and swim away into the water. The swim was a mass start, all 2035 athletes in the water together when the gun goes off. Tired of waiting behind the slow penguins, I moved to the front and plunge over the edge. The water was chilly, but thankfully after 2 practice swims, one Friday and another Saturday, I was ready for this. I had my wetsuit on and lubed and hoped it would be enough to get me through the 2.4 mile swim without significant chaffing.

I float in the water, freezing now and ready to swim. I talk with those around me a little, taking in the magnificence of this amazing day. I locate my mom and brother looking down from atop the bridge under which we start; I wave and then wait. Finally The water becomes alive at the sound of the gun. 2000 bodies begin pushing forward and we are moving. I crawl with my head above water, but soon, settle into a stroke. I find my own space and swim towards the turnaround. The mass start was not the nightmare that I hear about over and over. I wasn't crawled over. I wasn't kicked too many times. I just put my head down and swam a really long ways breaking stroke occasionally to look up and see how far was left and how little I had already swam. The meters passed by and before long, I was turning around heading back.

At last, the swim was ending and I was happy to have that completed and ready for the next event. I crawl out of the water, make it to the "strippers", laid down while they pulled my wetsuit off and then headed to transition.

I found space on the ground, dumped out my bag and began sifting through its contents. I needed bike shorts, socks, shoes, halo (sweat guard), glasses, helmet, a shot of gu, sunblock, gloves, race number and I was on my way. I made a quick stop by the sunblock slathers before making my way to my bike. As I made my way down the chute, my bike was rolled out to greet me and off we went for a very long ride.

I was almost immediately sick, within the first 5 miles my stomach already felt unsettled. I struggled keeping my 'food' (Sustained Energy) down along with my electrolytes, but managed to stay on track with my planning for almost 2.5 hours.

The bike course was a 3 loop course with totaled 112 miles. The first half of the loop was slightly uphill with a major head-wind. I was feeling pretty upbeat and just pushed along slowly into the wind. The miles came and went and before long, tired as I was, the turn around was here. Now I had a great tailwind and picked up tons of speed. I was having a blast! The slow trek up to the turn around was completely worth it for this much fun. I topped out at 33 mph but held over 25 for most of the trip back downhill. I was awesome.

Lap 2 came and I was starting to feel the sun beating down on me. The course was hot...very hot. The temperature was measured at 97 on the course. I slurped water from my cup between my aerobars and spit it on my arms and legs in an attempt to stay cool. There was no cold water on the course. In fact, the water felt like it came off the stove. There was no relief. With nothing cold and the intense heat, I was starting to suffer. It became almost impossible to get anything down at all. I kept a positive attitude, but I swear they moved the turn around a few more miles up the road.

As I turned around this time, I again picked it up, but not as much. The special needs station was coming up. I had placed 2 food bottles and 1 frozen water bottle in my bad. I slowed up, traded bottles, and was excited to have cold water for a change, even if only briefly. It seemed to breathe new life into me while it lasted. The water still even had a small piece of ice. My only regret is that I didn't put 2-3 of them in there or freeze my food bottles too. That would have been perfect!

The miles were now passing much more slowly, yet there were still 40 more to go! How was I going to make it? Slowly I kept telling myself. Slowly I will finish my race. Who cares about any one elses race. Slow and steady, I'll make it. By mile 80 I was hurting, but nothing like what was to come.

I made the final turn around, headed back to transition thrilled to think that after 7.5 hours I would dismount the bike. I slowed up as I approached the dismount line, yelled to the volunteers to catch my bike. As I stopped, they took hold and my spaghetti legs took hold. I wobbled a bit as I made my way to my running bag and into the transition tent once again.

This time a volunteer brought me water, with ice!!! Another nice lady took off my shoes and socks, changed my socks and shoved my feet into my running shoes. She also opened my pills I had to calm my stomach and fed those to me as well. She was great! I picked up my fuel belt, changed into my visor, slathered on some biofreeze, had more water and walked out into the light. I stopped a medical guy to use his shirt to clean my glasses. He looked oddly at me, but let me barrow his sleeve anyway. He told me that was the strangest request he had all day.

I walked out to start the marathon. Yes, after 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, I still had a full 26.2 miles to cover on foot...somehow. I walked for a bit, taking in fluid, a gel, and just regaining my self. I started to shuffle along, but stopped for frequent brakes. I started with shuffle for 1 min, walk 1 min. As I settled in, I shuffled for 2 min, then 5 min, then walked.

I continued on, talking with fellow athletes along the way. I was ok, just tired, but hanging in feeling strong enough. By lap 2, again a 3 lap course, my spirits were dropping. The pain was setting in. My hips hurt, my legs ached and I began to wonder how many miles I could endure.

I met up with Rick, I had seen him on the bike and we would now join together to finish the final 2/3 of the marathon. We shuffled occasionally and walked alot. We were constantly re-calculating how much time we had to finish and if our current pace would get us there...it's debatable, we better shuffle more. By the half way point, I was approaching misery. By the 3rd lap, I was hurting, badly. I had already began sniffling my way through the miles trying to hold myself together and not loose it. I saw my family, they asked if I was ok, I nodded, but knew it was a lie. I was not holding up well at all. After I passed them, I lost it. The tears rolled down, but Rick kept me moving.

Rick and I didn't talk much, only occasionally. We were both hurting. I was doubting my ability to finish, but knew I had it in me. He would ask about our pace. Tell me we were going to make it and we would walk in silence, me sniffling and trying to focus on my breathing. The sun had long set before we started out 3rd lap. We had been counting down the hours when we still had over 4 hours left of walking.

Rick's wife Katie joined us with about 10k left. They walked a few steps ahead. I would stop every now and then and bend over and rest on my arms on my knees, tears rolling down, I wanted to quit. I hoped Rick and Katie would leave me, but at the same time, I didn't. And they wouldn't. I told them to go on, they wouldn't. They pulled me through over and over again. I hurt so bad. I was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. I didn't want to continue. Every step seemed virtually impossible. I felt like the muscle on the outside of my shins was going to come off the bone. How was I going to make it for another 2 hours walking?!?!

I have never wanted to quit something so badly. I have never been in so much pain for so long. I have never walked for 10+ miles in the darkness with tears slowly trickling down my cheeks.

Looking at my watch, I told Rick he could still make it in under 16 hours, he should go. He told me he didn't care and besides, he had nothing left to run with either. At last our time was coming. We rounded the bend up towards the finish line. He was ready to shuffle again. I let him go to get his picture. After a few steps, I too started to shuffle along.

I rounded the final bend, my dad came out and ran a few steps with me, smiling from ear to ear, "I'm so proud of you! You did it!" I began my shuffle down the final chute, I saw the clock, 15:59:47, I could still make it. I sprinted, with what, I'll never know...my heart and ran through the exploding crowd who cheered me on as the announcer counted down 10-9-8...3-2...I was over the finish line!!! I had done it! I AM AN IRONMAN!!!

I did not cry like I thought I would. Instead I ran to Rick, "We made it! We made it! We finished in under 16 hours!"

My ironman experience was so much more than I ever thought it would be. I am almost thankful for hell I experienced. It has changed me. I had friends who came along and encouraged me. I had volunteers and spectators cheering me on to the end, late into the night. I had so many people who did so much for me that day, that night, I am so grateful!

The night got longer. Following the race, we headed out for a bite to eat. I made it about 5 steps from the car before almost collapsing to the ground in front on Denny's...

To be continue...