Monday, November 23, 2009

Ironman

I did it! I finished in 13:41:xx and I am an Ironman.

It has been such a fun and crazy time in phoenix getting ready for the race and everything came together perfectly. All the training, all the planning, the strategy, the cast of supporters, everything. Perfect.

It hasn't really sunk in yet.. I've been imagining these moments for months, years! Th race, the final miles, the finish, and the feeling after of being able to say I did it! But its not like I imagined! Yesterday during the race I was all business, right up to the end. I had a Moment (to put it lightly, did anyone see the live feed?) in the finish chute and right after I got pretty emotional but it didn't stick. Of course going to the medical tent doesn't really invite celebration (more on that later). I think it will hit me soon or maybe it won't be like that. ?? Maybe a couple beers will get the ball rolling. Haha!

So I'm lying here in bed at 530 am, wide awake, waiting for morning so I can begin my new life as a superhero. I should probably try to rest though- I went to bed at 2:00 am after getting up at 3:30 am for the race the previous morning. But I'm all wired! And sooooooo sore. And hungry.

I will put together a race report ASAP but wanted to update you right away here. It was awesome. It was way harder than I thought it would be!!! And don't misunderstand, I thought it would be very hard!!

Some quick thoughts which will all be detailed later:

I swam and biked faster than I expected!

The swim was BRUTAL in the first few hundred yards. Total washing machine. I was kicked and scratched, and even got punched in the head. !!!

The water was freezing and my arms were aching and numb for the last half of the swim.

The bike course was nice! I liked it. I think the bike was my favorite part of the race. Which is ironic considering I grew to hate it in training.

I stuck to my nutrition plan!

I never hit the wall. The run was Hard, but by walking all the aid stations I was able to run the whole race. I stopped a few times for various reasons, but didn't take a single unplanned walk break.

On the run I tripped on a curb and totally f-ing ate it. It was dark out and I wasn't paying attention. I really scraped myself up. But I pulled it together! You may remember I fell hard at Cal. Int'l Marathon in 2006 and went on to BQ so apparently this is kind of my schtick. Finish huge important races with blood running down my leg. Classy!!

I had the loudest and most enthusiastic spectators on the course. Not an exaggeration. They cheered me and everyone else on ALL day and made me feel like a true hero after. I felt like a rock star! It was amazing.

I spent over 400 bucks on ironman merchandise a couple days before the race and that really did give me extra motivation to finish! :D

Allright I better stop for now. Stay tuned for an EPIC race report
And a bazillion pictures. I will try to do it soon but might wait until I get back to Portland next weekend. I'm going to jot down my thoughts today so I don't forget any details.

Thanks for all the support you guys!! I thought of you every time I crossed a timing mat. :) you were all right there with me!

Thanks for reading!!

45 comments:

Kim said...

YOU DID IT, YOU DID IT!!!!

jen, you kicked some serious ass, im so proud of you!!! CONGRATULATIONS IRONMAN!!

John said...

YAY, Jen you're a freakin' IRONMAN!!! Congratulations!

I'm so glad you had a good time, and enjoyed the course. I loved that race and would totally do it again. You should be so proud of yourself - this is a huge accomplishment.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! That is an amazing accomplishment! Way to go!!!

skierz said...

congrats on becoming an IRONMAN! I cant wait to be able to say the same! Look forward to your race report!

Anonymous said...

AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!. I am so very happy for you. You are an IRONMAN. You earned the title. Be so very proud of yourself.

Kelly said...

Congratulations! Wow! Can't wait to hear all about it. You are amazing!

Anonymous said...

Great Job Jen (aka Quigley)!!!! You rock. The 22222222s were tracking you yesterday. Can't wait to read your full report.

You are a superhero!

Erik (aka Tidy_b)

Aron said...

congratulations girl, I am so so so proud of you!!! I was thinking of you ALL day and tracking you too and got to see you cross the finish line :) loved the emotion.

I imagine its a crazy surreal feeling and who knows if it will "kick in" but whatever YOU ARE AN IRONMAN now and are definitely a superhero :)

rest up, enjoy the rest of your vacation and cant wait for that epic race report! love you girl!!!

Alisa said...

Yeah IRONMAN! You totally rocked Phx!!

I loved being able to track online and have Zach and everyone else post updates.

You are so totally inspiring!

I did catch the "moment" in finishing chute. I totally woulda balled my eyes out. I couldn't actually tell if you were tearing up or laughing.

I'm so happy for you and I can't wait to read the EPIC race report!

IRONJEN!!!!!

Unknown said...

WOO HOO! You are an Ironman! YIPPIE!!!

Dragonfly on the Water said...

Jen, I too got tears in my eyes when I saw you finish the race and pump your arms high in the sky. It was so cool being able to see your come across the finish line from here in Montana, wow. We are so proud of you. Nice early morning review of your thoughts (tears & a lump in my throat), can't wait to read the full report. Relax & have a wonderful day & Thanksgiving. Give Zach a big hug from us too.

SavvyFitChica said...

Congratulations (again)!

