Milkman Race Report

Milkman Race Course
"The race will grace the shores along iconic Olin Park in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin. Start with a 1.2 mile swim in the historic waters of Lake Monona shared by Ironman Wisconsin, then bike 56 miles among the endless rolling hills of Dane County, south of Madison. Finally, a picturesque 13.1 mile run along the shores of Lake Monona."

I arrived in Madison hoping for a great race, the first half of two scheduled for this summer.  I had unwisely signed up for both Naperville and Leon's Sprints the preceding two weeks and done well enough but used up some of my energy for those races I would need for Madison Milkman.  
I will say that ricocheting around my brain all week had been the question, "Why are you doing this?" and "I may just quit on this one."  This is not the best way to enter a race.  
SWIM  44:19  T1 5:49  BIKE 3:57:56  T2 5:28 RUN 3:27:42
Swim: 

I swam the course a bit the day before so I had a good idea of the course conditions.  I am not too concerned about swims these days, except when they are extremely cold and I tend to devolve into panic attacks.  Water temps were comfortable 72 and I used my lava pants for buoyancy.  
The swim went well.  It was at a different point on Lake Monona than where I had swum last year at the Madison OWS event.  The entry was squishy with mud and shallow out to a pretty far point so you had to decide whether to walk or swim at the start.  I got swimming at the starting shot and encountered a few obstacles in the way of poorer swimmers doing breast stroke and stopping but managed to get around them okay.  I had remembered to start my garmin so I got out at about 44 mins and was happy with that.  I stopped at one point to ask a lady if she was okay as she was gasping at the turn.  It was a bit tough to see all the buoys and I had some trouble, as usual, with a tendency to swim to the right, away from the course so I had to sight more often than I like.  Still working on that issue.  I did enjoy seeing all my teammates at the start of the race: Chris Navin, Shelley Sarson, Lynn Flente, Dottie Johnson, Steve Inman, Scott Hutmacher,  Masumi Yoneyama, and others.  It's always nice to have support!  You can see Steve's photo below, the photographer snapped it at the moment he whizzed by me and you can see me behind him.  HA!  

T1 5:49 was a long run to the bikes but I managed to jog the whole way without feeling out of breathe.  That is unique for me, in the recent races I have begun to be able to do this.  I got to the bikes and got myself into my bike shoes and helmet with no problems.  I took longer than I like but that run added at least 2 mins to my normal time.  I took my time though and put on sunscreen, ate a gu. I was not trying for a massive PR, but I did want to match some of my prior times. 

BIKE " Riders leave Madison to the south using the Capital City Bike Path and travel scenic country roads through the Village of Oregon and west over the challenging Observatory Hill. Returning through the Town of Paoli and through Alliant Energy Center, riders finish using the bike trail under John Nolen Dr. to Olin Park."       
When they say challenging you should believe them.  Observatory Hill  was not the first point on the course where I that thought of "I may just quit" arose in my head.  I was not feeling it that weekend, and it really presented a major challenge throughout this race.  But Observatory Hill had me going 2 MPH, barely upright on that hill, and while there were plenty others slowly making their way up that hill, I was certainly one of the back of the pack riders that day.  I hate that.  My competitive Type A self does not like to be last.  I was not last, I was 289/290 that day of all women competitors.  So one other very tired person followed me off the course.  There were actually many others behind me but they were DNF as they did not make the cut off.  As I rode that "scenic" course, I was all kinds of miserable, but took care of myself by hydrating well and eating even as I was talking myself into and out of quitting.  Each moment I got near to stopping, I'd get passed by a team mate who would shout out to me and I'd renew my efforts.  That bike ride was a tough mental challenge as well as a tough physical one.  I'm pretty sure I entered it in rather down condition to begin with.  I had only recently done a Threshold test and my watts were down by 30 so I knew I was dealing with weaker condition than last fall.  It was a test.  I figured I'd miss the cutoff as I rode but decided to keep going.  I do have a motto on hilly courses though: "Take all downhills as fast as I can tolerate."  That day I did several at 45 mph.  I was very surprised to enter the transition area with several other folks and to find that I was well within the cutoff.  In fact, the time for the ride wasn't that bad considering. I usually do about 2+ to 3:30 and that day I finished in 3:57 so hey, the mental challenge was my worst enemy.  I also almost quit at the transition, thinking I would not get it done in time but again figured, well hell, why not?  It was getting very hot at that point though and the heat took quite a toll. 

One irritating and laughable thing was that my garmin decided to think I was swimming the rest of the day, instead of forwarding to bike on the multisport setting.  So I had some very impressive swim speeds all day.  I only used my garmin for the total race time after the swim so I had no speeds for my bike or run.  My bike computer worked but it's not set right for my race wheels and reads a bit fast so I was not sure how fast my average speed was which also irritated me.  Hard to ride your race plan without feedback.

T2 5:28  Don't ask me why I took so long.  I had to sit to get my shoes on and had to ask someone who had finished to help me get back up.  My legs were very sore and I was tired.  Tired of the internal fighting and tired of the ride and the heat.  I have no idea why I dawdled in that transition area so long though.  

RUN 3:27 "A counter-clockwise loop of the iconic Lake Monona Loop. Passing through Monona on the way back to Madison, the run course is scenic and challenging. Spectators will be plentiful in the many parks and great neighborhoods along the course."

 I do know why the run took so long.  When you don't run much you take longer.  End of story.  As the heat and humidity worsened, I walked out of T2 and saw Shelley Sarson.  I was so glad to see someone one knew.  It made a huge difference.  She told me that Hootie was on the course and he was walking it.  I understood why.  Take a pair of legs, thrash them on a very steep and challenging course, add heat, humidity and a bad attitude and stir.  You get NOTHING LEFT.    I had expected the run to be pretty shady and close to the water in looking at the map.  HOWEVER, that was not what happened.  We were in subdivisions and at times you could see the lake but rarely were we alongside it.  Plus there might be trees but at the time I was running the shade was often on the opposite side of the street.  I took to the sidewalks to get the shade I could which helped.  I stopped for ice at almost every aid station.  I always carry my own water so I only got water if I needed a refill.  I walked alot but ran when I could.  Two volunteers put ice on my head and down my back after asking if they could.  I agreed and then shouted my appreciation as they all laughed.  That was the best part of the race I think.  I could hear them laughing as I ran off.  My normal stand along half is 3:15 so I was quite surprised to see my time come up so short.  

