Kelly's IMC Race Report

I want to start off by saying it was a truly amazing day. It exceeded anything I could ever have hoped for. I was really worried that I would hate it – that I would be struggling to enjoy the moment, the day, the journey. But, the total opposite happened. I loved every second. Even when my feet got hit in the swim, when the wind came up, when the rain fell, when I decided not to run anymore, when my legs hurt, and when I thought there was no way I’d be able to run the last 500m to the finish line. I loved every minute of it.
Angie – you were right.

WEEK LEADING UP TO THE RACE:
I got to Penticton on Wednesday – Tara and I caravanned out. We stopped for breakfast and had a good drive out. We stopped at Angie’s campsite so I could drop off my race report for her to review prior to our meeting on Thursday. I don’t know what was wrong with me but I was an emotional wreck talking to her – I actually cried more that Tara in the week leading up to the race (I had 2, she only had 1 that I am aware of)! The group workouts were good and it helped to calm the nerves. I am sure that I did way more walking than I was supposed to. The registration line was quick, it was nice to talk to John while we waited. It was becoming so real – I had my race package, number, and wristband. We went to the expo on Thursday, then again on Friday. It was Friday that I met Sister Madonna at Smith & Co – she is such an inspiration! I really hope when I am 80 I will be at the Smith & Co with an athlete’s band on my wrist! Leana & Tara both joked that I would pretty much talk to anyone anywhere, but was afraid to go introduce myself to Sister Madonna. Friday afternoon Tara & I went and listened to the pro panel talk. Walked back to our room, and walked back to listen to Lisa Bentley talk. She is a fabulous public speaker and I loved her stories. Saturday did a short workout in the morning, made sure my bike was working, packed my transition bags, and dropped my stuff off. Now, just a matter of time. . . .

RACE DAY MORNING:
I was up at 4am – I like to get up a bit early and have a coffee and eat before I leave. I was surprised that I actually slept a bit – very unusual for me when I am extremely nervous about a first-time race. I followed Lisa Bentley’s mentality and said to myself while I was still laying in bed “I am doing an Ironman today, and there is nothing else I’d rather do today”. It really helped set the excitement for the day. I did not feel sick, which for me was a huge plus. I was nervous, but an excited nervous, not a “I think I’m going to be sick” nervous. It’s hard to explain the feeling in the morning. I actually said to Mitch at 4:30am – guess what? I am doing an ironman today! (this was from Richelle – thank you so much. I took it from you and used it throughout the day – it was a great way to stay positive and excited).

I was very grateful that Mitch had decided to volunteer as a chip-person for the morning swim so he could walk through the body marking and into transition with me – it was really helpful to not have to walk in alone. He really helped me feel calm and I will be forever grateful for him for doing that for me. I really think it helped set my whole day up for success.

SWIM:
Many people on the team know that I am not a big fan of swimming with people. I admit, I am not a bad swimmer – I can hold my own usually. The swim start was a huge anxiety provoker – me and over 2700 other people in the water trying to get to the same place. I was really, really stressed out about not being able to find open water in the days leading up to the race. I have really good swims when I think I am the only one in the water, and I had some really good swims at camp and in our practises on Thursday and Friday. Still, I was a bit worried but had a plan – start at the back and let the mad rush of people go first – I can always pass. Really – I had 2 hours to complete the swim. Even if I had to let everyone else go ahead of me, I’d be okay. Crossing the mat, Mitch was there checking chips and I gave him a quick kiss good-bye and almost cried. Almost, but didn’t! Onto the beach.

I hung out with Leana (thank you so much for staying with me – you helped me have fun and stay happy before the start). We had a great view of the pro start and then our quick warm up. We decided to start at the back in the middle – the middle of all places! Well, there were lots of people left and lots of people right, so in the middle it was. I started in the water, up to about mid-calf and when the canon went, I started walking. I walked for an entire minute (I looked at my watch) before I started swimming. I was so surprised and happy that I found open water to swim in. I did get hit a couple of times, but the few days practise before hand that everyone swam around me was so good – thank you guys so much!!! The houseboat came up so fast. I tried to find the scuba divers, but didn’t find one. I did see the helicopter, which suggests that I am likely lifting my head up too much to breathe, but oh well – I was doing an ironman swim and having fun! Then the next houseboat, then focus on the hotel – that was the way home. On the way back there was a bit more traffic to manoeuvre around, but I was still in a happy swimming place. Before I knew it I was close to home and my hand was scraping on the rocks along the bottom, so I stood up and started walking.

