We headed to Cambridge on Friday morning, day before race day, and after we, between the four of us, we have eight kiddos, got our kids to school. The days leading up to the race were calm, I got my nails done, I slept very well and I drank a lot of water. Checking the weather for Cambridge was a daily occurrence and the ongoing discussion of jellyfish and how many times we may or may not get stung was at nauseum. We had a “family” meeting on Tuesday night to discuss all the things that we needed and felt as ready as one could be to tackle something that we felt as prepared as possible for. We were in the van, on our way, nothing could be changed at this point.
The drive was uneventful but one of us wanted to experience the underwear run at 10:30...we arrived at 10:28...it was a sign that this race was going to be a good one. Out popped Jeff in the IRONMAN Village in his jellyfish underwear...he was with “his people” and we headed to the house to be greeted by our amazing homeowners. We were one house off of the running route and two blocks from the finish line. Optimal conditions for our race weekend and the good vibes were truly starting to sink in. We had many boxes to check on Friday from checking in, getting our bikes dropped to transition, listening to the athlete briefing while sitting NEXT to the finish arch and then dropping off our transition bags. I got my hair braided while looking out over the marina and chatted with a local who volunteers for this race every year as we commiserated over having young kids during the covid years and the challenges we all endured these past two years. We almost didn’t talk about the big elephant in the room that was the bigger endurance exercise I would tackle the very next day.
When everything was where it needed to be...Ben made dinner, pasta and bland chicken with red sauce. We sat and watched our boys play their football game back home on the computer and Paige had a quick tutorial on tire changing...just in case...thankfully none of us needed to do that! We were falling asleep by 8:30pm...the adrenaline from the day had left us and now the mental exhaustion was there. As we were so close to both transition and the start a crazy early start was not needed. We set our alarms for a 5am wake up and planned to make the half mile walk to the start at 5:30am. Walking oatmeal was made and our bags were filled with the food that we needed to place into our transition bags and drop off our special needs items. We were ready!
The walk was quiet and dark, the cars were still filing into the small town and many racers and support crew were on foot making the walk to where all the lights were bright and the noise was abundant. The lines at the porta potties were already twenty deep. We headed to our bikes to fill up our water torpedoes, put our hydration on the bike, I last minute taped a small bike pump to the underside of my cross bar. There were a lot of thoughts of what if this then that...but for the most part these three newbies were pretty calm...or so we appeared to be. They had said the day before they had hoped to have the first swimmer in the water by 6:35. Our other friend Ben was racing as well and racked right with us...this was not his first rodeo, he has tackled this monster many times now but no one is easier than the next. He was also in the race state of mind.
We went over to the 1:41-1:50 group of swimmers. I was hoping for a sub 1:40 swim but didn’t want to go out too fast per some GREAT advice from my friend at our local tri shop. I spoke with him on Thursday when I went in to buy salt tabs and be talked off this race ledge. He could see my head spinning in a million directions and he said...Julie just swim SUPER slow to start. This will keep your heart rate slow and you can get comfortable in the water. So Paige, Jeff and I stood in line with the other racers...waiting to be marched down to the water's edge. We used random vaseline from the ground to try and secure certain areas of our body from chafing or jellyfish stings. We knew they were in there...we knew the race would happen with the sea nettles...we knew we were nervous for the swim portion. We started our march...as they were only allowing three people to enter every five seconds the time to get in the water was long...I don’t think the last people entered until 7:11am. The three of us were in the water...walking in to get adjusted...and ready to tackle it.
I walked for longer than I thought I would, I also had to pee. I kept looking at the water’s edge to see if Ben was going to pop out on the edge and I would see him. I had kissed him before our march to the edge but was kinda hoping for one last assurance. I knew I could do this...I was just concerned about doing it with 1800 of my closest friends….and jellyfish. IRONMAN had raised the wetsuit temperature to 78 to allow us all to have them on to help against the jellyfish. The normal allowed temperature is 76, for this we were all grateful. I decided it was time to swim...and I did. The water was fine, there weren’t many people close to me and I didn’t feel any stings. Then both of those aspects changed quickly and constantly.