FINISH LINE  8:20
The cutoff for this race was 8:30.  I was shocked that I made it in time for the official finish.  I got my medal and limped around but saw no one but John Dizon who commiserated with me about the toughness of the day.  After listening to a great band and eating some food I limped over to my stuff and picked it up.  I had decided to keep my hotel room that morning and maybe leave the next day and I was enormously glad I had.  I went back to the hotel and just collapsed on the bed after taking a bath.  At about 8 PM I got up and drove home and still had leg cramps and soreness.  I did not want to drive home in the morning traffic though and worried that I'd be unable to get up really early so I decided to leave and drive home in Sunday evening lighter traffic.  

Epilogue
Many of my team mates had a tough day as well.  Many of us did less well than we would have liked but a shrug and a claim that it was a good training day let's you move forward.  I had been struggling with my training all spring, thinking of it as more like work than like fun and this race just epitomized those feelings.  I spent the recovery week doing fun things and considering why I do these races and what triathlons mean to me.  I let myself do the training I wanted to do rather than following a proscribed plan.  This year is more of a year off from the intensity of last year's racing and training schedule so I'm not out to blow the doors off any race really.  I'm working on strength training, running speeds and just fitting the training into a balanced lifestyle.  It's what I want to do long term and if I burn myself out now, I won't be happy with this choice.  So I've done what I like and what I want and I'm getting some results that are good.  My training yesterday was a long day of Metabolic efficiency activities.  I swam a mile, did 25 on computrainer and ran 8 miles, all at Zone 2-3 levels.  It took longer but I ended the training day feeling quite good and knew I'd used a good amount of fat that day.  So this race taught me something about my mental attitude that needed repair and helped me to find the way to do that.  While it was not my fastest race, it may well have helped me to figure out how to get to my fastest race.  And my next threshold test I was back up above my last fall level at 161 Watts so indeed that "training race" put me on track.                                                   

Naperville Sprint Triathlon Race Report

"Bad day at the office, honey."

It's Sunday evening and I'm really very tired but I thought I'd get a few thoughts down before I retire.
It was quite a weekend.  I really didn't put too much emphasis on this race for myself as it was short and a training race on the way to the Milkman Half next weekend.  I'm surprised at how much it took out of me but that's probably because of all the other stuff I did, not the race itself.

I offered and was happy to accommodate Christina Putnam in her request for a ride to the race.  She accepted my offer to spend the night on Saturday at my place and ride in on race morning with me.  We had a really fun time talking and getting to know one another.  Joy rode out to Naperville on Saturday with us to get our race packets.  That day was very hot and humid and probably I got somewhat dehydrated from that and did not replace my fluids as well as I should have.

I did get my race wheels on my bike and my gear packed and ready on Saturday night.  I made dinner for me and Christina using the crock pot and the rice steamer so it was an easy meal to make.
I did every thing I could to get my bike set up right but when I picked Ruthless up from Element, but her tune up was not spot on.  She clicks in nearly every gear indicating a maladjusted derailleur.  Not good.  Anyway, she was as ready as I could get her last night so I went to bed feeling pretty confident.
Race morning we executed out plan nearly spot on, arriving for transition about 6:10.  By 6:30 I was set up and ready.  I thought.
I used my lava pants instead of a wet suit and had a pretty good swim.  My form and speed were good when I wasn't dodging people sort of standing and just doing nothing along the way.  The swim course is a snake swim with five turns.  It's in a pool with a shallow end where you can walk around the two end buoys.  It's not bad for first timers except there are lane lines and it's a bit cramped.  I checked all this out and decided to start at the front of the pack for this race.  I normally hang back but I figured the best least "washing machine" location would actually be at the front.  It worked well.  I passed quite a few from the three waves in front of us as well.  13:24 swim time.

T1 had a long run to the transition area and I didn't push myself real hard so I have a long T1.  5:46 mins

I took my bike on a jog and hopped on feeling pretty good.  I was having a lot of trouble keeping my speed up and at mile 3 I took a right turn at a good speed and nearly wiped out twice on that one turn. A lady called out that "You're lucky!" and I responded "Nope, I'm very skilled, no luck about it!"  However, I was just really feeling like I was pedaling through mud and the mental analysis started: " The fact that I had just done a threshold test on Thursday may have had an effect.  Friday I was just exhausted after that day.  Sat I did a 1.5 mi run in the heat before we left for Naperville too. "   By mile five I knew something was off. I have having a lot of trouble steering and the rear wheel felt loose.  I stopped to check the wheel and found it was flat.  I got out my CO2 which I promptly opened and discharged completely.  Luckily a  volunteer guy came by and pumped it up. He remarked on my IMLOU sticker still on the bike.  Feeling awesome and raring to go I headed out on really fast wheels.  I was doing 22-23 mph with a full tire but this slowed over time.  I knew I probably had a slow leak because the night before at 9 PM the tire was at 110psi.  I decided not to take the time to change the tire and instead drive the rest of the course as hard as I could as fast as I could before the tire flattened again.  By mile 11 I was pretty much pushing mud again but held onto about 15-16 mph.   I had to use my Garmin for the ride though because my bike computer battery was dead.  I had just replaced this battery before Leon's last week so I guess it was a bad battery.  Argh.
Not sure what my bike time was.  50 mins I think.  52:58 by official timing.

T2 was shorter but it's a long run to the bike in so it was still long; 3:40 I think.  Actual 3:10.

I got Ruthless racked, changed shoes (Pierce Footwear ) and headed out on an easy run.  My legs felt like tree trunks but I managed to run all but about 5 mins of the run.  I felt pretty good and knew my form was good and my knee was not bothering me.  I had injured it in Krakow and it's been aching on the outside of my right knee since then.  Running was slow; 13:30 min miles but steady...until I tripped over a small ledge on the sidewalk and went flying.  I managed to land and roll and the injuries were just a bit of skin from my hands and one knee.  I sat for 30 seconds and got up and got going again.  Run time was 40:19, not what I had wanted but given the problems I faced I felt I had done a pretty damn good job.   I crossed the finish line in 1:55.  The best full sprint time I've had is 1:52.  I believe I would have had a PR without the problems so I'm happy that my "training day" really gave me problems to solve which I handled without getting rattled.  I felt good at the end and although not my best time it does indicate again to me that my fitness has improved yet again.  I'm really excited about the OH 70.3 in August to see where I can drive my fitness level.  Pretty sure Milkman will not be my most outstanding race given that my knee is now bothering me a lot and the fatigue after Naperville was pretty extreme.  I'm hydrating and keeping up with my 100 day Burpee challenge (we are on 11 days and 11 burpees today) and my training so I'm hopeful that Milkman won't be a total disaster.  I guess expecting that could shield me from disappointment from a longer day.  My summer goal is to finish a 70.3 in under 7:30 and if possible just over 7 hours.  We shall see.