I had a fantastic swim – I wasn’t tired when I was done, I felt great, and I swam with people around me! I was totally thrilled with my time as well – 1:12 (41/144 in age group).
Ironman 3.8km swim course – CHECK!

T1: I got my bag and into the tent. It was so busy! There were no chairs and I had to find myself a little patch of grass. I did have a volunteer help me for a bit and then once I was pretty much done, I said thanks – I’m pretty much ready to go and she could help someone else if she wanted. When I went to do up my bike jersey, the zipper broke! I couldn’t be riding out there with no zipper – I didn’t want my chest hanging out and, more importantly, I didn’t want to be cold. So, I had to find another volunteer to help me find some safety pins to pin up my frontage. It’s a day of managing problems, right Angie? So, I was in T1 a bit longer than planned, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t about to make a big difference. (T1 was 8:31).

BIKE:
I was happy to be on my bike. I felt so good coming down the first stretch, knowing that the TTL group would be on the corner. I could see the jackets as soon as I started pedalling and it was a great boost right at the start. I yelled that my jersey broke and down main street I went. I listened to Angie and easy-cheesy, cheesy-easy was the name of the game. It is really hard to do this as a TON of people passed me on the way to MacLean Creek. I watched my heart rate and when it had gone down enough, I had my first sandwich. I was hungry and since my HR was down, I thought it would be a good time to have some solid food. It wasn’t actually the best idea. Shortly afterward, my stomach started to feel a bit off. I kept going for a bit but stopped to pee at a run aid station porta-potty in hopes that would help the cramp go away. Big bonus – no lineup there. I kept on my time-line for fuelling (infinit every 10 mins), and I had a bit of a cramp for about the first couple of hours. I was pretty happy when it finally went away. Lesson #1 – don’t eat that soon after the swim even if HR is low.
MacLean Creek was hairy – wow. There were a lot of people and many of them tried to power up the hill, weaving all over the place. I was in my easiest gear, just pedalling away up the hill. One person actually fell, which caused a couple of other people to fall as well, but I was far enough away that I was able to manoeuvre around them. That was one of the craziest times on the bike course.

My HR was a bit lower than I had in my race plan, but I was okay with that – I didn’t want to feel yucky and I was having a good day and I felt good – it was a pace I could hold for the day. People would pass me and I would let them go – I am riding my race and wanting to have a great day. Richter’s came and went, then the seven dwarfs, then the out-and-back. It was great to see people I knew on the out-and-back (Alfred passed me early on and I never saw him again), and Tara caught me at this point. I don’t remember seeing Leana or Shannon but I think Leana saw me. I think I saw Mike, but as I write this now, I’m not sure. I don’t remember seeing Kent at all that day, and I only saw Scott, Ally, and Sarah on the run course. This is where the wind picked up. On the way back from special needs, the head-wind started. At least, it felt like a pretty significant headwind. I knew that my “weak part” was coming up – the road to Yellow Lake. I did stop for a pee break and to have a gel before the false flat and climb up Yellow Lake. I knew it was windy and I just went in an easier gear than I thought I could push so that I’d have legs for Yellow Lake. I passed people that were chugging along, trying to push in a harder gear – maybe they didn’t realize that we were climbing.
Everyone who had done the race before told me that Yellow Lake on race day was way easier than in training. There were people lined up along the side and I really felt like a superstar! They were cheering and the climb did not seem nearly as long or as hard as in training camp. It was totally great to see JoZ at Yellow Lake – I smiled and waved and “wooo-hoooed” as I came up! Then, all of a sudden, I was at the top! I had totally planned to stop at the top as I thought I would need the break. Nope! On to Penticton with a huge smile on my face.
The decent from Yellow Lake was good – much better than the Thursday descent. The change of my front wheel and no traffic made the ride down so much easier and faster. I still didn’t hit the speeds that Nola hits, but it was fast by my standards.
Bike time: 7:07 (87/144 in age group)
Ironman 180km bike course – CHECK!

T2:
T2 was pretty uneventful. I decided not to change my shorts, but I had to change my top as I didn’t want to run in a pinned-up bike jersey. I had the same volunteer that helped me in the morning! I told her that and said thanks again for all her help. Grabbed my stuff and out to the run course.