My one goggle didn’t fit flush to my eye but I kept going, I realized this would be fine and I didn’t like swimming with my eyes open in these circumstances anyway. The sun was rising and I couldn’t really see as I swam forward. The markers were 100 yards apart which was great from the standpoint of referencing but I was not about to do any math at that moment...I was just concentrating on swimming forward. I felt the jellyfish in my hands, then my toes, then across my face. It felt like I thought it would...a sting, a sharp bite, it was uncomfortable but not enough to make me or really anyone around me stop. As I approached the first turn buoy I was way too close to it which meant LOTS of people. I took that moment to do breast stroke so I didn't bump into anyone or if I was hit I didn’t get pushed under. I then resumed my swimming and felt good. I did take a stroke to the back which pushed me down and I took a foot to the left goggle but just told myself...stay calm, find your lane and stay in it. First loop was done and I turned to do the final, it felt like there were more jellies on the second loop because there were less swimmers. Starting to the back of the time breakdown, we knew there would be a lot of people on our first loop as they were starting their second. So when I made the turn in the shallow end I took a moment and walked about five strides to realize I was doing this, to look around at the space I was in and then go. I swam the second lap with much less stress and made that turn to the boat dock and was so happy this was over. Swimming was never my strong suit...but it was completed...and I never looked at my watch once while swimming...finished in 1:24:49.
Out of the water, although that boat ramp was mucky and dark water and smelled like gasoline...and randomly over our heads after we could walk for five plus strides to our chest, we were done! A volunteer asked me for my number to help me get my bike bag but we were right at the end so I thanked him and he still escorted me to my bag to ensure I was good to go. There were cheers over at the changing tents as we all took off our wetsuits that the swim was completed and I sprayed my body down with a vinegar/water mixture. I took my time, I had put myself down for 1:40 for the swim...I was under and I wanted to make sure I had everything where it needed to be. I put on my tri top and my bike jersey. I had ¼ of my pb&j and put in my two cliff bars and two gatorade bottles...I used a spray bottle of sunscreen that was on the ground on my legs and arms to help keep out the blazing sun over the next seven plus hours. I gave my bag back to a volunteer and headed out to hear Ben cheering! I walked over to my bike...and smiled along the way.
Grabbed my bike and headed out of transition...11:52 for T1. I could have done many things different in there to save time like go to the right instead of all around the tent to get out of there….but all was good with me. I felt calm heading on to the bike. I knew this was going to be the LONGEST part of the day. We had ridden this course two times in our training, but never the first 24 miles...well they were freshly paved roads and empty of cars. I lost my powerade water bottle in the first 10 minutes of the ride. I adjusted and was not going to let that mess me up with the ride. My first 13 miles was at 19mph. The adrenaline was pumping. I told myself that this was a long race and as good as these beginning miles felt, I needed to slow down and relax on the bike. I came into the highschool where Ben would be at 10:09 am...sure enough he was there….and happy to see me! I went on by giving him “feeling good” and began the first of the two 40 mile loops. I was using the salt tabs every 5-10 miles, I did not want nutrition to be the end of my day. I wanted to make sure I had lots of water in me. I had powerade every 20 miles as well as a SIS, electrolyte gel type item. I had more of my pb&j throughout every 25 miles and my peanut butter clif bar. I drank water every 5 miles from the start and then more often after that. I ran out of water and needed to refill when I came into the highschool station at mile 64...I saw Ben again...filled up both of my water holders and felt good...I was averaging over 17 mph and knew things were going well...there were NO mechanic issues yet. I headed out and was smiling...pretty sure I started singing loudly to the fans on the way out...HALF WAY THERE>>>OH OH>>>>LIVING ON A PRAYER!!! I was ready to take this last section.
