I finished! I survived! But it took an embarrassingly long time (9:42). On the other hand, many people dropped out, and I was not last. :)
Swim: The smelly pond water grossed me out, but M.H. said I was the only one in the field (of only about 40) who could swim in a straight line, so that's something.
Bike: I saw 40 mph on my bike computer, and I also saw 4 mph. The course was so beautiful, but absolutely brutal. I had to get off and walk twice.
Run: I started off slow but hopeful that I'd have legs for the second lap, but it turned into a death march. It was 95 degrees, I was all alone on the course, and I was afraid that if I collapsed from heat exhaustion it would take them hours to find me. So with all hopes of a happy run utterly vanquished, I was very conservative and didn't even try to run in the last 5 miles.
Everyone keeps asking me how I feel about the Ironman after doing this race, but I'm not in the mood to discuss it.
Think of it this way ... you've learned some lessons. You've dealt w/hardship. You have almost a year to regroup and conquer. You will be stronger in 11 months. You will understand better than ever what you can achieve.
ReplyDeleteYou rocked it girl! Take some well deserved rest then get back up on that horse!! xo