The race itself!

So the full contact sport of open water swimming began! I just sorta moved forward as the fish in the front of the pack took off. When the gun started I was in the back but there were a ton of people behind me as well. I swam doggy, breast and free with my head up until I could get some space..... then I went to a free with my head in, would pull up quick to avoid people and search for space. In the first 300 meters I was kicked, swam over, squeezed out by people, hit with hands, elbows and fists. I would get a little space and then jam up....it was like a slinky for the first 1000 meters. The most damaging blows was a deadly accurate kick to my nuts and vicious kick to the face that knocked my goggles from their seal and left a noticeable slash across my face (I didn't notice until Ed pointed it out at the finish line). It was pretty cool though and I was trying to pick my spots...

I swam parallel to the edge of the wall and as the lake opened up to the right I somehow found myself up against the buoys and pulling left..... went of course a bit but not to bad...... The first left turn was a mad house and I just breast stroked through it....swam to the turn and was pumped to be on my way to the end of the swim. Found some good space here and swam the best I could..... I had a little trouble before we got back to the starting line..... this was the longest I have ever swam and conditions were tough..... I kept pushing though and got passed the bridges and could see the finish line...... I pushed hard...made that last left and headed to the line................So happy to get to the stairs....took me second to pull myself up once I latched on. (my watch read 1:30 ...a huge sucess for me but my official time is 1:32) A guy helped me up the stairs and directed me where to go because I had no idea...he explained that the wet suit strippers would get my wetsuit off and to sit down..... I was pretty disorientated and they pulled my suit off w/out me undoing my calf zippers...... I thought I was cold when I got out of the water.....that was nothing compared to when my wetsuit was off and I was just in my swim shorts. I starting shivering uncontrollably and was walking towards the transition tent...I started to jog to try and warm up.......got my bag and went into the tent..... the tent was a mad house!

Found a seat, sat down and ripped of my shorts and put biking shorts on...I wanted something dry on! I put the HR monitor strap on and my tri top.... I slowly put socks on and my shoes.....my ear flaps fell off again and I was so pissed.... it took me forever to get them back on since my hands were shaking. I took my time applied chamois again figuring it was a long day and a long transition was allowing me to get my sorts about me after that swim.... I finally made it out of transition and on my bike in 13:24. I know that is crazy long but o-well!

It took me about ten minutes on the bike to not be freezing anymore.... the sun was starting to really shine and was warming me up! I cruised out of town feeling pretty good but felt something pushing against me...almost a resistance....what the hell!...it was the wind that wasn't suppose to be there! It was at about this time I realized I had left my Garmin in my bag at the transition area. Not a horrible thing though b/c now I turned to pain threshold with my leg to gauge my effort. The wind was trying to push me back down the bee line but my will would not falter! I forged ahead, determined to get to that first turn around. Guys were flying coming back and I needed that boost to my morale.

About a mile from the turn around I noticed my brakes were scrapping the tire...great!...I had been cycling with resistance for 18 miles.... I stopped and fixed the brakes and felt stronger....at the turn around point I felt like I was unleashed and bolted down the beeline...at times I was hitting over 30MPH........ Back down in the city I navigated through the streets to complete my first loop.... and at the turn around Joanna Zeiger blasted by me! This was not the first nor the last time I was passed by a girl that day so my fragile male ego handled it well! First lap was 2:14:58...not good for 38 miles but I was still working it!

I pushed forward on my second lap and told myself I was feeling stronger b/c I was going faster up the beeline this time....in all actuality the wind had reversed and was now pushing us up the beeline.....50 Miles dropped quickly, I knew my average pace was slow but thought I would have energy in the last lap to "turn it on". I stopped to pee around mile 54. My legs felt so heavy though and there was just no pop. I also began to stress because I had planned for my special needs back at 3:00 (both bottles of perpetuem were 3:00 bottles) and wasn't going to get it until 4:00 b/c my time pace was so slow.... I reverted to gel and enduralytes until I got the bottle at special needs. I knew I wasn't going as fast down the beeline this time and just tried to push forward. Saw Chris McDonald and Chris Lieto flying through the course...was pretty cool. This lap finally ended at 2:20:27 and I pushed into the final lap just wanting the bike to be over.

I felt some twinging in the hammy this lap so I didn't push it. I had thought I would be faster the second 56 miles but it just didn't happen. My quads felt heavy and the hammy was not working for me but it was aching either so it was holding..... I wanted to make sure I finished so I didn't push it. I had to pee again during this lap but just held it..... I just kept grinding out those miles and my morale was sky high when I hit the final turn around... My strategy the entire bike was to brake it down into 6 lengths so during that finale length I definitely picked it up. Of course I had never gone over 90 miles in my life so hitting 100, 105, 110 and pulling in at 112 was a pretty significant accomplishments for me. That lap was 2:14:42 for a total bike time of 6:50:05...16.4 average pace... I had felt I would at least maintain 17MPH the entire time but just couldn't............my legs just didn't get it done but at least my hammy held and I made it through.... My nutrition was fine and my stomach felt good coming off the bike.... perpetuem, gel, eduralytes and water only.