There was a lot of crazy on this back half. There were crashes happening...aid stations were out of water...things were going sideways for some people. I wanted to stop at mile 85 to fill up with more water...I still had some but wanted to get it now to make sure I would be covered for the duration...they were out. I saw a few people down on the course...some bloody heads and road rash...I was determined to stay focused and find the end of this course. Oh and my feet were starting to BURN! I was so mad...I was flying high through that last stop and so positive on this last loop...the burning feet is not something you can just turn off. The only solution is to GET OFF THE BIKE! I still had lots of miles to complete...there was not an option. I tried biking with my toes pointing down and that seemed to aleve some of the pain. I came into another aid station as I now needed to get water and felt a little wonky. My salt tabs were working, my nutrition was good, but I was still feeling off. Getting off the bike and refilling my water and just taking a minute was all I needed. I was in the HOME stretch. I kept envisioning all the rides we did together over this training and saying...oh just to the big hill in reston and back...oh just to route 28 and back….just to purcellville and back...breaking it down bit by bit. I was finally off the main road and on the ten mile stretch back to transition. My feet started to act up again but I told myself I would see Ben again and I would be off the bike. I could make it to the end. 6:29:29, 17.33 mph. Very happy with that...I was banking for 7 hours.
Ben was right at the entrance to transition...he said I was doing great… I was so very happy to see him and to be off the bike. I walked my bike in and Ben said there was a surprise for me in transition. I knew my parents and kids were coming and just didn’t think I would see them until I was running in town. Sure enough they were right by my bike rack on the gate, my mom, and my two boys. I was a mess after leaving Ben going to the rack knowing they might be there. I was still so happy that I was ahead of time and there were no issues of note yet. Ben reminded me to take my time because I was way ahead of schedule...so I did. My youngest stood on the fence line with his hand out and wanted me to give him a high five….so I ran to him high fived and headed to the transition tent.
I found a chair and sat down. I emptied my bag, took three Advil, drank some water, had a quarter of another pb&j and took off my shoes!! I felt good...nothing crazy was hurting anymore. I found some sunscreen and sprayed my arms and legs. I reapplied vaseline in all the spots that would need it for a very wet, sweaty run. It was 3:27 when I came out of T2. The sun was not going down any time soon and I had three loops to do in not a lot of shade. Late last week I had the idea of bringing one of those cooling towels...well I am so happy I did. I knew ice would be on course and trying to keep my body temp down would save me. T2 was 12:56...I guess I really took my sweet time on that one!
As soon as I got out to the course I went immediately to the aid station to fill that towel with ice. I wrapped and rolled and placed on my neck and tucked the ends into my sports bra to keep in place. I had told myself this would be a four minute run, one minute walk...I started running and felt good...saw my mom and my two boys and hubby as I headed to town. Ben told me I would see our friend Ben when I got onto the course...I had seen him in transition and he was walking with medical, he had an accident on course but was still moving forward.
One foot in front of the other. I knew this was going to be the LONGEST and hardest part of this day. I was prepared for completing this event but was not prepared for the heat and humidity. I found Ben on the run course as soon as I left the park. He was walking, his leg was wrapped and he didn't look great. He had crashed at mile 64 but somehow finished the bike...and was going to walk the marathon. I left him after our quick chat and started running again knowing that my dad and the girls would be in town and my girls...I was excited to see how this run was going to feel with all the cheering committees all around.
I turned the corner and there they were! My friends were on the corner with their signs...and then turned the next bend was my family. My oldest girl made a silly sign referencing my favorite show, Schitt’s Creek which made me smile. The loop into the downtown was filled with people and all the fun at the restaurants and bars in town was in full effect. I was getting ice cups at every station, took my SIS for nutrition. Nothing was bothering me other than the heat. This section of the run was a quick turn to head back to where all my friends and family were to then head out to the dark and quiet section. I knew that this would be the case but the volunteers were amazing...music was pumping for everyone and they were prepared. I stopped to go to the bathroom and shuffled along….the environment was like no other. No RAGNAR, or other endurance race could compare. So many people pushing forward and helping others do the same. There was one back section that you had to do these two little out and backs...and one volunteer that I later learned was named Marianna, was there working that section. Her words and positivity helped EVERYONE she came in contact with. I kept trucking along and heading back to the transition area. You could see the beautiful coastline and the whole area where we swam that morning. It was a slight downhill and I took advantage and kept going.. I was not running fast...averaging just over 11 min miles for the first 6 miles...then more walking started happening. Nothing hurt...I was just very tired and very very hot.
