I Did It!

I am an Ironman!!!! I could not have done this with out the support of my family & friends, and for that I am so thankful & grateful for everything that they have done for me to help me get to the finish line.

My time was 16.5 -

Swim: 1:22
Bike: 8:46
Run: 6:03

Swim to Bike: 9:22
Bike to Run: 8:24

I have no idea how I did 1:22 on that swim. Because in all honesty, I really didn't train for that portion of the race. The first 56 miles on the bike course only took me about 3.5 hours, but at mile 75 or so, I had some mechanic problems that sucked up a lot of time and really drained me. It was just anxiety and stress, and it absolutely drained me. The last 22 miles on that bike course was pure hell. It was incredibly hot and all uphill. When I finally got done with the bike and went on to the marathon, my chest was really sore & tight. It hurt to breathe in. So I took it slow on the run, knowing I had a lot of time to finish. The last 6 miles, I was joined with two other women and one man (we were all first timers) and we finished the race together. It was an incredible & painful day. I fully believe if you set your mind to something and if you want something bad enough, you will get it.

Highlights of the Day:

When we all reached the turn around for the second swim lap, everyone popped their heads up and screamed HERE WE GO!

The comradery between the athletes - everyone cheering eachother on and giving tons of support.

Spectator blasting Black Sabbath's "Ironman" at mile 40 on the bike route.

Friends and Family cheering me on every time I got back into town.

Finishing at the 11th hour in the Olympic Oval with hundreds of people in there, cheering me on.

12 hours to go!!!

Last Training Session

Today's my last day of training. I did the swim loop this morning, and this afternoon I'll be doing the second half of the bike loop. I want to get a sense of the hills on the bike leg. The town is crowded with athletes and it's an incredible feeling to be here. I don't care what my time is - if it's 16:57, I'll be happy. I just want to finish.

I'm Here!

Just checked into my hotel! The village is already set up in the Olympic Oval and all the athletes are starting to arrive. It's very exciting! I still can't believe that this weekend is here ...

If anyone wishes to track me on Sunday you can do so here:

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/lakeplacid?show=tracker#axzz1Sfj4EllF

Bib #: 93

One Week Today!

Agh! Can't believe it! This time next week I will (hopefully) be riding around in Lake Placid. So crazy!

Livestrong!

Yesterday was the 70 mile ride in Davis, CA for the Livestrong Challenge event. I was on my work's team (1Cisco) and the ride was actually, pretty easy. Of course it's an easier route and not the most challenging ride, but I'm not really that sore and I felt fine during the ride. It definitely boosted my confidence about the Ironman.

Also, this was the second event that I particiapted in with Lance Armstrong! He was also in the 2008 Boston Marathon, which I ran as well.

18 days until the Ironman!

So while I am rapidly approaching the Ironman and wishing that my immune system could have been a little bit stronger this winter & spring ... I think I might actually be okay.

So I'm pretty well trained for a half Ironman distance or one that's in between a half and full. I just never got up to 80 mile bike days, or swims past 1.5 miles or runs past 15 miles. But, I have been training in California. It's not exactly flat here, nor is the water calm and warm.

The conditions I have been training in are a little tougher (except that there's no ice or snow here). Going through my Map My Ride stats, there are a lot tough climbs in training routes. One of the hardest ones, being my commute home from work. Also, the San Francisco Bay is a frigid rough bitch. You have to work hard when swimming in there.

So who knows, maybe I won't finish in under 14 hours, but I think I have a shot at finishing.