My comment Sunday evening:  "Not a PR but certainly with all the trouble I had, it was a great time.  I'm happy for the outcome.  It was a good day but now I'm headed to bed.  It's 9 PM.  Very early for me."

Even a bad day at the triathlon "office" is better than a good day in a real office.  I'm happy that I get to do these.  It's a great sport.

Race results are below.

Leon's Triathlon Race Report

This is me, behind the other two racers.  Despite that photo, I actually tied with the Carol who is in front of me because she is one of my team-mates on Trimonster and she waited for me so we crossed together.  That meant I tied for third place but in all honesty she earned it.  I was grateful that she did that and got a medal but there's that * after it.  *Due to kindness and team spirit.  It's a testament to the soul of most triathletes:  Gratitude that we can do this, graciousness with other competitors, encouragement for anyone who attempts this sport and generosity for those who need a hand.  That's one of the reasons I love this sport.  So many beautiful things happen with these athletes.  Yeah, there are days when someone is a selfish jerk, but I want to focus on the great things about this sport today.

Please also note my running shoes.  I got those from George Pierce who invented the closure and patented them and produced them.  He is a great guy.  He was the national Duathlon Champion in 2011 but got hit by a car and broke his back in many places.  After healing he went back to the sport and was frustrated with the closures and the time delay of getting into running shoes so he decided to fix that.  You can see his story here: George Pierce's story

I've gotten to know him after he called me out of the blue one day and offered to send me a pair of his shoes to try.  Now I work with him.  We are seeking investors and working hard to launch this company.

Why?  I love these shoes.  They are not only easy to get on and off but they are comfortable.  The most comfortable SOCKLESS shoes I have tried.  I've tried them all.  They are usually very hard to get on, they have that tongue and eyelets that rub your feet.  They just don't do well.  After IM Louisville in my Altras, I lost several toenails and had a serious piriformis issue that kept returning.  I started wearing Pierce shoes and it went away.  And, no lost toenails.

So Leon's race was set in perfect weather on Sunday.  Whoever ordered that day did a great job.  It was just cool enough and overcast but not rainy.  My swim was 575 yds. I used my lava pants instead due to easier removal but still the advantage of buoyancy.  I had a pretty good swim but did an extra 75 yds or so.  10:08 was the time.

Transition has a longer run and although I wasn't happy with my time (3:42) I got in and out as fast as I could, talking to the young kid next to me who got out just ahead of me. (felt pretty good about being there).  Got off on my ride and encountered some tough winds (15 knots) off and on as we turned into and out of the wind.  Mostly yaw due to cross winds but once had it at my back on the out and back and hit 23 mph.  Returning sucked though, was doing like 12 mph.  Still it was a pretty good ride for me, finished in like 49 mins for an average speed of 15.6.  A lot of turns which I slowed more than I normally would due to fears about gravel and face planting.  Had I done the OLY, I would have done the second loop faster.

Got back to transition and into my shoes in 2:22.  I was feeling pretty good and rather than walking for a distance began running immediately.  I did have to walk a few times but managed to keep a good pace for almost the whole run.  It was sunny off and on but really very nice day for a run.

It took me 40 mins to do the run which doesn't indicate just how good I felt.  My walking slowed the average speed down but when running I was doing 12:30 pace.  That's not bad for me.  Carol passed me at the end.  I was mad at myself because she has been beating me for years.  I had a chance to come in third but blew it by allowing myself to walk those few times giving up the distance I had gained between us.  I don't begrudge her nor am I jealous.  I'm going to keep trying because I know I can improve and she's a great competitor.

My total race time was 1:38.  A 14 min PR for sprints for me.  I'm very happy with my performance but figure I might have come in at 1:35 had I been able to keep my run pace up.  Still first place was 1:16 so that's where I'm setting my sights.  That means a slightly faster bike and run and maybe a few seconds off the transition, plus a more direct swim.  I can do better and that's exciting to know.  I don't feel like I used to, that I used myself up completely and that's all I could do.  I believe my fitness has improved so much that I am able to do more now.

We'll see this Sunday at Esprit de She.  I'm treating this as a training race.  Will be good to nail down a few things.  I'm doing the Milkman Half June 19 so I want to have myself prepped for a good race that weekend.

So all in all it was a wonderful day with lots of friends competing.  A few newbies that did great!  Trimonster men took first place for team in OLY and we all had a very good day.  I'm so lucky to be able to do this sport.  It's a part of my life that keeps me healthy and focused.  Hope to someday be able to retire and just be a triathlon coach and competitor.  That would be the best of all worlds.

Will I ever be fit and thin again?

I know I'm not fat, but I know there's fat.  I can feel it when I bend and when I try to do things.  There's way less than there used to be but I'm still feeling like I'm not where I want to be.  I recall the old days of being totally in shape.  Where are those pictures of me posing in body builder poses?  Probably no one will believe it was me.  However I remember how it felt to be that fit.  I want that again.  Funny, I didn't really have to work as hard as I seem to work now and I ate anything I wanted.  I really  want those days back.  Where the heck did that body go and who snuck in and left this new older version for me to drag around?  Just not loving this body of mine so much these days.  It betrays me when I want the most from it.  Lately I've had a piriformis issue.  This totally sucks and now it's starting to affect my right foot at times.  Yes I'm massaging it and working this thing out all the time.  Stretching and hoping this problem will finally disappear but just when I can forget about it, it comes back and begins to ache.  F this.

I've been working on maintenance since the Ironman race hoping to hang on to much of the fitness I had developed, and in all honesty I think I've been able to hang on to a lot more than I deserve.  It's been nice to run up stairs and not be breathless and to do an indoor tri and not have to go home and nap all afternoon.  However, I'm still frustrated with age and the effects I feel.

I suppose I should be grateful that I don't have worse problems.  I mean I could be completely incapacitated like I was from 1991-1999 by migraine headaches and CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) but that is such an extreme.

I should also be grateful that my mental faculties are almost completely returned.  I'm back to reading 500 wpm and 700 books a year again.  I recently passed the IM coaching certification test so I'm confident that my mental capacity is pretty good.

