Shannon's IMC 2011 Race Report

IMC 2011 Race Report
This was supposed to be my first Ironman race. When I signed up for IMC 2011 it was only because I was convinced I would not make bike cut off in IMC 2010. Mentally, it helped me when I signed up the Thursday before the race – it was just going to be another step in the journey. IMC 2010 was the most amazing day of my racing life with one small glitch –I now was going to do Ironman Canada 2 years in a row. Now I was striving to be a 2 time Ironman.
In the training leading up to race day, I was really starting to worry. IMC 2010 was so amazing – this race was going to be different and harder. This was making me really dread the race – why had I signed up again? In the lead up to the race, I was enjoying being around the first timers – I felt so wise and loved supporting their journey. In retrospect, I realize that, yes, the journey should be different and this was one of the ways that made it so enjoyable.
Once we were in Penticton, my sick, bad feeling turned to really good butterflies so I was happy about that. I loved the days leading up to the race once again. Getting to see Angie and fellow competitors Richelle, Trevor, Leslie-Anne, Ken, Rona, Danielle and Cindy helped the week go well. To see their nerves and anticipation made it so real and exciting. As always, Angie was my rock and helped calm me down. Josh was there to support me again (Ronnie and Dylan were there in spirit and via texts), my friends Angela and Bruce were there once again and my parents surprised me by arriving Saturday to there for race day. Good luck emails, texts and bbms flooded in from friends and co-workers. Wow – what great people I have in my life. It overwhelms me as I write this.
Race morning arrived and alarm rang at 5:00 am. Had my breakfast, grabbed special needs bags and headed to body marking. Saw Richelle and was good to get a smile from her. Got into the body marking line with Trevor and got to see Michelle before we headed into transition. Meeting Michelle this week is one of the bonus things about triathlons – met a great person there to support a fellow teammate. Headed to my bike, pumped up the tires and then panic sets in. I have forgotten my solid nutrition!! I had taken it off the bike when checking my bike in the day before and totally forgot about it. I had to run to the hotel which normally would not have been a big deal but today they had us corralled in and I had to do a 1 km of running to get to the hotel. Now I was running out of time. At 7:40 am, I am just getting my wet suit on. I know that Tara and Kelly are supposed to be working in transition so raced there to get there help. Jen, Tara and Kelly saw my panic and they helped me calm down and helped me get into the suit (best fit ever!!). With minutes to spare I headed to the beach for the largest mass start in Ironman history. What a vision! I put the forgotten nutrition behind me and stayed in the box. The gun went off and we started our long day. This swim was for my Grandma who just turned 92. She has not been well for years and I know she would have loved to come to watch. She is the reason I love to swim. Her friend Charlotte taught me to swim when I would visit Grandma in the summers. I love you Grandma.
Last year I went off course so this year I stayed to the left still but made sure I was in the thick of things. I experienced a lot of body contact and one hard punch to the head which brought out the fighter in me. Kept pushing hard and had what I thought was the swim of my life. Was so disappointed when I got out of the water and realized I was 7 minutes slower than last year – this was really deflating. Quickly put it behind me and had a great transition (the staying in the box thing was a common theme all day and it really worked!). My friend Cathy had a message for each of my bags. I ripped the envelope open to read “You are doing this by yourself for YOU and no one else. Be proud!!” This message gave me a boost and I waved to family and friends as I headed out on the bike. My bike dedication this year was a long one. It was for the three most important boys in my life – Ronnie, Dylan and Josh. The first 60 km were for Ronnie. He is my rock and most loyal supporter. He never complains about the hours of training. He helps me clean my bike, gives me encouragement and is harsh with me when needed. He is my best friend. The middle 60 km were for Dylan. My first born and the biggest bone head I know (after me of course). Dylan is a great kid and hockey player but sometimes lacks self-confidence. This part of the ride is where I struggled mentally so I drew energy thinking about him and the way we butt heads because we are so much alike. The last 60 km were for Josh – my baby, my easy going child. Sometimes he is so relaxed he drives me nuts. I used his relaxed energy to “enjoy” Yellow Lake and smile all the way into Penticton. I wish I could be more like him in my everyday life but since I can’t, I used his energy to finish the bike in grand fashion.