I got of the bike and felt pretty damm fresh. I pulled my bike shoes off and jogged to get my bag, made a very quick transition, then spent almost a minute in the toilet peeing and was then off on the run course! (T2 4:21)

I had pop in my legs and my stide felt good.... I saw Meg as I left out on my first mile and waved. Ed's friend Lane came yelling at me and encouraging me to push on. I hit the lap button on my watch to track my run as best I could without my garmin (left in my swim to bike bag by mistake).... I believe I was at about 8:25 or so when I started the marathon. My nutrition plan was Gatorade at every station, gel every 30 minutes and water when needed for the run. My first mile was 8:30 which I know was way to fast and I brought it back down and averaged 8:45 the first two miles. I know, I know, this was too fast a start but without a Garmin I had trouble monitoring my pace. I was moving just fine but started to have stomach issues. I was trying to monitor my pace and knew I was running strong (physically at a 9:15 or so pace but it did seem to start slipping as my stomach worsened....

I saw Ed at my miles four or so and we passed encouragements...he looked great and was cruising. I stopped taking anything in at mile seven hoping that my stomach would settle..... I saw Meg at mile 8.5 (start of second lap) and again at mile 11.5 but my stomach was doing me in and beginning at mile 11 I started to get light headed.... I knew coming off that bridge I was in trouble. Initially I was thinking of running until my leg wouldn't let me anymore.....but my hammy never limited me on the run...then I was thinking a 4:00 marathon, then 4:30 as my stomach started to get bad and then I just thought about survival.

At the special needs run bag site at mile 12 (at that point I was 1:57 into the run) I sat down for second thinking I was going to pull my long sleeve shirt out but left it there, put my sun glasses and came to the conclusion that I better start taking in nutrition or I would DNF. So I walked up the hill telling myself walk the hills and run the flats and downhills...my stomach revolted and I was resigned to walk.

I took in water, Gatorade at the first aide station I came upon and never stopped walking, I then tried oranges and it was then a guy riding his bike by the run course started chatting with me.... he was a coach and monitoring 11 of his athletes out on the course. I explained to him my stomach issues and he told me I looked good physically and should try bananas and water since oranges and Gatorade may upset my stomach b/c of the acidity. He was very encouraging and told me I had made the right decision to walk so I could take in nutrition. He said 4 of his athletes had already fallen out of the race.... He made me feel better as I pushed on walking faster now. I drank water and had a banana piece at every rests stop. I was determined as ever to finish and stating that last lap was tremendous for my morale.

I walked the rest of that second lap and when I got past aide station number one I saw a 72 YO and 56YO guy walking and talking and then I saw them jog. It motivated me to try jogging......my stomach revolted and I started to walk again..... I tried it again on the other side of the bridge on the downhill and felt OK.... I then started walking two light posts and jogging one, I progressed to one and one, then jog two, walk one and then jog three and walk one...... I continued to play this game making sure I walk up every hill, ran down all hills and walk/ ran the flats..... while listening to my stomach.... I still ate bananas, drank water and tried some other stuff but my stomach never really settled.... but I was no longer light headed.

I kept passing the same people and then they would pass me..... heading to the back side I knew there were only 5 miles left..not sure of my exact time but realized I needed to push it if I was going to brake 14:00. Kept run/walking while managing the stomach. At mile 4, I somehow calculated that there was no chance I could brake 14:00...my morale was crushed but I still was determined to get the finish.

Somewhere on the back side of that course in the span of about 5 minutes two things happened................ The first was that I hit the three mile mark at 13:20 and realized I had 40 minutes for the last 3.2 miles in order to brake into the 13:00s. The second was a girl who I had been passing and being passed by started walking faster and then ran up the biggest hill on the course...as she passed me I said "great job: and she replied "thanks, have a good race" as she pushed ahead of me!.....right, I know......like I wasn't going to see her again! Can you believe that? I should thank her though b/c those two incidents pushed me over the edge.

At the top of the hill I ran all the way to the aide station at the bottom...it was my longest spurt yet. I got some nutrition and started run/ walking again. I caught her at mile 23 and then buried her as my running became faster and my walking became shorter. As I crossed the final bridge I knew I would brake the 14:00 mark and was wondering if I could brake 13:50. I ran a almost the entire finale stretch to the swim start ignoring all aide stations. I walked about 25 feet before the bridges for my finale spurt to the finish. At the fork in the road I was thrilled to be going left towards the finisher shoot. I bolted to the finish line not realizing just how far it was and that it was up a small hill....it took everything I had not to puke as I was running but I crossed that line running!... a women handed me a blanket and I refused at first telling her how hot I was and then puked at the finish line....nothing came up though as I looked at the volunteer and just smiled saying "nothing in there!".

She determined that I was OK, by this time I wanted the blanket, saw Meg and went to over to her...Ed and summer were there waiting for me as well.

Awesome sense of accomplishment. While I was out there I told myself I would never do this again. Of course if you know me you know I am full of crap! I love the pain and suffering...... I thrive in it!

If your still reading this, thanks for all your support and encouragement through the past year. I look forward to getting healthy and coming out strong next year!