Sunday, March 15, 2009

Race Day!

Well, I couldn't sleep at all last night. I don't think I was anxious about the race, but I guess my body was telling me that I was. Woke up at 4:45 and didn't know what to do first. We were some of the first people to arrive. Got parked, and strolled over to the transition area to load my bike and gear for the event.
After getting my numbers scribed on me (I was #141) and got my timing chip (wear it on your ankle and the computer keeps your time) I again didn't know what to do next. I felt as if I forgot something.... of course I didn't cuz I'm anal! Kaeli and Debbie were there with me and Steve showed up a little later. I strapped my wetsuit on and headed to the water at 7:30. Did a few warm-up strokes, took a deep breath and before I knew it the race was on. I have never seen so many flailing arms and legs. Hard to take in air with everyone so bunched up. I finally got out to the edge of the crowd and was able to find a good rhythm. When I stepped out of the water after swimming almost a mile, my legs were like jelly! I wobbled a little and pulled the top of my wetsuit down and headed for transition with Kaeli yelling "go Daddy go!". It was awesome.
Pulled out on my bike and I felt strong. I guess I passed 30 people or so during the bike leg. After 25 mile of pretty boring cycling I headed to transition with Kaeli and Deb cheering me on! 
Racked the bike and strapped on the shoes and headed out for the run. It was a crushed shell road. Not the ultimate running surface. I struggled here. There were no mile markers so I couldn't get calculate my pace. Felt like I was doing 10 minutes per mile....SLOW!!! (after the race Steve calc'd me doing 8:30 per mile... ) I wanted to walk so bad during the run... I just kept saying "pain is only temporary, quitting is forever". That's a Lance Armstrong quote by the way. It kept me going. 
Finally I could hear the music at the finish line. SWEET! I turned down the woods and there it was I gave her all she had and headed to the finish. The clock showed 2:26. Unadjusted Time. I will post my official time as they get posted to the website.
I will post some pics here in a minute! I am not quite sure I am ready for an IRONMAN....

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