Ironman Wisconsin Race Report
So I have tried to figure out what to write for several weeks now...so here is the full story:
I competed in Ironman Cozumel last November. I had trained all year for it, gained speed and distance, and felt incredibly confident that I would finish that race. I had my problems (mostly heat and nutrition) but I had fun and was thrilled with my time and finish. I have great memories from Cozumel. The only sad thing was that my family couldn't make it to watch me because they couldn't get the time off (Black Friday in retail is not a possible day off). I decided that I needed to do another one so my family could see me cross the finish line and see what this crazy sport is about. Turns out Team Z was racing in Wisconsin the next year and charity slots were still open. I had vowed that I needed a year off to rest and take time off training, but the pull to do a race only 1.5 hours away for a majority of my family was too large. I asked my family at Christmas if they would come support me and I got resounding YES so of course I signed up.
I worked really hard that winter to get a sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon, but on race day, things just didn't work out for me. It was warmer than the weather I had trained in and it wore on me. It ended up with me sitting on the curb around mile ten wondering how I got there. My teammate Adam helped me limp in, but my legs were like jello and I really struggled supporting my weight. My knee started acting up after that race and I am pretty sure that is when I tore my meniscus.
Of course I didn't find out that I was actually hurt for 2 months. I thought taking time off running would heal my knee and I focused my time on the bike and started kicking butt on it. I pretty much haven't run since April (and even then, very limited). In May, I finally couldn't take the pain anymore and resting didn't seem to help. The doctor told me I needed surgery (meniscus, bone damage, and extra cartilage) and that we could do it asap so I could still compete in Wisconsin. Yes, the first question I asked when he told me was "Can I still do my Ironman in September?" He looked at me and said yes, I would be able to do one. From there on out, it was my goal to cross that finish line although I knew it wouldn't be fun or easy.
Surgery (an OATs procedure) was mid-May so that only gave me slightly less than 4 months to recover and get in Ironman shape and I had to take the first month off to work on just bending my knee. I was swimming as soon as the stitches came out and amazingly my form improved a lot since I focused on only using my arms for 2 months. I started biking as soon as I could, but it was mostly limited to slow trainer rides. When the team did their 100 mile training ride in Wisconsin, I ventured out for a long 30 miles and it took everything I had. Luckily my bike came around to where I could do it without pain, but I had lost my speed from pre-surgery. I went into the race knowing that I was not going to be able to run much (if at all) and my biking would hurt since I hadn't been able to bike more than 80 miles twice.
Leading up to the race, I was trying not to care. I am a very competitive person. I compete against others, but for races I really compete with myself. I signed up for Wisconsin to show off for my family and have fun, but really the goal was to beat 13:47 (my Cozumel time). Once surgery happened, the goal turned into 1: Finish with a healthy knee and 2: Finish! I was indifferent to the race because I didn't know if I could finish. Everyone told me I would be fine, but no one did those 13 and 14 mile walks with me...they hurt really bad. I think I almost started to cry during one of them because my legs and knee hurt so bad. How was I going to double that distance and not hurt myself. So instead of getting my hopes up, I settled for doing my best and hopefully being able to at least help others during the race.
Finally for the race info (sorry it was such a long beginning but that is most of this year's story for me).
Swim: 1:12:39
We had met with our team, family, and friends for pictures before the swim. So after the pictures, I said bye to my family and joined teammates to walk down. Wisconsin has a very crowded swim start and it took awhile to just get into the water. I got to hang out with John before the horn blew to start the race. It was the normal Ironman washing machine. I was punched a few times and a few people swam over me. I moo'ed at the first turn (Wisconsin tradition) and kept trying to find open water. It felt like the swim was taking forever, but you really just lose all sense of time in the water. It was a pretty uneventful swim, I felt good and sighted well. I was thrilled to be heading towards the shore to get out and was shocked when I saw 1:12 on my watch getting out. Guess all that time working without my legs in the pool helped me. (Cozumel I had a time of 1:11 but there was a nice current so I guess I did get better at swimming)
T1: 8:25
Transition at Wisconsin is long. You run out of the water and a short distance to a helix. Then you run around the helix to get to the third level of the parking garage, then you run into the convention center to get your stuff and change, and then you run out to your bike (mine was right next to the bike out, but that was really far away). I didn't know what to expect out of my transitions, but I felt good getting out of the water and the whole path was lined with cheering people so I ran (it was slow but at least it wasn't walking). I felt no pain and couldn't help but smile. Leaving the convention center to find my bike, my mom, Mel, and Melissa called my name from above and it was great to see them waving. I almost died on the jog to my bike (cardio shape sucks for me since I haven't run in months) but made it and gladly took my bike from the volunteer. As I was trying to clip in (also not easy since my knee doesn't like this step), my dad called out to me and smiled. After the race he thanked me for struggling to clip in because he would have missed me if I hadn't. Always great to see the family before a nice 112 mile bike.