When you were walking, you inevitably would start talking with the person near you, share their stories, learn about their day, help them push a little bit more. I was next to a man that had two heart attacks last year...and this was going to be his final IRONMAN. I walked with another man who was doing his first and also feeling the major effects of the heat on this run. We each helped ourselves get to the next point. Its funny because although it was a very long marathon from a time perspective, I was so focused on who I would see when and who I was talking with and looking for Paige and Jeff and Ben on the course, the miles just starting to tick by. Not quickly but they piled up for sure. Another pass through town knowing that lap two would probably be pretty tough as it was the middle and still another full loop would remain. The moon was starting to show through the sky and the sun was setting. I got to see the most amazing sunrise to start the day...and now an amazing sunset...and if you know me...I am a sucker for both.
The walk running lasted fairly consistently until about 2 hours in. Then the walk breaks were more than the runs...and I was exhausted but knew I had to keep moving. I teamed up with a guy and he was thankful for my speed walking...and another man went by on his jog saying that I walk like his wife, faster than he runs. Every time I went to run, even if just for three house lengths, I told myself it was better than walking….every step forward was a step closer to the finish line. The final full loop into town was happening. I saw my peeps again….headed up to the town again...knowing I had one more trip out to the darkness. That volunteer at that dark turn around spot was there again. She was there for every one of our runners...she said that she was there until 11:30pm to see the final person make that turn. Once we turned from here it was roughly four miles into town...I had to remind myself that on any given day I could run four miles...and today was going to have be one of those days too.
Going through the park to get my final loop bracelet to show I had done the three full loops was a great feeling. I had picked up my paydays and my big bottle of powerade at the start of lap three...used that to keep hydration and salt on point. I had taken on gatorade that I diluted with water from the aid stations throughout the night. The darkness was fully upon us...the lights were all on in all the dark corners and I knew how bright that finish line was going to shine. Came past where my peeps were and they ran along side for about a tenth of a mile until they got toward the finish area and then went to get their spot as I did the final climb into town and then turn back again. I was running and stopped at the turn to pass the bars and restaurants that were now fairly empty. I smiled...not a small smile but a BIG ear to ear smile. I knew this final turn was headed back into town and to the finish. I knew I would hear my name and everyone who didn’t even know me would be cheering for me. I also knew that those that did know me would be cheering extra hard. They would because they knew it was a year and a half of training...half a year that came to an end due to covid and then this full year that would end with this finish line. They knew of all the hours, the complaining, the endless IRONMAN discussions and logistical debriefs. They were ready for it to end just as much as I was. I smiled so hard and thanked every volunteer that I passed...I was going to finish this. I didn't know my time because my watch died just before mile 20 on the run, but I didn’t care...the end was finally here.
As I started back into town I was next to a guy and I asked him what lap he was on...he said his final. I then picked up my pace to get space between him and I so we both could have our much deserved time on the finishing carpet. I don’t think I slowed down but felt every bit of that energy get put into my body to surge me to the finish. I could hear my peeps on my left screaming in the chute!!! The lights were so bright I couldn't find any faces but I heard them loud and clear. I hadn’t thought about what my finish would be choreographed as, I just knew it had to happen. I put my arms in the air...did my typical I LOVE YOU sign language hands, and did air kisses as I crossed! I am not sure that I could have smiled any more than I did. I felt good, I felt strong, I felt accomplished.
Setting goals and putting the plan in hand to reach them is scary. It is more scary than the day of the race. Looking at that plan and knowing that the end is not in sight and you really need to do these workouts every day because come race day it will all come out and be shown when you start the race. My husband as you know has done IRONMAN a few times and he was our guide. He paved the way with actual races and with the plan that would have us prepared for race day. He was a great quiet supporter, never pushing, never disappointed and always encouraging. We had planned for this day for the last nine months and he knew the work was done and this was our moment to smile and enjoy it all, take in the town, feel the love from every one of those supporters. He was our sherpa and screamed the LOUDEST when he saw us at every exchange. I know what it feels like to be the supporter of an IRONMAN...and I truly cannot thank him enough for everything he did for me as a wife, as a partner, as a mother, and as an athlete.
Will I do this again...well I didn’t sign up for it for next year. I wouldn’t say NEVER but I will say no time soon. The community of triathlon is one I hope to stay in for years to come. I want to continue to show my children what it is like to set goals no matter how old you are, whether you are a mom or a dad, any walk of life, any stage of fitness, that one can be a triathlete...or maybe even an IRONMAN!
embrace the suck...choose you...
