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!!