Bike: 7:01:12
I love biking! This is by far my favorite part of the race and my best leg. My goal was to hold back for at least 40 miles so I wouldn't bonk on the bike. I had been feeling better lately on the bike but I hadn't done much distance so I need to save some for the end. My stomach was hurting a bit by mile 15 and I fought against it til I finally got off the bike to hit the restroom around mile 30. Wow...that helped. I came out and felt great and sadly didn't hold myself back at all. People surrounded the course and were cheering you on. I passed Team Z at mile 40 and loved it! Seeing my teammates, friends, and family cheering for me was amazing (and the hula guys definitely got me smiling). Then you hit the big climbs which were lined like the Tour de France. People cheered, chanted, ran next to me...anything to keep me moving. I didn't even struggle up those hills because I was too absorbed in the fun I was having. I sadly did think around this point "Wow this race is perfect so far"
Sadly, this all changed on the second lap. You always hit a point where things start to go bad. I was struggling with the wind and false flat from mile 60-70 but I kept thinking things will improve when I see my family. Well things didn't improve. I got a flat around mile 72 and took 20 minutes to fix it. I tried to fix it twice and even had another person trying to help me but it kept blowing. We had checked the tire several times but couldn't figure it out. Thanks to the awesome Trek van, they got me going (but even they struggled to figure things out. At least seeing them struggle made me feel better). I thought a 20 minute break would help but it didn't. I tried to pick up my speed to make up for time lost and held that speed for not long. Seeing my family and friends at mile 80 did help me smile and I pushed through the big hills (although there were less fans...thanks to Lisa, Sherri, and Keri for being out there). Then I hit the last 16 miles. I was in territory I hadn't practiced in since Cozumel distance-wise and I felt it. I have never in my life been so close to quiting. Every little hill felt like a mountain and I was barely moving. My legs were starting to refuse to spin and I think I started to cry. I couldn't imagine how I was going to finish those miles and still walk a marathon (yeah that probably didn't help my mood). I finally told myself that I needed to get to the top of the small hill and I could get off and stretch and hope things got better. I made it to the top (not quickly) and saw a downhill and took it. Thankfully I didn't stop and I pushed in somehow, but it wasn't pretty. I now realize how important getting the miles is. Yes I probably went out too fast, but I also just hadn't done enough miles to get my legs ready. Thankfully I got off the bike and was right were I wanted to be around 7 hours (damn 20 min flat).
T2: 6:41
I felt much better at T2 this year than last year. I was dealing with minor leg cramps but they went away fast. My volunteer was great and walked me through everything. I told her I was in no rush (still dreading walking a marathon) so she helped me get everything ready and sent me on my way. (THANK YOU to all the volunteers). I loaded up on sunscreen, hit the restroom, and started my walk.
Walk: 6:23:04
Yes, there was no run, only a walk. It was so hard to have the incredible fan support at that race and not use it to run. People were constantly trying to get me to run (in a nice way) or told me that all that mattered was forward progress. Sadly, no one understood that I was doing everything I could and that running wasn't an option for me. I was annoyed with walking about 3/4 of a mile in and started to jog while enjoying State St, but Shannon caught me running and nicely said, "Are you supposed to be running?" I realized that I could ruin my race by trying to run and cheered Shannon on while starting to walk. Thank you Shannon!
The amazing thing about walking is that everyone talks to you. They would encourage me or smile at me. I got so many high fives and was even able to help a few runners that were cramping with salt pills. The run course at Wisconsin is great since most of it is lined with people. We saw the team around 1.5 miles out. My family ran to the curb to talk with me and say how great I was doing. At this point of the race, I was walking 12:30 miles and feeling good (again it didn't last long). I was overwhelmed with happiness leaving the team. About .5 miles later, I heard someone yelling my name and turned to see my brother running after me. My family had sent him on a beer run and he missed me passing so he jogged after me to wish me luck (even more impressive is that he ran in dress shoes...never forget tennis shoes when cheering for an Ironman).
The first loop of the walk was uneventful. I was in pretty good shape (emotionally and physically) and got to hang out with some teammates at different points. I never let them stay long with me though (but thanks Melissa...it was great walking with you for a few). Seeing my family and friends was great again around mile 12 but I was starting to feel the pain.