Perhaps that's why I'm so hard on myself.  I think all the time.  I question and analyze and wonder why I can't do more.  I hate to chalk it up to age and let it go.  I'm certainly never going there.
I think I'll just keep after these things, dealing with the issues as they arise and keep going forward.  That's the only direction I know that's worth the effort.

The Value of a Good Coach

So I was once an athlete.  I was a collegiate gymnast and later a state fighting champion at Tae Kwon Do.  I had left all that behind when I had a family and a career and chronic physical ailments that over the ensuing 30 years had left me 30 pounds heavier and pretty out of shape.  I continued to work out but with no goals; just to exercise.  I'm a strong Type A person so having no goal meant I was uninspired.  Thirty Five years ago I had dated an ironman Kona finisher when I was heavy into TKD and thought to myself "I'd like to do that someday,"  fully believing I would and could someday.  Enter life complications and the death of my younger brother, back injury, depression, chronic illness, childbirth and financial issues and you have many barriers to that goal.  Eventually I left that goal behind and forgot about it, mostly.  Then divorce and empty-nester status left me with a desire to do something more; maybe get back in shape.

I saw this sign on the wall of the subway: "You Train You Triumph" advertising a charity training program called Team to End AIDS for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago to get you to the Chicago Triathlon.  I went to the information session, fully doubting I could do it but curious.  The other desire I had after the death of my brother was to honor him in a positive way.  He had come out in 1981 and been banished from the family for five years.  He returned home and died 4 months later of AIDS, just as medications were being developed.  He was one of the first 20,000 in the US to die.  He was taking AZT, but his misdiagnosis caused too much damage and it did not help him.  He was my only brother I miss him very much.

I cried at that info session when I spoke to April, the first coach I met.  She encouraged me to try and said they would help me get to the finish line.  A week later I did sign up.  I had no idea what the journey would be like nor where I would end up 6 years later.

I started the training with physical issues plaguing me.  I had serious gluten issues I had not yet identified.  I had lingering issues with heavy metal poisoning from my house and hives would hit me regularly.  My face and my body would swell suddenly and cause me to feel sluggish and fatigued.  Race nutrition was part of the problem.  I had to experiment with it to see what I could use and what I could not.  I'm allergic to Whey protein, gluten, and soy.  All are used a lot in race food.  I ended up with shin splints and plantar fasciitis.  Running was quite painful.  I would walk or do a slow slogging jog.  I usually ended up by myself on the runs for that reason.

Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't feel sorry for myself.  I was disappointed and sad at times but I wanted to do this so I was ready to do the work.  Remember, type A?  Yeah, that's me.  I gave birth without any pain killers at all through 8 hours of labor and at home.  I'm not afraid of pain.  I just wasn't sure I could do it.  I doubted my ability to succeed and was hearing all those doubts every time I went to train.  "Who do you think you are?  You are 52,  too old for this.  You are too out of shape, give up.  See?  Everyone else is way ahead of you, just forget this."  Etc, etc.

But one coach did not give up on me.  Coach Chris.  I have always been very independent and due to my upbringing felt I did not need anyone's encouragement.  My professional career reinforced that idea.  I'm a chemical engineer and worked in predominantly male professional situations; Manufacturing supervision and management. I'm no stranger to feeling alien, alone and having to shore myself up and forge ahead.  It's a life time skill I have learned through some pretty rough situations.  (Being thrown into the freight elevator by my operators and left between floors on third shift for hours or being offered "comfort for loneliness" by a boss on a business trip or assured that I could not do a particular job by a boss are a few of many examples.)  Thus I have plenty of internal fortitude and independent strength, plus a strong sense of contrariness that helps me to "prove everyone wrong."    However, this situation was different.  No one says you can't, they are coaches, they say you can.  But I did not believe them.   If you had asked me then I would have said that one person's influence was minimal in effect, not just for me, but for everyone; that everyone must find the motivation inside, full stop.

However, one morning when I was a centimeter from giving up after watching the coach and all the good runners disappear in the distance, I see someone running toward me.  I'm managing to continue moving in a running-like motion rather than walking that morning, a rare occurrence.  As he got close I realized it was my coach for the brick; Coach Chris.

He met me and turned around and began "running" at my speed and talking to me.  He told me I was improving and he had noticed I was now running more and walking less.  He noted that my form was improving and that continuing to move forward was the goal.  He noted that I had lost a bit of weight and that I was doing better.  We talked about nutrition and some of my problems with race food and he suggested some things to try.  We talked about my situation and where I was and how much I had lost in fitness over the years.  His remark was that I was once an athlete and knew how to train was an advantage over others who might have no experience with this at all.  Basically he gave me encouragement that overcame the negative thoughts I was having and made me begin to believe in myself and the possibility that I could do this.  He helped me in a pivotal way that I might never have been able to do for myself.  He gave me new motivation that I could not find.  He saw me in a way I could not see myself.  He gave me a gift of hope.  I had no idea how much that would mean to me going forward but that day it was like a ray of sunshine in the dark place in my mind.

The fact that this accomplished, young athlete might care enough to come back for me that day was another reason to believe.  Why would he bother if I was completely hopeless?  From that day on I had a different attitude about my potential to finish that race.  At that point I was still unsure if I was doing an Olympic distance or Sprint; our program let us decide later in the training.

I eventually chose the Olympic distance with no idea if I could do it, but with encouragement from all the coaches, April, Chris, Scott, and Trevor, I learned to swim a mile.  I had been unable to swim more than a partial length in free style when I began.  I learned to bike better.  I learned to jog, better. That first race was a long one for me.  A heavy 30 year old bike and very hot conditions which forced me to walk mostly, but I swam, biked and ran that day moving forward for 4:52 and finished my first triathlon, an Olympic triathlon and raised $5000 in honor of my brother.  I cried on the swim remembering him; he was an NCAA regional backstroke champion in college.  I cried on the finish.  I fell in love with a sport.  I had thought I'd do one and that would be it.  But I came back next year and did a couple more sprints.  The following year I began to think maybe a longer race was possible as many of my friends were doing half Ironman races.  By year four I tried a half Ironman, choosing a destination race: Honu and DNF'd missing the bike cutoff by 3 mins.  However, I signed up for Steelhead that year and finished it and by the roll-down entered the World Championship 70.3 in Las Vegas.  I finished that one too.  9 hours, but I have that medal.  I'm most proud of that, because Coach Chris was so admiring of that accomplishment.

