My first 140.6 was quite an event. I made lots of mistake and learned even more from this great experience called IRONMAN. Prior to the race I was asked often, are you nervous? or are you ready? If I was honest I told you, never nervous but sad. Sad, because I knew as an athlete I would complete the event but it wouldn’t be my best. As a competitor I wanted to set my goals for Kona but knew I wasn’t able to give the time and dedication to my training.

It’s Sunday morning and all was going well so I thought. The last two nights of sleep were great. I awoke had my breakfast, but didn’t do a fundamental thing I do every morning and that’s drink a bottle of water. I did drink a half bottle of Gatorade as I walked the half mile to the transition. The headphones are on and the energy is flowing. So glad to have had such a wonderful group of men to have trained with and now we are together and about to do our thing.

The swim starts, 2000 plus people fighting for position is not my idea of fun. To make sure I had no part, my strategy was to start on the far left as to avoid the water fight. A few times during the swim I got so hot I stop to allow water into my wet suit and cool down; to only be pushed, bumped and asked by the rescuers if I was ok. I had a good swim, all I wanted to do was get out the water and I did in 1:34. I’m not a fast swimmer but I beat out a few hundred in a 2.4 mile swim.

On the bike now, my strength, so the game plan was not to go out to hard stay comfortable. All I remember thinking was I can’t wait to go arrow because my arms are tired from that swim. I’m cruising between 22-24mph and feeling relaxed, I took the first two climbs like they were nothing, it must have been the adrenaline. On the long decent as I’m reaching speeds of 48mph I notice my back wheel is rubbing. Yeah! Very dangerous at that speed, so I pull over and fix it, to only have my breaks now rubbing something I didn’t realize until the end of the bike.

Well everything went wrong after that. As you will often hear don’t’ try anything new during your event. I took a Gatorade Endurance at a rest stop, which was not part of my nutrition plan and it was way too sweet so I didn’t drink it and I didn’t have any water. The next stop I grabbed a bottle of water, but failed to take another at the next stop. Why? Because I had a little left, thinking when I pull into the bike special needs stop, an aid station would be there, it wasn’t and I only had my fresh bottle of Perpetuem. It would be another 7 miles and no water. I am dying at this point. I stop at this point to drink a bottle and then take another but it was too late, my stomach and head are killing me and my vision is bothering me. At this point I knew it was the end of my race, I pull into the next aid stop. I sat in a chair, took a salt tablet, two Advils and went to sleep for 15 minutes or more. I had a banana some more water and back on the bike. The headache subsided some, but my stomach is tight. I am extremely grateful to the two gentlemen at two different points, who came and asked me if I wanted them to pray for me and I gladly said, yes. I finished the 112 mile bike in a disappointing time of 7:07, but I finished.

I didn’t waist any time in the transition, thinking I should be able to run since I didn’t bike that hard, but the stomach wasn’t hearing any of that. After running the first 2 miles I’m now walking up every hill and slowly jogging down hill. My chest will not allow me to breathe deeply. My vision is still bothering me badly, I constantly take wet sponges trying to clean them, attempting to get the salt out and whatever else is in there, but to no avail its not working. When I took a shower that evening after flushing my eyes out I realize I scratched my cornea.

I finished the marathon in 5:52:55 to only learn what IRONMAN is really about. Tezera Macel the overall female winner in 9:29:36, said in her first attempt at IM Lake Placid, “that she walked the marathon after mile 5 and didn’t finish on her second attempt”. You have 17 hours to show how mentally and physically tough you are. Few people will ever learn there full potential. As the wife of a new friend said, IRONMAN is really a strong metaphor for life”. What in my life has ever been easy? Completing an IRONMAN was easy when I think of the patients and family I serve daily who are told they have a terminal illness and have less than 6 months of life. It is through adversity and when things don’t go according to plan you learn what’s in you. I have yet to have a good endurance event but that hasn’t stop me from tri-ing.

Although I still feel a little sad, nothing feels better than hearing my 2 year old say, “Daddy you are an IRONMAN!”