Well here we are. Another one to mark down in the books of things I don't think I ever want to do again. Lets start with how I feel....10 days ago I came down with sinus problems and developed bronchitis, and Thursday night I had food poisoning. What the heck and why am I doing this?
Last night was good. We all had a good dinner and good conversation. Went back to the hotel and started getting all my stuff prepared. The whole time I wasn't one bit nervous about anything. After I was done, I took my Xanax and went to bed...love that pill.
Got up at about 4:45am and ate and rounded up the hubby and headed out. He dropped me off and went back to pick up my mother-in-law who came down for support. I aired the tires up at the car and headed to transition.
I get to transition and set everything up. I saw all the teammates and went on about my way as I needed to get everything all done. I started putting the wetsuit on and grabbed my sweatshirt(it was cold)and headed down to the water.
We get to the water and Alison proceeds to help me get the wet suit all pulled up and zipped. She is really good at that for me. She knows me to well. God bless her for being there for this.
The first wave of men starts. We are ten minutes behind them. We enter the water and burr. It was a little on the chilly side. Thank goodness they give us sometime in the water to get used to it. I see Dionn and Ivonne and say good luck and we are off. I've never swam 1.2 miles before except in a pool doing my routine swim practice so I had no clue what to expect. I get out going and I'm surprised at how comfortable I feel. I kept everything under control and just swam.
I'm nearing the end and I started to feel like I needed to cough...sinus problem from about 10 days ago. So I take a few strokes come up and site and cough and go back down. I'm just thankful that I'm only about 100 meters from the exit. I exit and get to the wetsuit strippers and get the blubber off and I head to transition.
Get in transition and sit down on my bucket and put some sock on and my cycling shoes and a jacket and my helmet and I'm off. I knew it was going to be cold riding through the forest so I decided on the jacket.
I get out of the resort area and not a mile into it, I get a freakin flat. I hit something, it went flying, I started cussing and I'm off the bike. I pull it off the road and proceed to get my stuff out and some nice guy in a BMW stops and asks me if I need help. I said no and then said wait, can you help me? He comes running and changes it for me. Poor guy is getting over a broke arm and trying to change my tire. I proceed to cuss more and then say "pardon my language." He said don't worry I'm an Atheist. I asked him if he was a cyclist and he races Crits and is a Cat 1.
So he sends me on my way. My aqua cell comes out of my bracket on my aero bars but since they are so close together it still won't budge. Good deal. I get going and on this hilly rolling course. Then the wind starts. My God, can it get any worse at this point. Yep...my back starts to hurt. And with the wind and race wheels it just doesn't work out to well.
I finally make it back into transition and sit down on my bucket and put dry socks on. Alison and Mike are both there watching and helping me calm down and wishing me well on my run. I head out on the run...well walk. My back is killing me at this point and I'm just frustrated. I see my hubby and he kisses me and sends me on my way. I try and keep a pace with some girl doing sometime and well I couldn't. The back hurt to bad. So at this point I just want to make it or take a DNF. I couldn't decide. Along the way I laid down in a few driveways and stretched and used a few mailboxes to prop my leg up on and stretch. I'm sure people are thinking I'm nuts at this point.
I get to mile 4 of the run and see Liz. I had a meltdown. I started crying because I was still hurting so badly. She sends me on with great words of wisdom and support. I get to mile 6 I think, and met Jerry. What a great guy. We were all about walking at this point. He has completed a handful of Ironman's and half's so at this point I'm in good hands as he is pushing me to finish and just do what we are doing.
I get to mile 9 and see Maggie and a few others. I told them of more pain and how I wanted to quit and they said "No way, you have to keep going!". So I did along side Jerry.
I get to mile 11 and stop at the bathroom. It hurt to pee! I now have a UTI problem. What else could go wrong, seriously. Jerry is still right there pushing me while I'm having another meltdown.
We get to mile 12 and there is Alison, God Bless her for being the best friend I have and coming out there to push me. I had another meltdown right when I saw her. She is trying to push me to run the last mile and my feet, legs, back and well other parts are just killing me and and I feel like I have to pee and I don't have too! Jerry is still right in front of us making sure I make it.
We round the finish line and I see everyone and I cross. A few fellow T3ers are there to greet me with the hubster, mother-in-law, and Mike. I was so happy to be done and I swear I don't want to do another. Jerry was also at the finish line with a hug for me. What a nice man.