So the following year I did three more half Ironman races, PR at Racine 7:45.  I'm not fast, yet.  I have hopes to improve my speed.  I knew it was a bit of a stretch to plan for a full IM the following year but I signed up for Louisville that year.  Coach Chris signed up too.  It was a long hard year of training.  The weather stayed very cold and rained a lot that summer 2015.  Two races I entered for training were rained out and shortened or called off mid race.

Other long ride days were shortened by weather.  I ended up training long rides alone a lot.  My coach and supporters did not see some of the training I was doing and I entered the IMLOU race with encouragement but several later confessed private doubts about my ability to finish.  By that time I'd had plenty of encouragement that I had embraced however.  I knew what I was capable of.  I knew I might miss the official cut off at the end because it's only 16:30 long but I would finish no matter what.  Just before the race, Coach Chris said "no matter how long it takes you, keep going to the finish.  Even if it's after the deadline, I'll be there for you."  I knew it would be a day for me and I trusted that he would be there, because he had been there for me so many years ago when I needed that help.  

I have posted my race day report on my blog and you're welcome to read it here Louisville IM race report, but short story is that I did finish in 16:53.  I talked to my brother in the swim as I always do and we agreed that today was my day and that I could take it one minute at a time and enjoy this day like no other...the pinnacle of a journey long desired and hard fought...but also a turning point in my life at 58.   After the official race finish, I walked down the chute around the garbage truck and with a police escort as the absolute last racer on the course.  People cheering for me as they walked home and volunteers waiting for me to pass with two cups of water, who walked with me and refilled my water bottle so I could keep moving at my 14 min pace. Coach Chris and Coach Shelley who met me at mile 22 in the dark and the empty street and said "keep going!  See you at the end!" even after he had felt like hell after his race finish.  So many who kept me going forward.  The last .6 miles my friend Masumi who ran to meet me and walk me to the finish and gave me a little shove to walk down the chute by myself.  The volunteers who proclaimed me an Ironman, gave me a shirt and a cap and medal.  I cried with joy and fatigue and gratitude for so much support. Chris was there at the end with congratulations.  We had an hour of effort afterward to locate my bike and my bags with my car keys so I could go home but I was just astounded to have finished and to have my medal.  Official or not, I'm just thrilled at the accomplishment and I know it has changed me.

My father and mother saw me at mile 6 that night.  They cheered me on and went home because I didn't want them to wait that late for me.  They are near 80 and that was just too much, but to see them on the course so happy for me was very special.  Another change in my life is to have their pride and pleasure for me.  Dad said later that he didn't think I'd finish because he had seen me so spent at a couple of half iron races the prior year.  "You must've trained a lot this summer,"he said.  Yep I did. I trained a lot and I believed in myself again for the first time in a long time.


So now I'm a coach and I'm very aware of the effect my words can have on others.  Small things can be enormous to someone with doubts.  I want to help other women over 40, learn to find that inner athlete, too.  I want to give back that sense of pride and accomplishment to others.  I want to pass along the joy and motivation I was given by a short conversation with Coach Chris just a few years ago that grew into something amazing for me.  I want to give back to say thank you.    And I want to do another Ironman race and finish with an official finish.  From "doing one triathlon and retiring" to becoming an regular racer and triathlete in earnest, began with a very short and simple conversation that made all the difference.

Health Benefits in stark reality

In 2014, I had been the dean of a college of business for 6 years.  I had loved many aspects of the job.  It is quite satisfying to see students excel and succeed in their careers.  It gave me a great deal of pleasure and self-actualization to experience their joys and pride upon graduation and being hired.

However, as this article indicates, being in the middle is quite stressful.  Middle Manager Stress is Highest  I was feeling this stress in many ways.  Despite having begun doing triathlons in 2010 and training pretty regularly and hard during that time period, I was feeling the effects of stress.  I was quite unhappy by 2014 and my blood pressure was elevated.  I had gained weight and was not sleeping well at all.  In general, I felt as though I was not doing much good for anyone and that my future was pretty grim.  By the time I stepped down from my position in the summer of 2014, my blood pressure was at 135/93.  This was the highest of my life.  Even pregnant my blood pressure was never more that 120/72.  I'd enjoyed low blood pressure for my whole life but now I was in trouble and I felt it. My stamina was affected and my power readings on the bike fluctuated with the level of stress I felt.  In general, I was not doing well.


Since I knew I would be in transition for awhile after stepping down, I decided to bump up my training.  I felt more like crawling into bed with the covers over me for a decade but instead went to do more training.  Eventually I made the significant decision to attempt Ironman Louisville Oct 11, 2015.

That decision meant a lot more training over the coming year, but I was pretty sure a new job would not be available until summer 2015 so I dove in.

I won't go through my training plan in detail, that's not the point.  Overall I did a periodized plan, that I developed and checked with my coach that ended with several weeks of 20 hours per week of training.  During this time I was doing professional consulting part-time, so my time was flexible and allowed me to do this training.

I did do many other training races along the way including ITU, Muncie, Haines City, Chicago Triple, Titanium, as well as some running races for training.

I recently took a health exam to purchase long term disability coverage.  The nurse came and weighed me, took my pulse and blood pressure and did a questionnaire.

Here are the results:

2014
BP  135/93
HR 72
Weight 182

2015
BP 108/66
HR 66
Weight 164

I did not try to lose weight or worry excessively about these health problems, I focused on my training results and getting myself ready for the race.  The weight began to come off spontaneously.  Frankly I was astounded about these results when she took them.  I had no idea my weight was that low or that my BP had dropped so much.  I did know I felt better...I felt 30 years younger.  I did know I was happier, had a much more positive outlook despite looming issues that could stress anyone: moving, change in income, sale of a house, Ironman race, book deadline, lots of demands on my time for various issues.  Apparently the training is a great buffer to the physical effects of stress.

Yes I know it's been written about and proven, but when you experience it personally it is a tremendous gift.  I hope that as a USAT coach, I can give that same gift to other women who are interested in reversing the sign of aging.

Join me by leaving a comment about your experience or ask me to help you with a training plan.  Beginners are encouraged!

IM Louisville Race Report

PROLOGUE

I grew up here.  Louisville will always be home to me.  The river, the bridges, the landmarks...they all bring back memories, some wonderful, some sad and some that make me grateful for having grown up here.  I love Kentucky anytime of year.  The weather is variable enough that you get all seasons but it's gorgeous a lot and the scenery is always beautiful.   The hills and the trees, the birds and the fields of wildflowers and corn and tobacco, the horse farms and the cattle.  It just smells wonderful.  That's what struck me as I exited the car on October 5 in Bardstown as I prepared to do something epic for me:   attempt to realize a 35 year old dream of becoming and Ironman.  