You are probably the only IRONMAN I will ever have the pleasure to say I know! EVER! How does that make you feel? You kick ass girlfriend!

KK said...

Big hugs and cheers for you. You ARE a superhero! Hope your knee heals up soon. OUCH. Congrats, again.

GB said...

I can't wait to read your actual report. YOU ROCK!!! Congratulations, IronMan! High fives and hugs all around!!!

Justin said...

Congratulations Jen!

Beth said...

Congrats Jen! Yes, I saw you cross the finish line. You looked SO happy! Great race.

Amy - the gazelle said...

It was so awesome being able to track you through Zach and the IM website all day - and seeing you cross that finish line was SO awesome! Tears welled up - Brad & I hooted & screamed for you. YOU are amazing! I can't wait for the full race report, IronMan Jen!

Amy said...

Amazing. I got chills just reading that. So, so proud and happy for you. Can't wait to hear the extended version. I don't think it'll fully sink in for a while.

So glad you bought all that stuff! Great motivator, right?

Anonymous said...

Amazing! I'm in awe-- you are an ironwoman! Enjoy your recovery and be sure to bask in your awesomeness.

Gotta Run..... said...

You are a total ROCK STAR!!! IronJenn through and through!!!!

Can't wait for the full report and yes...tons pf pics.

Cindy said...

omg omg omg you are so awesome!! i can't wait to pour over the details. what a colossal event. i love what you said about waking up a superhero! you are one for sure! :)

ShirleyPerly said...

CONGRATULATIONS, Ironwoman Jen!!!

Terrific job out there. Rest up and have a safe trip home.

Jen Feeny said...

Found your blog through Aron's, and wow oh wow, great job girl!!! I recently cheered on a friend at the Great Floridian Triathlon and at Ironman Florida so I know how hard you've trained and what it took to pull this off! My hats off to you! Congrats! Can't wait to read the full recap!

Petraruns said...

Jen I can't begin to say how AMAZING you are. ANd totally inspiring. Impressive! You really pulled this one together - not just sunday but for the past 6 months. You are incredible. All my love, Petra

Erin said...

Congrats!!! You're so amazing! I can't wait to hear about the finish and how the run at the end felt after all those hours and miles. Yay!!! Congrats again, IRONMAN JEN!

The Boring Runner said...

Congrats!!! Aron pointed me over towards your blog. I had a great time watching all of you ironmen!!

Marathon Maritza said...

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Donald said...

Awesome! Congrats! I never had a doubt.

Rest up, and enjoy the accomplishment. It's yours forever.

Anonymous said...

Great Job Jen. Way to do represent Team 222222222222222222222222222

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...

Sweeeeet Jen, Look forward to your race report...way to kick some ass!

lifestudent said...

Just stopping by ... and wanted to say congratulations.

What an amazing journey and finish :)

Carolina John said...

Very cool Jen! Congrats!

Ewen said...

Nice race Jen. Yes, I'm the master of understatement.

I didn't see the live feed (with the blood gushing down your legs), but did check the results. Couldn't wait for your blog! I thought you had a good race going by the splits.

Anyway, a HUGE congratulations. I know how hard you worked for it.

Ewen

P.S. Take your time with the full report - make it a good one. And cull the bazillion photos down to a couple of thousand thanks ;)

Money Funk said...

CONGRATULATIONS! That is a HUGE accomplishment. Totally cool!

Susan said...

You are a ROCK STAR. Congrats a million times!! I kept thinking about you during my marathon...you kept me going knowing that you were running a marathon AFTER all that biking a swimming. You are amazing. No doubt.

Jo Lynn said...

Congratulations Jennifer Barnes, you are an Ironman!!!!!
Great time too. I can't believe how well you did. Your training paid off! Enjoy the high... ;)

kristen said...

WooHoo. Congratulations girl. I was stalking your ass all over the internet that day and was so excited when your times came in! Your freakin awesome!

Keri said...

Yay! You totally rock! Congratulations! Enjoy your well deserved rest!

Happy Thanksgiving!

runsally said...

Congratulations!!! Can't wait for the full report!

Anonymous said...

CONGRATS!!!! That's a huge, amazing, superstar, rockstar, style congrats! It was so great being able to track you and get updates from Maritza! I can't wait to read the full race report and you've definitely gotten me pumped up to start training for a 1/2 IM.

Enjoy your vacation and soak it all in!

Sarah said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sarah said...

Michael and I were TOTALLY watching the live feed - and you finished earlier than I thought you would. I'm SO glad i didn't miss it!! They called your name, and you came accross. . . yes, I did see the emotional moment, and I teared up right there with you. AMAZING, Jen!! So proud of you!!!! Can't wait to hear the rest of the details!

Arcane said...

congratulations! You did incredible. I tried looking for the live feed but couldn't find it. I guess I didn't try hard enough. Well Done!

Anonymous said...

That's so awesome!!! Congrats!

Anonymous said...

You are an IRONMAN and we are so darn proud to have you as our daughter. Mom and Dad in Montana. Wow again WOW!!!