The Recap

It's a long race report, and I feel like it's still missing details that stand out in my mind (like the guy in the aero helmet, disc wheel, looking like he was really something... Only I was passing him at mile 95... Dude, if I'M passing you, you're not a stud! While I was overtaking him, I thought his water bottle was leaking... I was wrong.)

I really feel blessed that we had such good weather. It was 77 degrees. Calm waters. And only a very slight headwind on the second half of the bike course. How did I get so lucky? I know that I had friends that said they were praying for us. That's cool.

We took an entourage of friends of family with us--and I so appreciate them! We had other friends that couldn't go, but called the friends that were there and were able to get live updates. I never thought doing an Ironman would make me feel so loved!

I also had no idea that finishing the Ironman would give me the great sense of accomplishment that it has. I've heard people say that the training is the hardest part of doing an Ironman. It's funny, because you build so much through your training, you don't always see it when you're in it. I started with 2.5 hour bike rides. Then I went up to 5 hours. I knew it was going up to 7 hours. I didn't get down on it, because I always knew it was gonna get harder, so I tried to appreciate the easier stuff while I had it. Even my hardest workouts didn't seem that hard because I knew race day would be even harder. It wasn't always convenient, and I frequently had to move things around, skip time with friends, but I did every key workout. It paid out. I had no problems on the swim. I was getting tired on the bike, but I knew I could do it. The run? My legs had learned autopilot when they hurt... And it came in handy. I had my nutrition down... Do the training. Believe in your training. It WILL get you there.

I'm so thankful that I had did a couple half Ironman's in my training. I made mistakes in those races that I did NOT make in the big one. :)

I'm so happy I had a husband that understood and supported me. Our house and yard went downhill big time during all this. Weekends were devoted to training, and then we were too tired to do stuff around the house. It was so nice that we both understood that. Doing an Ironman made my marriage stronger.

Don't make big plans the days prior to your race. I thought I was all packed and ready when I flew out of Denver, but there was still so much to do at the race site beforehand.

Get to the merchandise tent a half hour before it is slated to open the morning after the race. We did and it paid off. They opened early and we had first pick of the newly put out finisher merchandise. When we left the store, there was a 45 minute wait to get in the store, and by then it was already picked over.

Stay positive during the race. Push every negative thought as far away as possible. Easier said than done, I know. But it makes ALL the difference in the world.

It was amazing. If you've ever thought about doing an Ironman, do it. With training, it IS possible. I'm living proof.