This is that story of one perfect day.  If you want to hear about the epic end and skip all the rest, scroll down to THE LAST DROP. 

Strangely, unlike any other race, I was not nervous.  I never got overly anxious, but I did get quiet  two days before.  My coach observed that I was dealing with some race jitters because I was uncharacteristically quiet.  Yes, I agreed, but inside I did not have butterflies, nor was I having difficulty sleeping as I have often experienced with other races.  I had decided to allow myself the freedom to enjoy the day, to handle it like a practitioner rather than a novice and to follow the path I was on with no expectations.  I certainly wanted to do well.  I had hopes for 15 hours, but I knew that would depend on race conditions over which I had no control.  So I just put it out there to the universe that I wanted to get to the end.  

I can comment later on the pre-race activities and meetings racers etc, but maybe later.  For now, this is the story about the idea that I had at 23, after dating a guy who did the Kona IM race and thinking, "I'd like to do that someday,"  Not many women were doing extraordinary sports in those days. For example,  I was advised to stop competing in Tae Kwon Do by my bosses at P&G because it was unfitting for a woman and dangerous. I didn't quit. I was pretty fit then and probably could have done an IM, but there wasn't much encouragement or support for women who were "sporty" back in the 80s.  

 I had no idea that so much would happen to make that dream nearly fade completely.  

Fast forward through death of my brother, back injury at work, chronic fatigue, childbirth, difficult financial situations, career change, two major moves across the states, divorce, bankruptcy, another chronic illness, another major move and new stressful job, job layoff, weight gain, college for my daughter...You might agree that letting go of that dream would seem wise.  It was pretty much shelved by age 52.  

But something magical happened that year.  I saw a sign that said "you train, you triumph" advertising the AIDS Foundation of Chicago  AFC and their new triathlon training program.  With the help of Coach Chris Navin and Coach Scott Hutmacher, in 2010, I completed my first outdoor triathlon, Olympic distance, in 4:52.  Didn't indicate any talent for doing much more and while it was a real accomplishment I became curious about what more I might be able to do.  So I trained more and did that race the following year and a few more.

ABOUT IMLOU

By 2013 I had done many sprints, Olympic and multiple half iron man races.  In 2014, I started to consider the minute possibility of pursuing a full IM but kept to half IM races that year.  By the end of that year, I signed up for IMLOU.  

IMLOU is a unique race in the IM world.  For 2015, they moved the race to October to try to reduce the heat issues (and get more racers) but that created a new issue; 7:30 AM sunrise.  This meant that racers would only have until midnight or 16:30 to complete the race.  In addition, IMLOU has a timed start rather than a wave start.  This means that you may get in the water anytime between 7:30 AM and 8:40 AM.  That means that you could end up with less than 16 hours to do this race.  For first timers, this is a real deficit and puts a lot of pressure on less able athletes, like me, to get across the finish line in time.  

I signed up and agreed to these conditions.  I sort of figured that I would train and get myself there by doing the training.

GETTING THERE

This year was one of the wettest coldest summers in Chicago in history.  That meant that a lot of my training races and training rides and open water swims were very wet and cold.   It meant that several races were abbreviated making my plan for longer distances aborted.  I had a hard time getting all the training done but I worked it in and did three 100 mile bike rides, one completely alone on the Monon.   My runs were shorter, track training and other runs but nothing over 13 miles and I certainly made no progress on speed.

So I drove to the course that morning at 4 AM, knowing that I did what I could and would do so again that day.  I found a parking spot and walked to transition, actually the line to transition, because I arrived before 5:15 when it would open.  I had prepared everything a week in advance, walked myself through the course and how I would handle things (nutrition, hydration, clothes etc) many times.  I was mentally ready for this.  I placed my water bottles (full of smart water, plus one with Skraitch plus Ucan mixed) on the bike, checked tire pressure, borrowed a pump from someone and pumped up the pressure to 125psi.  (a side note: this timed entry on the swim had everyone on edge that morning.  There was a lot less camaraderie that morning than usual and when asked for a loan of a bike pump, one women just looked at me with the most pained expression.  I let her off the hook by asking if she needed to get to the swim start and she gratefully said yes and took off.  I got the loan from another guy who was a total gentleman about it even though he was reluctant and not completely gracious. ...it's hard when you have no Sherpa with you.)  

I left transition by 5:30 and walked to the swim start where I looked for Masumi Yonemata who was body marking and had her mark my number 1348 and the symbol for tree in Japanese.  The reason for this is that Johnson, my brother who died in 1986, called me Tree and has been the impetus for my getting into triathlons and keeping his memory has been part of my triathlon experience.  She wrote the symbol nearly on the inside of my right arm and on my left calf below my age.  That was really fortunate because later,  during the swim, when I feel particularly close to him, I saw that symbol with every breath.  

THE GREAT LAWN
 (IM VILLAGE LOCATION)

I headed to a spot in line which was a long walk, but I realized I was pretty close to the front once we were all walking to the start.  I had my bikini on because it's easier to take off quickly in transition and with a wetsuit it doesn't much matter, so I kept my jeans, tshirt and tennis shoes on for warmth along with two jackets and a space blanket, plus water and nutrition for the wait.  It seemed like a very short wait before I was trying to get into my wetsuit while walking forward!  I got my dry clothes stashed and in the interim, met a young woman doing her first from Dallas.  She was sitting with her husband (newly weds) vibrating like a leaf from nerves.  She confessed that she felt very under trained and was worried.  I observed that she was using a lot of energy with her shaking and that she had done all she could so today was just execution.  I encouraged her to enjoy the day and let it unfold.  I think it helped because she stopped bouncing and seemed calmer.  I hope she did well.  I saw her husband later on the run and he said she was just in front of me.  I never saw her so I expect she finished.  

As I walked towards the swim start, I saw Ovetta Sampson, a multiple IM finisher who gave me a hug and encouragement and Nic Ruley ( another multiple IM finisher and fellow AFC athlete from 2010), officiating, who made me laugh, told me he loved me and gave me a big hug and kiss before running off to do his job.