Loop two was not fun. I had horrible blisters on my left foot and my knee was starting to hurt. I had to slow down the pace and was just bored by this time. I actually at one point wondered if I could walk and sleep at the same time because I was tired and didn't want to walk anymore. People were still encouraging and I was constantly smiling at them when they talked to me, so I did smile a lot, but it was no longer fun. I had random walking partners throughout the second loop but I always convinced them to go on without me if they could jog. The back part of the loop was dark, cold, and empty. I was sick of walking, sick of being in pain, and starting to feel sick and cold. So four miles out (after seeing many more teammates and cheering them on) I decided to just get it done with. I picked up the pace and started walking around 13:20 miles instead of 15:30 miles. I still smiled at people cheering me on, but I was now ready to just see the finish line. I made the turn into town and everyone was telling me how close I was and how great my smile was (who knew I was still smiling). I saw the chute and tried to time it so I could go somewhat alone, but the bad thing about walking is that everyone else around this time starts to run so I went down a crowded chute. I slapped hands and smiled at the sea of green (missed my parents since they were on the opposite side) and jogged for 15 seconds in. I sadly didn't hear my name since I was trying to jog without tripping/falling/etc. I have never been so happy to have a catcher who happened to be Team Z at the finish line and she took care of me until handing me off to my parents.
My parents were great putting up with my aloofness after the race. I followed the race with an awesome free massage and then hanging out at the finish line cheering everyone in with my teammates. Oh and the pizza my dad found after the race was amazing (Thanks Dad!)
Total Time: 14:52:01
I am again sorry for the long report but this is for me and for my family to remember the day. I can't thank my family and friends enough for coming to watch me. My parents spent the day worrying about my health and how to keep the rest of my family entertained (luckily they all seemed to enjoy the day). My brother drove from Louisville and had to leave as soon as I finished the race with a long drive home and work the next day. Mel and Melissa had to teach the next day and had a two hour drive home. My cousins, aunt, and uncle spent the day with a baby and three year old cheering me on. I love you all dearly. That doesn't even mention how great my teammates are. I loved seeing everyone smiling while racing and took strength from my teammates that traveled just to cheer. You all made this race as enjoyable as it could be...thank you! I couldn't have done with race without all your support.
Lesson learned (and yes then I am done):
1. Have your family and friends there for support...it is so worth it and I loved seeing their smiling faces.
2. Wisconsin puts on a great race! The volunteers and crowds were amazing!
3. Smile during the race. It makes the day more fun and people will cheer for you more if you are smiling!
4. Do NOT race an Ironman within months of major surgery. It is stressful, painful, and not much fun. I put a lot of stress on myself to finish this race. I couldn't put in the time and miles to feel ready and therefore it wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been. Hopefully I never have to deal with surgery and racing again, but if I do, I will defer or cancel my participation. I finished this race and was relieved, but not necessarily happy. I did better than expected but I didn't finish under my Cozumel time. I did everything I could during this race, but I felt horrible when I finished. I am glad I did it because my family and friends could come, but my next Ironman will happen only when I am healthy and prepared...it is so much more fun then.
Thanks for the support everyone! Next Ironman sometime in 2014 or 2015 when I am healthy and ready! Oh and my goal number one didn't really happen as I now have a sprained/strained MCL.
I competed in Ironman Cozumel last November. I had trained all year for it, gained speed and distance, and felt incredibly confident that I would finish that race. I had my problems (mostly heat and nutrition) but I had fun and was thrilled with my time and finish. I have great memories from Cozumel. The only sad thing was that my family couldn't make it to watch me because they couldn't get the time off (Black Friday in retail is not a possible day off). I decided that I needed to do another one so my family could see me cross the finish line and see what this crazy sport is about. Turns out Team Z was racing in Wisconsin the next year and charity slots were still open. I had vowed that I needed a year off to rest and take time off training, but the pull to do a race only 1.5 hours away for a majority of my family was too large. I asked my family at Christmas if they would come support me and I got resounding YES so of course I signed up.
I worked really hard that winter to get a sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon, but on race day, things just didn't work out for me. It was warmer than the weather I had trained in and it wore on me. It ended up with me sitting on the curb around mile ten wondering how I got there. My teammate Adam helped me limp in, but my legs were like jello and I really struggled supporting my weight. My knee started acting up after that race and I am pretty sure that is when I tore my meniscus.