RUN:
I didn’t really have a plan for the run – just run as long as I could. I wanted to try and run (my 4 & 1’s) for 2 hours. If I could go longer, great but I wanted to try and hit 2 hours. The turn out to Lakeshore drive was amazing. I was pretty happy that I was out on the run course before the first female had finished. As I was running along Lakeshore, I saw a friend of mine Joyce and my friend Jen (Mike’s wife). I stopped and had a chat with them – telling them I had a great swim and a great bike and I was doing awesome – “I was doing an ironman today!!!”. After a couple of minutes I finally said “I guess I better go – I think this is a race”. I was running along and then I was running past the Cherry Lane mall and the team. It was so great to see everyone! Christine – you are the loudest cheerer ever! It was fantastic! I yelled “I am doing an ironman today!!” and did a happy-jumpy dance which Angie scolded me to remember not to hurt my ankle (I keep forgetting about that pesky thing). Angie came and ran with me for a bit (well, I quit running and walked with her). She commented that “I was running” and, I had a smile on my face (there is a photo). I told her I was having a fantastic day and that my plan was to run as long as I could – whatever happened – that would be my day and I would take it, good or bad. I bid her goodbye and off I went.

At the 10k mark (77 mins into the run) my ankle was a bit hurty and I evaluated my run plan at that time – did I want to try and keep running for another 30 mins and potentially aggravate stuff further or do I want just walk from here on out and potentially finish happy. I really considered running a bit more but really, my entire goal was just to finish and to “not hate it” – I was out to have a fun day. Okay, truth be told, – I did have a super-secret goal but I wasn’t racing to hit it. So, I decided to walk – I had run the first 10k – that’s all. For anyone who is hesitant about doing ironman because they think that they won’t be able to run the entire marathon – sign up. There were so many people walking, I couldn’t believe it. Most were happy and some were not, but there were a lot of people walking along the way.

Once I decided to walk, two things happen – first, I keep a much closer eye on my pace. I really try and maintain a 9 min/km. There is no dilly-dallying once I start walking; and second, I start looking for a friend to help pass the time. I met Kyle from Texas. We walked and chatted until the turn-around. There were two gentlemen in front of us that were doing 3 ironmans in 3 days – yep – these two guys did the IMC entire swim/bike/run course on Friday and Saturday, and their 3rd day was race day. By this time, Kyle commented more than once that he was having trouble keeping up. Then, he stopped at an aid station and I was on my own. I then caught up to another lady walking. She was not having a good day and did not appreciate my enthusiastic “we are doing an ironman today!” comment – she called me “peppy”. I said sorry, I was excited that it was my first one and I was having so much fun. She gave me a “look” and commented that this would be her first and only one. So, I left negative-nelly behind – don’t need her bad attitude to ruin my day. Then, I caught up with Dave from Florida. He commented about the wind and the hills. Seems there aren’t many passes in Florida that he can ride on to train. Dave was doing 2 & 1’s by that point, so he started running again. I wished him well and watched him run off. As I passed a gentleman (he was walking too), he commented on my fast pace. As I passed him, he noticed my age and said “and you are not some spring chicken either”. I said I was insulted and the bantering when back and forth for a bit. But alas, they would not walk with me as “I walk too fast”.

During my walk, I got to see the TTL group – I saw Sarah, Tara, and Mike – all looked super strong – as I was going out to the turn-around (they were coming back). I missed Alfred, but saw Scott – he looked like he was having a great day. On my way back into town, I saw Nola and John – it was so great to see them together; and Leana and Shannon. It was so great to see teammates along the way – to cheer them on, stop and hug or slap hands as they go by. Really, the team support out there was so great. I also saw Pam at the aid station! That was a great surprise! We chatted and she asked about Leana. I said that she wasn’t that far behind me and should be along shortly. She wished me well and away I went.

Once I got back into town, my legs started to hurt. I mean really hurt – the inside of my knees would ache with every step. My ankle hurt, the bottom of my feet hurt and I actually wanted to stop and rest for a moment – just to rest my legs. I didn’t because I was afraid that if I stopped, my legs wouldn’t want to start again. Also, I started looking at my time and doing math in my head. I was calculating that if I could hold my pace, there was actually a really good chance that I could hit my super-secret goal of having a “15” as the first 2 numbers in my finishing time – and if I hustled my butt, I might have a “14”. . . .