SWIM START 7:40 AM  1;22
I hopped into the water without really thinking about it and after the initial shock at being in the water so quick (7:40) I started swimming.  Two strokes with mild panic reaction but after that I was totally having fun.  It was a bit more of a washing machine than I expected with the start but really it was not a problem and I never had the feeling of suffocation or high heart rate from other starts.  It was so cool to be swimming in the Ohio once again and to watch the shore go by and see the fog at the surface.  It was a feeling of being exactly where I wanted to be.  I got shoved around a bit by some of the later entries who were faster and hit the sand bar and actually walked for about 50 feet on the sand bar before heading to the turn buoy.  I got around it and hoped for some current but honestly I never felt it.  I swam out towards the center of the river to catch some current and I think I did get some but it was hard to tell.  At one point the fog made spotting tough and I mistook a kayaker in orange for the buoy and headed toward it, ending up 100 yds off course.  I turned back and headed for the swim out, feeling annoyed but not upset.  Too soon the swim was over and I got out at 1:21, officially 1:22 due to the run to the mat.  That was a PR for my best IM swim time ever.  I must have caught some current!  I remembered to hit my garmin lap button to switch to transition (total win!)

TRANSITION 1 

I unzipped my wetsuit and got a stripper to help me grabbed everything and picked up my bike gear bag and headed to the tent.  It was crowded in there; standing room only.  I found one chair and sat in it to change.  I got my bra on ( the one with the front zip that makes getting a sport bra onto a wet body really easy) and my 2XU onsie and my shoes on.   (I don't wear socks)  Put on my new sunglasses and got my bike jacket and gloves on.  Unfortunately, I can't use cream sunscreen so I had to bring my spray on stuff and stepped outside the tent to apply it, having to remove my jacket again to do so.  I got to my bike, put on my helmet and headed out.  Forgot the hit the Garmin lap button until like mile 2 (fail!) so I had to remember to add it back all day.

BIKE LEG 8:22

I headed out on the bike and let myself put on as much speed as I could without elevating my HR.  I was doing 17 mph on the first flat section. The hills slowed me a lot.  My climbing is weak so I was slowing to anywhere from 3 to 12 mph on every up hill.  I had planned for minimum 14 mph on the bike and I was doing closer to 15 on the first section and feeling really excited about that but I couldn't maintain it on the rolling hills.  There's an out and back on 1694 (sweet gum road according to Unca Bob who grew up there) that has two big hills.  Major hills that are long and steep.  The younger men who are strong and anxious to be fast were screaming "LEFT!!!" as they flashed by doing close to 50 mph.  I managed to use the speed and got up to 35 mph going down but up was tough.  I think I was doing 3 mph on the biggest hill up.  This dropped my speed average to 14.5 right away.  I got back out and into the loop pretty well with a couple rolling hills, but the turn into the loop brought new big hills and tough climbs.  My speed dropped to 14.3 then 14.2, then 14.1...I was dismayed at the declines but kept going.  On the back side of the loop there is a brief respite from the hills through La Grange.  I was doing 17-22 mph through there but the turn brought more hills and a couple of steep climbs. I had to walk up the Sligo hill for a short way, it caught me by surprise.  I rode up it on the second loop.  More speed bled away and I was doing an avg of 13.9 mph. Back to US 42 (river road) the head winds kicked in and getting to the turn for loop two was a challenge.  I had been hydrating well but not eating enough.  I find it really tough to eat on hills.  It slows you down to fool with packets etc and I was reluctant to sacrifice my speed, but without flats I had to make the choice. By mile 66, where the special needs bags where, I was a bit dizzy and knew I hadn't had enough nutrition.  I had put peanut butter and jelly on GF bread, snickers, fritos and a coke (plus an extra CO2 that I retrieved) in my special needs bag.  I stopped an ate the sandwich, some fritos, got someone to open the coke for me ( it was Mexican coke with real sugar and no twist off cap) and one tiny snickers bar down me, hit the porta potty and headed out.  I burped peanut butter for about 10 miles but clearly the food rejuvenated me because I had the energy I needed for that second loop and the long slow ride back to transition.  The bike elevation profile on the IM LOU web page seems to indicate that the trip from mile 90 on is all downhill.  IT IS NOT ALL DOWNHILL.  Boy was that a lie.  That was one long tough ride back.  My right foot was screaming in pain and my left hamstring was threatening to clench off and on.  I was watching the time the whole way back worrying that I was going to miss the cut off.  At the course talk the announcer had said on Thursday that the cut off was 5:30.  I did not know he was mistaken.  At 5 PM I calculated that I'd be lucky to get in by 5:30.  I pushed myself and tried to get more speed but I was very worn down, left leg cramped off and on...I did as much and went as hard as I could.  I had DNFd at the bike in Honu and did not want to relive that.  I had carried my phone because I wanted my parents to track me so I grabbed it and stuck it into my jacket as I cruised to the dismount.  I arrived at the bike dismount at 5:45 feeling let down and expecting to be told I was done.  Instead I was greeted by happy volunteers and when I asked they said I had 45 mins!  I remembered to hit my Garmin lap button (yay!) and ran down the chute to hand off my bike and get my run gear bag.

TRANSITION 2

I want to say thank you to that lovely young woman volunteer who helped me get into my clothes, put water into my bottle, got a band aid and alcohol and put it on my little toe on my right foot (boy it was very tender, nearly jumped through the roof when she touched it.)  This poor woman actually had to help me pull up my compression pants because I could not use my arms.  I got my sunscreen on and grabbed some sport beans and headed out.  I knew right away there would not immediately be any running going on.  I saw Ovetta again at the run out, got a big hug and encouragement and took off.  I had six hours to do 26.2 miles and the big question in my mind was, can I get 4.5 mph out of this body?  I hit my last Garmin lap button and headed out to try.

RUN LEG 6:33

I met a guy who was in the same condition, unable to run, and we walked and talked for awhile but he clearly didn't like my use of profanity and dropped off at an aid station about mile 3.  He became very quiet after I used the word Shit when I dropped my nutrition. I'm not one to censor myself for anyone much so I mentally wished him luck and trudged on.  I tried to run at mile three but even running I was not getting more than 14 min miles and I could feel both hamstrings and quads tensing and releasing and clenching as I ran.  I figured I'd do what I could and keep moving forward.  