I'm back at home and I'm still hungry. I don't want to be on a bike for at least a week, and I don't want to run for at least 2 weeks.
Last night was good. We all had a good dinner and good conversation. Went back to the hotel and started getting all my stuff prepared. The whole time I wasn't one bit nervous about anything. After I was done, I took my Xanax and went to bed...love that pill.
Got up at about 4:45am and ate and rounded up the hubby and headed out. He dropped me off and went back to pick up my mother-in-law who came down for support. I aired the tires up at the car and headed to transition.
I get to transition and set everything up. I saw all the teammates and went on about my way as I needed to get everything all done. I started putting the wetsuit on and grabbed my sweatshirt(it was cold)and headed down to the water.
We get to the water and Alison proceeds to help me get the wet suit all pulled up and zipped. She is really good at that for me. She knows me to well. God bless her for being there for this.
The first wave of men starts. We are ten minutes behind them. We enter the water and burr. It was a little on the chilly side. Thank goodness they give us sometime in the water to get used to it. I see Dionn and Ivonne and say good luck and we are off. I've never swam 1.2 miles before except in a pool doing my routine swim practice so I had no clue what to expect. I get out going and I'm surprised at how comfortable I feel. I kept everything under control and just swam.
I'm nearing the end and I started to feel like I needed to cough...sinus problem from about 10 days ago. So I take a few strokes come up and site and cough and go back down. I'm just thankful that I'm only about 100 meters from the exit. I exit and get to the wetsuit strippers and get the blubber off and I head to transition.
Get in transition and sit down on my bucket and put some sock on and my cycling shoes and a jacket and my helmet and I'm off. I knew it was going to be cold riding through the forest so I decided on the jacket.
I get out of the resort area and not a mile into it, I get a freakin flat. I hit something, it went flying, I started cussing and I'm off the bike. I pull it off the road and proceed to get my stuff out and some nice guy in a BMW stops and asks me if I need help. I said no and then said wait, can you help me? He comes running and changes it for me. Poor guy is getting over a broke arm and trying to change my tire. I proceed to cuss more and then say "pardon my language." He said don't worry I'm an Atheist. I asked him if he was a cyclist and he races Crits and is a Cat 1.
So he sends me on my way. My aqua cell comes out of my bracket on my aero bars but since they are so close together it still won't budge. Good deal. I get going and on this hilly rolling course. Then the wind starts. My God, can it get any worse at this point. Yep...my back starts to hurt. And with the wind and race wheels it just doesn't work out to well.
I finally make it back into transition and sit down on my bucket and put dry socks on. Alison and Mike are both there watching and helping me calm down and wishing me well on my run. I head out on the run...well walk. My back is killing me at this point and I'm just frustrated. I see my hubby and he kisses me and sends me on my way. I try and keep a pace with some girl doing sometime and well I couldn't. The back hurt to bad. So at this point I just want to make it or take a DNF. I couldn't decide. Along the way I laid down in a few driveways and stretched and used a few mailboxes to prop my leg up on and stretch. I'm sure people are thinking I'm nuts at this point.
I get to mile 4 of the run and see Liz. I had a meltdown. I started crying because I was still hurting so badly. She sends me on with great words of wisdom and support. I get to mile 6 I think, and met Jerry. What a great guy. We were all about walking at this point. He has completed a handful of Ironman's and half's so at this point I'm in good hands as he is pushing me to finish and just do what we are doing.
I get to mile 9 and see Maggie and a few others. I told them of more pain and how I wanted to quit and they said "No way, you have to keep going!". So I did along side Jerry.
I get to mile 11 and stop at the bathroom. It hurt to pee! I now have a UTI problem. What else could go wrong, seriously. Jerry is still right there pushing me while I'm having another meltdown.
We get to mile 12 and there is Alison, God Bless her for being the best friend I have and coming out there to push me. I had another meltdown right when I saw her. She is trying to push me to run the last mile and my feet, legs, back and well other parts are just killing me and and I feel like I have to pee and I don't have too! Jerry is still right in front of us making sure I make it.
We round the finish line and I see everyone and I cross. A few fellow T3ers are there to greet me with the hubster, mother-in-law, and Mike. I was so happy to be done and I swear I don't want to do another. Jerry was also at the finish line with a hug for me. What a nice man.
I'm back at home and I'm still hungry. I don't want to be on a bike for at least a week, and I don't want to run for at least 2 weeks.