Those last 4-5km of the marathon were a bit tough, I admit. Stuff hurts and it was dark and hard to see my garmin, and coming back into town seemed to take soooo long. I kept smiling and made a point to thank everyone I saw for coming and watching and cheering. Many said things like “great pace”, “keep it up”, “almost there”, “you’ve got this” and smiled back. When the volunteers would stop traffic I would laugh and smile and say “thanks very much – I don’t think I can stop!” One of them said something along the lines of “it’s easier for them to stop than you to stop at this point – keep going you are almost there”. It is truly great how the community supports this race and the competitors. I can see why the race sells out so quickly and why this is one of the best “first ironman” races – you feel like a star, people cheer you by name, and they are out there cheering in the dark – it seems just as long as you have been out there.

The turn onto Lakeshore was amazing. I knew, really knew at this point that in 2km, I would be an ironman. There was no more doubt and amazingly, the hurtyness went away. I didn’t even try and run – just kept on walking. I got to the turnaround that the team was there. I did an airplane around the pylon and was so excited to see everyone. I walked with my friend Lara – and told her that I was pretty sure that I was going to have to buy Michelle dinner as it wasn’t going to take me more than 20 minutes to walk 1km (similar to Tara & Alfred’s lunch wager. I lost with “14”, not “15” being my first 2 numbers). I past my buddy Kevin – joked with him that I was passing him. He laughed and said that he was prepared to run the last 500m if he had too (he didn’t – I finished 30 seconds ahead of him). I missed my friend Jen who apparently came down from her room for the final stretch. I was too busy taking it all in, talking with Kevin and Lara that I didn’t even see her. I walked with Mike for a bit at the end. I think he asked me if I could believe that I did it – I was almost done. I said no, and it was such a great day. He said he was going to the turn around and I’d see him once I was done. We hugged it up and I began running to the finish line. . . .

Run time: 6:09. I am super thrilled with this as I did 10k in 77 mins run/walking and 32k walking.
Ironman 42.2km run course – CHECK!

THE FINISH LINE:
I don’t remember the song that was playing, and I don’t remember hearing “Kelly – you are an ironman”. I do remember coming down the carpet, smiling like an idiot, slapping hands along the way, and the thundering noise of the crowd along the blue carpet banging on the sides of the chute. It was the loudest, most bestest sound ever! It is totally amazing and nothing can prepare you for this – you feel like you just won the race.

Trevor was there at the finish line to catch me (I hugged him too) and I was still grinning like an idiot. I actually said to him that I had a great day, I was totally fine (didn’t need medical) and if he needed to help someone else, that was okay. Then, I yelled “guess what?? I DID AN IRONMAN TODAY!!!!” Apparently I was giddy with excitement as I did need some help as he needed to shuffle me over to the medal people AND over to the hat people to get my finishers stuff (Thank you so much Trevor! I would have been so sad without my hat and medal) as I had really forgotten all about it. Plus – I had to get my chip taken off me. I saw JoZ & her daughter and my other friends Jenn and Karla – who were also catching – and chatted with them. I am sure that Trevor was getting annoyed with me as I was chatting up a storm and not really paying attention to what I had to do. So, he walked me over to the pop and water and we chatted a bit about the day and he helped me find Mitch.

Thank you so much Trevor for being there at the end and helping me out. I apologize if I annoyed you and/or chatted like 900 miles an hour. I was pretty happy and excited and it was great to have a teammate there at the end to share with. I will repay the favour next year!
I went back to the turn around to watch Nola, John, and Leana finish. Leana, Tara, and I started this together and we put in a lot of time, effort, and emotion together and I wanted to be there for each of their journeys. Then, it is over.

Total time: 14:47:00
Ironman Canada 2010 – CHECK!!!!!

I want to say thanks to my super special training buddies Leana and Tara – you guys made the training fun and it was great to have this to share with you guys – I wouldn’t have wanted to do this without you. We took this journey together and we finished it together – it was an amazing day I was glad to share with amazing people.

Thanks to the rest of TTL – you guys are great and supportive and I could not ask to be part of a better team. A super special thanks to Mitch – he listened and supported and helped make my ironman dream possible. I drag him into a lot of my crazy schemes and he will join in or support me in my quests! He really is a great guy.

And Angie – thank you so much for sharing this journey with me and making my ironman dream come true. Thanks for listening to me and helping through the tough times when my self doubts took over. I can never thank you enough and I truly could not have done this without you. You have helped me reach goals I never thought were possible.