Of course I didn't find out that I was actually hurt for 2 months. I thought taking time off running would heal my knee and I focused my time on the bike and started kicking butt on it. I pretty much haven't run since April (and even then, very limited). In May, I finally couldn't take the pain anymore and resting didn't seem to help. The doctor told me I needed surgery (meniscus, bone damage, and extra cartilage) and that we could do it asap so I could still compete in Wisconsin. Yes, the first question I asked when he told me was "Can I still do my Ironman in September?" He looked at me and said yes, I would be able to do one. From there on out, it was my goal to cross that finish line although I knew it wouldn't be fun or easy.
Surgery (an OATs procedure) was mid-May so that only gave me slightly less than 4 months to recover and get in Ironman shape and I had to take the first month off to work on just bending my knee. I was swimming as soon as the stitches came out and amazingly my form improved a lot since I focused on only using my arms for 2 months. I started biking as soon as I could, but it was mostly limited to slow trainer rides. When the team did their 100 mile training ride in Wisconsin, I ventured out for a long 30 miles and it took everything I had. Luckily my bike came around to where I could do it without pain, but I had lost my speed from pre-surgery. I went into the race knowing that I was not going to be able to run much (if at all) and my biking would hurt since I hadn't been able to bike more than 80 miles twice.
Leading up to the race, I was trying not to care. I am a very competitive person. I compete against others, but for races I really compete with myself. I signed up for Wisconsin to show off for my family and have fun, but really the goal was to beat 13:47 (my Cozumel time). Once surgery happened, the goal turned into 1: Finish with a healthy knee and 2: Finish! I was indifferent to the race because I didn't know if I could finish. Everyone told me I would be fine, but no one did those 13 and 14 mile walks with me...they hurt really bad. I think I almost started to cry during one of them because my legs and knee hurt so bad. How was I going to double that distance and not hurt myself. So instead of getting my hopes up, I settled for doing my best and hopefully being able to at least help others during the race.
Finally for the race info (sorry it was such a long beginning but that is most of this year's story for me).
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| Team pre-race picture. Go Team Z! |
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| My early crew cheer squad! |
Swim: 1:12:39
We had met with our team, family, and friends for pictures before the swim. So after the pictures, I said bye to my family and joined teammates to walk down. Wisconsin has a very crowded swim start and it took awhile to just get into the water. I got to hang out with John before the horn blew to start the race. It was the normal Ironman washing machine. I was punched a few times and a few people swam over me. I moo'ed at the first turn (Wisconsin tradition) and kept trying to find open water. It felt like the swim was taking forever, but you really just lose all sense of time in the water. It was a pretty uneventful swim, I felt good and sighted well. I was thrilled to be heading towards the shore to get out and was shocked when I saw 1:12 on my watch getting out. Guess all that time working without my legs in the pool helped me. (Cozumel I had a time of 1:11 but there was a nice current so I guess I did get better at swimming)
 |
| Ready to go! |
Transition at Wisconsin is long. You run out of the water and a short distance to a helix. Then you run around the helix to get to the third level of the parking garage, then you run into the convention center to get your stuff and change, and then you run out to your bike (mine was right next to the bike out, but that was really far away). I didn't know what to expect out of my transitions, but I felt good getting out of the water and the whole path was lined with cheering people so I ran (it was slow but at least it wasn't walking). I felt no pain and couldn't help but smile. Leaving the convention center to find my bike, my mom, Mel, and Melissa called my name from above and it was great to see them waving. I almost died on the jog to my bike (cardio shape sucks for me since I haven't run in months) but made it and gladly took my bike from the volunteer. As I was trying to clip in (also not easy since my knee doesn't like this step), my dad called out to me and smiled. After the race he thanked me for struggling to clip in because he would have missed me if I hadn't. Always great to see the family before a nice 112 mile bike.
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| Here we go 112 miles! |
Bike: 7:01:12
I love biking! This is by far my favorite part of the race and my best leg. My goal was to hold back for at least 40 miles so I wouldn't bonk on the bike. I had been feeling better lately on the bike but I hadn't done much distance so I need to save some for the end. My stomach was hurting a bit by mile 15 and I fought against it til I finally got off the bike to hit the restroom around mile 30. Wow...that helped. I came out and felt great and sadly didn't hold myself back at all. People surrounded the course and were cheering you on. I passed Team Z at mile 40 and loved it! Seeing my teammates, friends, and family cheering for me was amazing (and the hula guys definitely got me smiling). Then you hit the big climbs which were lined like the Tour de France. People cheered, chanted, ran next to me...anything to keep me moving. I didn't even struggle up those hills because I was too absorbed in the fun I was having. I sadly did think around this point "Wow this race is perfect so far"
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| Things were going so well |
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| I love my Team and support! |
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| And off to battle the second loop...not as much fun |
T2: 6:41
I felt much better at T2 this year than last year. I was dealing with minor leg cramps but they went away fast. My volunteer was great and walked me through everything. I told her I was in no rush (still dreading walking a marathon) so she helped me get everything ready and sent me on my way. (THANK YOU to all the volunteers). I loaded up on sunscreen, hit the restroom, and started my walk.