It was already hot at 8:30 am – long day ahead of us. McLean Creek came quickly and I climbed it really well. “Easy, cheesy” was running through my mind on way to Osoyoos but my mind and body were not cooperating. My legs felt like lead and my head was having massive doubts about finishing the day. Why the hell do I do this? “You choose to do this” is what Angie told me Saturday morning. Oh yeah, so suck it up Princess. I got to see Leslie-Anne and Cindy on the bike so that helped me keep going and then came Richter. I enjoyed the climb on Richter despite the heat. I got back into a good head space for the bike. My favourite sign of the day was on Richter – “You all are nucking futs!” That is an understatement. I felt ok until about 20 km from Special Needs. Hot feet plagued me and I felt like crying – well maybe there were tears. Remembering words from my wise, old coach (she’s not that old but she is wise) - “Fix whatever is bugging you”. When I got to special needs I gulped down my salted baby potatoes and an Advil and took my shoes off. What a relief! Cathy’s message read “All those bike rides have prepared you for this. You are strong and steady”. When I got going again, the stamped out feet and words of wisdom made a huge difference. Off to Yellow Lake!! My feet started to hurt again and I knew the climb was coming soon. I pulled over, removed my shoes and stomped my feet out. I went to get started (as close to the edge as possible) when I biker did not see I was just getting going again and she hit me. My arm felt broken for an instant and my hand was bleeding. I was in much better shape than the girl who hit me. I waited with her for the ambulance and when it arrived she told me to go. I felt so bad leaving her but I really wanted to get going. I tackled Yellow Lake and with the heat beating down, it was the hardest climb of the day. I was not sure if I was going to get to the top without stopping when I say the lane narrowing sign of 200 m (Kelly has just reminded me of that the day before). I made it that silly hill once again. I descended really well into Penticton and was feeling pretty good until Main Street. I found that last 7 km killer and I couldn’t wait to get off my bike. I had a really quick transition even after reading my message “You have more inner strength than anyone I know. Enjoy the success!!” I headed off on the run with a smile for Cathy. Cathy rode all my long rides last year to help me train for Ironman – now that is a true friend. Mom and Dad, Josh, Angela, Bruce and Angela’s parents were all there cheering me on. I gave Josh a hug and he declared “Gross, you are all sweaty!! What was he thinking – of course I was going to be sweaty after +30 C heat and 180 km bike ride. Josh and Bruce ran with me for a ways. I was really hoping they would give me permission to stop but they didn’t. I couldn’t let my fans down. The first half of my run was dedicated to Linda. She is a true friend that had turned 60 on Thursday. She has a problem hip and cannot run anymore. She has helped me get through a lot of tough times in my life and I wanted to use this to tribute my legs/hips to her. The last half of my run was for my most loyal fans – Angela, Bruce, Mom and Dad. Angela has been with me from day one of my Ironman journey as she came with me in 2009 when I volunteered and signed up for 2010. Angela, her parents and Bruce made “Team Ouellette” t-shirts last year and were there at every transition. Once again they were here for me and there are not enough words to express my gratitude. My Mom and Dad came out last year with their 5th wheel to make my first Ironman memorable and then much to my surprise, they arrived Saturday to surprise me this year. I am an only child (I know that explains a lot) and they have always been here for me. It means so much to have had them here again.
I headed off on my run and caught up with Cindy shortly and it was so good to see a teammate. The run was really tough. It was really a long walk with a little running but seeing Cindy throughout that part of the race was a huge boost. There is something about having TTL colors and positive vibes out there that make things easier. I saw Richelle pushing to the finish line – she is my hero. Steve looked like he was in pain but was looking really strong. Danielle caught up to me and boy was she moving. When I grow up I want to have an Ironman run like her! I was finally at the TTL tent and was so happy to see everyone. I asked Angie why my swim time was so slow. She told me the 2010 swim was shorter and everyone was slower today. I was so glad I had quit worrying about that by putting it behind me – in a 15 hour day what is 7 minutes? I was concerned I was walking so much but Angie just told me to manage the run and keeping moving forward. She also told me “If Ironman was easy, everyone would do it!” As I rounded the corner I saw Rena and she gave me words of encouragement and off I went. I also saw Cindy Chetley-Thomson closer to Skaha and she gave me another much needed boost.
Thank goodness for the ice scarf, hat and holding ice in my hands. They all helped. I couldn’t resist getting sprayed by water but paid for that with the 15 blisters on my feet (well really only 10 but it felt like 15!). I saw Trevor and Rona on the way to OK falls and then Leslie-Anne. I could see in her eyes the feeling I had last year doing my first Ironman. She was loving the day and cherishing every moment. This made me a little teary to see her but in a really good way. I was happy to run into OK falls and get my potatoes and message “Amazing - Strong – Focused. Keep Going.” Despite the positives at the turnaround, the climb out was hell. I saw Ken on the way out so was happy to know our whole team was still battling it out in the heat and doing a great job of that. It started to cool down and then my feet started to really hurt – both blisters and toe nails. I started talking to a girl and we complained about our sore feet for a while. I spectator declared “How neat, 2 Shannons”. I looked at my companion and we started to laugh. We had not introduced ourselves to that point. We finished the last 7 km together with our walking and running routine. At the turnaround heading to the finish line, I saw the TTL crew. Got high fives and hugs from everyone and then Shannon and I headed off to the finish line. Steve King commented on the 2 Shannons and made us laugh. My new friend was younger than me so I told her to go ahead and finish. I stayed back and high fived the people in the finishing chute which was a great way to finish. I was a 2 time Ironman!!
I was so lucky to be caught by teammates Scott and Mike – it was the perfect end to a really hard but satisfying day. Shannon and I got a finisher picture together and headed off to meet our families. I couldn’t get my shoes off fast enough. We said our good byes to my parents and Angela and Bruce then Josh helped me gather my belongings from transition. Josh was a highlight for my whole Ironman week – he was so patient and understanding. Thanks for that Josh. Did not sleep well and it is now 9 days later and I really have not felt tired yet. My feet are giving me grief but I am still on an amazing high. I learned so much about racing Ironman and myself this time. I learned that racing Ironman is hard and each race will be different. I love to solve problems and Ironman is a full day of solving problems.
I really only signed up this year in case 2010 was not successful. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It has been a long 2 years of Ironman training but as I sit here and reflect, I honestly have no regrets. I had an amazing last year of training and I have really matured as an athlete. My family and friends have once again made this journey possible. Coach Angie has helped me realize that even though I am not an “elite” athlete, I am a triathlete and an Ironman and that is pretty damn impressive.
Have I signed up for next year? Not yet…..