Just a shameless plug for my favorite nutrition: HUMA gel.  I also use Base Salt on the run.  The gel, when I could get it down, really seemed to help me to run.  The cramping would subside and I could do a .25 mile but it would come back.  Lesson: use more Huma on the bike.  I don't like gels alot on the bike because sticky ride.  However, the combination of glucose and chia seed fat seems to help my body to function.  The salt also helped but nothing would keep me going for more than a half mile or so before cramps would start to stiffen my legs and threaten to stop me completely.  I tried repeatedly to run and get those 2 miles into m the 6 hours I had but my body wasn't participating with the idea that I had to go more than 4 mph that day. 

THE LAST DROP

This is the part of the day that was really the most memorable.   I saw my parents at mile 4 and again at mile 7 when I came back from the turnaround.  I gave them a hug, they took my photo and my dad said "are you going to finish?" with a worried look.  I said yes.  I knew they were leaving at that point because I had told them I didn't want them to stay late waiting for me and get too tired out.  They are both about 80 and I worried it was too much for them.  

By mile 10, I pretty much knew I wasn't going to make it to the finish by midnight.  I considered quitting once or twice but not very seriously.  Coach Chris Navin told me "if you know you're not going to make it, keep going.  No matter when you arrive, I'll be at the finish waiting for you."  I heard his voice in my head and after 6 years of following his instructions and 35 years of waiting for this chance I was not going to just cede this race.  I was going to go as long as I was allowed on the course.  

KEEP MOVING!

At mile  13 I was on the verge of tears, knowing for sure that I was going to fail to finish and DNF.     Not because I'd done all that work but because I just was going to miss it.  At special needs I asked for my bag, got my new armwarmers and my jacket and left the rest.  I didn't need food I needed speed. The volunteer asked me how much I was hurting.  I began to cry.  He told me that 2 years ago he was vomiting on the course and barely able to move and made the finish with 7 seconds to spare...."Keep moving!" I walked as fast as my legs would carry me.  I could feel the blisters on the balls of my feet and one on my right big toe.  At mile 14 I met a guy walking at 13.5 min pace but couldn't keep up.  He encouraged me but was soon off in the distance.  I made the turn around before 11 PM  cutoff and it was very lonely out there.  There were two people who passed me but plenty behind me.  I got to mile 20 and it got even quieter.  I didn't realize it but they were emptying the course behind me.  Everyone on the course behind me was picked up and on the van.  I was intercepted by a van driver at mile 20.5 and asked if I wanted a ride to the finish.  I said no. He asked how I was, I said I was fine I just wanted to finish.  He said okay.  I kept walking.  I saw volunteers who had like six cups of water and asked for water.  They cheered for me and told me to keep going.   I kept going.  Another van came by asked me the same series of questions at mile 21 and again they allowed me to stay on the course.  I met another volunteer, TR, who walked with me for a block and told me I was awesome and said "keep going!"   At mile 22 Chris Navin and Shelley Sarson came out of nowhere to capture me in hugs and encouragement.  "keep going!"  I kept going.  

At mile 23 another van came by, asked the same series of questions and allowed me to continue.  At that point I picked up a police escort who followed me all the way to the turn into the finish.  So with a police car following me I pretty much knew I was the last lone racer on the course.  I knew all the policemen at the corners were waiting for me to go by so they could go home.  I tried to thank them all but I was not feeling like talking much towards the end.  I wrote a thank you to the Louisville Courier Journal today to all the policemen for their patience with my slow progress.  

At mile 25.7, Masumi met me and told me she was proud of me, gave me a hug, walked with me to the chute and kept me going.  We talked a bit and I confessed that I had tried to my best to run...I felt like I had somehow not given my all to get there..I wasn't crawling, I was upright and coherent but very tired.  I asked myself if I could have done more and gotten that extra bit of speed, knowing full well that my body had been my governor on speed all night.  While still moving, I realized later that I was a bit worse off than I had recognized physically..the endorphins were keeping me upright.  

As we walked, people who had long ago finished shouted their support and encouragement and told me I was awesome and to "keep moving!"  

When I got to the finish chute Masumi gave me a push to the right of the garbage truck parked in the entrance and I managed to run across the finish.  With about 20 people shouting and cheering, I made my final  steps.  The guys  at the finish, apparently asked to wait for me by Masumi, were there congratulating me.  I was crying and saying I was glad I did it but just not fast enough.  They both said, "you are an ironman!!!"  and gave me a medal, a tshirt and a finisher cap which I was astonished to receive.  It made me so happy to have completed that distance, to have accomplished that long held and almost abandoned dream.  I am always surprised when I'm not alone...I have had to do so much completely by myself with little help, that having so many people encouraging me and happy for me is an overwhelming expression of love.  I can hardly accept it, feeling unworthy of it all.  

So at 12:33 AM, I completed 140.6 miles and stepped into a future where I think of myself in a very different way.  I realize I have some extremely good friends and that I can make my future on some very impossible sounding goals and reach them.  Because friends.

GRATITUDE

Thank you to Coach Chris Navin for being there from the beginning and especially that night after being sick and crashing from your own race.  You got up and made good on that promise and I would not have blamed you if you had not been there.  But you are my hero for being there and helping me gather my stuff at 1 AM when everyone was gone and the course was empty.  I don't know if I could have gotten myself home without your help.  And Shelley, for your help and encouragement.  You said what I needed to hear at mile 22.  (stop the negative talking and just go!) Thank you.  And Masumi, how can I ever thank you for being part of my IM trek?  

EPILOGUE

For two days I told myself it was okay that I finished and that's all that counts but in the back of my mind I was thinking "I finished at 12:33 AM, that's 17 hours and 3 mins so really I didn't even make it in by the official time.'  That truly disappointed me.  Until, Bo Lackey, someone from the FB IMLOU pages I only know from there, sent me a PM.  He said "what time did you start your swim?"  I said "7:40"  He said "then you finished in 16:53, and you are an ironman."  I started crying.  I had not realized just how important it was to me to have finished within the normal official 17 hours.  But it was.  It was very important.  That note changed my whole attitude about my finish.  I made it special and shiny and great.  Thank you Bo.  

Today my dad told me he had been pretty sure I would not be able to do it. He had seen me at NOLA and IM Haines city 70.3 races and he told me I looked so spent at the end of those races he wasn't sure I could handle it.  He said "you must've trained a hell of a lot this summer!!" 

I told my daughter the story of the finish.  Her response was "That's even better than a winning finish, mom.  What a great story!  To be the absolute last person and have all that just for you...you were really special out there.  You did a great job!"  

I don't think I've ever been prouder of what could be called a failure, but to hear my daughter so proud of me, was worth every step and every minute after midnight it took to arrive.  

I am so lucky.  I am an ironman.