Walk: 6:23:04
Yes, there was no run, only a walk. It was so hard to have the incredible fan support at that race and not use it to run. People were constantly trying to get me to run (in a nice way) or told me that all that mattered was forward progress. Sadly, no one understood that I was doing everything I could and that running wasn't an option for me. I was annoyed with walking about 3/4 of a mile in and started to jog while enjoying State St, but Shannon caught me running and nicely said, "Are you supposed to be running?" I realized that I could ruin my race by trying to run and cheered Shannon on while starting to walk. Thank you Shannon!
The amazing thing about walking is that everyone talks to you. They would encourage me or smile at me. I got so many high fives and was even able to help a few runners that were cramping with salt pills. The run course at Wisconsin is great since most of it is lined with people. We saw the team around 1.5 miles out. My family ran to the curb to talk with me and say how great I was doing. At this point of the race, I was walking 12:30 miles and feeling good (again it didn't last long). I was overwhelmed with happiness leaving the team. About .5 miles later, I heard someone yelling my name and turned to see my brother running after me. My family had sent him on a beer run and he missed me passing so he jogged after me to wish me luck (even more impressive is that he ran in dress shoes...never forget tennis shoes when cheering for an Ironman).
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| So excited to see my family! |
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| I really did smile pretty much the whole race. |
Loop two was not fun. I had horrible blisters on my left foot and my knee was starting to hurt. I had to slow down the pace and was just bored by this time. I actually at one point wondered if I could walk and sleep at the same time because I was tired and didn't want to walk anymore. People were still encouraging and I was constantly smiling at them when they talked to me, so I did smile a lot, but it was no longer fun. I had random walking partners throughout the second loop but I always convinced them to go on without me if they could jog. The back part of the loop was dark, cold, and empty. I was sick of walking, sick of being in pain, and starting to feel sick and cold. So four miles out (after seeing many more teammates and cheering them on) I decided to just get it done with. I picked up the pace and started walking around 13:20 miles instead of 15:30 miles. I still smiled at people cheering me on, but I was now ready to just see the finish line. I made the turn into town and everyone was telling me how close I was and how great my smile was (who knew I was still smiling). I saw the chute and tried to time it so I could go somewhat alone, but the bad thing about walking is that everyone else around this time starts to run so I went down a crowded chute. I slapped hands and smiled at the sea of green (missed my parents since they were on the opposite side) and jogged for 15 seconds in. I sadly didn't hear my name since I was trying to jog without tripping/falling/etc. I have never been so happy to have a catcher who happened to be Team Z at the finish line and she took care of me until handing me off to my parents.
My parents were great putting up with my aloofness after the race. I followed the race with an awesome free massage and then hanging out at the finish line cheering everyone in with my teammates. Oh and the pizza my dad found after the race was amazing (Thanks Dad!)
Total Time: 14:52:01
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| I couldn't ask for a better family! Love you guys! |
Lesson learned (and yes then I am done):
1. Have your family and friends there for support...it is so worth it and I loved seeing their smiling faces.
2. Wisconsin puts on a great race! The volunteers and crowds were amazing!
3. Smile during the race. It makes the day more fun and people will cheer for you more if you are smiling!
4. Do NOT race an Ironman within months of major surgery. It is stressful, painful, and not much fun. I put a lot of stress on myself to finish this race. I couldn't put in the time and miles to feel ready and therefore it wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been. Hopefully I never have to deal with surgery and racing again, but if I do, I will defer or cancel my participation. I finished this race and was relieved, but not necessarily happy. I did better than expected but I didn't finish under my Cozumel time. I did everything I could during this race, but I felt horrible when I finished. I am glad I did it because my family and friends could come, but my next Ironman will happen only when I am healthy and prepared...it is so much more fun then.
Thanks for the support everyone! Next Ironman sometime in 2014 or 2015 when I am healthy and ready! Oh and my goal number one didn't really happen as I now have a sprained/strained MCL.