My morning started off at 4am. Suprisingly, I woke up with all the energy in the world. I got dressed and made sure for one last time I didn't need anythging else in my special needs bags. So, me and Phil left to get my bagel. Standing in line I see Larry and Bobbie. They tell me that I'm the only one out of the room...woo hoo kudos for me! I'm in the lobby with more Ironteamers now, but my parents are still no where to be found. I don't have my phone so I call from Bobbie's. I tell them that I'm going down to the transition area to drop off my bags. So, on we (me, phil and other Ironteamers) go.
Drop my bags off, put the bottles on my bike, and look around for where we get body marked. Finally, someone knows and tells me it's at the swim start. I find Phil, who has since connected with my parents (thank lord) and off we go again. This time to the swim start. We get there and I see the line to get marked and just yell nonchallantly "OK, BYE!!!" I'm so anxious I don't even hug or kiss anyone bye before I go off into what seems like to me the darkness. I get maked and walk towards the swim start...WOO HOO! I FOUND JANICE (my teammate, not my sister)! She is 8th in line, so that makes me 9th in line. (I told all of you I would be one of the first ten!) Thank you Greg for driving Janice to the start. So we get settled and Liz comes to join us. They move us down the pier and then down the pier again. It's coming close to the start, so I take in my Cliff Shot. Someone sings the national anthemn and shortly after I put on my swimcap. Oh no! It's almost time. The cannon goes off for the pros and we watch them all swim all over each other. That means only 10 minutes left until our turn. The count down begins and in seconds, Janice, me and Liz get in. My heart is racing and there are too many people near me, I side stroke and back storke until I am ready to really catch my groove. My dad later tells me that when he seen me side stroke he said, "Oh no, side stroke ALREADY! She's tired already?!" Little do they know... I finally calm myself down and catch my groove, there are people around me but I'm pretty secure in where I am. People touch, kick and splash water on my face everyone once in awhile, but I don't let that get in my way. I just think keep moving forward, head down, elbows up. I get on my back several times, and have to get back on track b/c being on my back has made me go crooked. I even look at my watch a couple of times, thinking ok if the last person got in at 730am, and+ I'm already almost half way there, I'm good. I see the bridge and think, should I be swimming out to catch the current, but I feel the current of all the people around me and decide to ride that instead. Sooner than I expect, I look up and see the people on the shore. I get to the second to last bouy and think, you are almost there, just keep it strong and steady. I get out of the water and am soooo elated, I look everywhere to see my parents and Phil. Instead, I see flames and wave soooooo happily. I got out in 1:44:12. WOO HOO! My parents and Phil are no where to be found. I find out later that they are waiting at the swim finish worrying b/c there are only a couple of people left in the water. They ask Larry, and he tells them I've been out for almost an hour. HAHAHAHAHA!
So off to my bike. Get my transition bag, tell the volunteer just dump it all out. Get my stuff together, and off on my bike I go. I keep thinking to myself, slow and steady, you don't want to be future roadkill. Like all the coaches say, everyone is passing me. That's fine. There I go happily on my bike, so elated by the fact, I finished my swim soooo well and I'm really doing this. I just keep going. Mile 11 here come the hills, but bring it on, I'm ready. Ok, sorry after that, I have no reclection of milage. I know I'm going on the out and back, woo hoo there's a big down hill, got to love those. As I'm speeding down hill, passing all the people "on your left, on your left" the people coming back are hollering at me to slow down. Grrrrrrrrrrr, although I don't know why, I do. Shortly I see an ambulance in the middle of the road. Go around slowly, and try to get back into my groove. Sadly, my groove never fully came back. But, I still went on. Just keep moving forward. The heat was getting to me, so I pulled off the road more than a couple of times, to douse myself with water and catch my breath. Is it me or is it kindda hard to breathe? And then on one of those hills in the middle of the trees, somehow my chain gets stuck inbetween gears and I can't push my pedal down. Damn, here we go! I fall over and get another nasty gash on my leg. The blood is streaming down, but it's so hot, it dries in place. Sorry, I know that was gross. Who cares, done this before get up! I get up but notice my left handle bar is crooked. Thankfully Brian sees me and helps me pull it back into place. Deliriously, I say "Thanks, Kevin." And, as he says, "It's Brian," I'm already thinking oops that's Brian. Get on my bike again, dammit, my seat is crooked. I think "eff it" just go, but it's soooo crooked I have to get off and fix it. So, off I go again, omg serioulsy, my damn brake is rubbing. So I get off again and fix that. Finally I'm, on my way again. I'm going and going and trucking along, stopping every so often as little as I can to pour some water on me and catch my breathe. Really, is the air that thick?! And here comes that same hill, why does my chain drop. Get off and fix it. Off we go again. It's getting later and later, and everyone on Ironteam has already passed me if not twice already. At the transition areas, I aske what the cutoff is, when did the last person get in the water? No one knows. I see people under the trees laying down. People walking their bikes. People that have defeat written all over their face and movements. I think, just keep moving you don't know when the last person got in. After the last hill, a race official rides next to me. "You have 10 mins, gooooo you can make it, the bike cutoff is 630." I hustle even more, it's flat now so I'm in my arrows and just gooooo. He comes back to me and says "5 more mins, you have just beyond that bridge, spin those legs, you don't want to cramp up on the run." I see the bridge and hustle harder. I make the turn around into transition and see the clock 6:28, yessssss. Get off my bike and the race official says, "Give me your chip." Confused, I give it to him anyway. I turn to my parents and Phil standing next to Bobbie and Larry. I must've had the look on my face, b/c Bobbie said, "the cut off was 615pm. Booo! My feet hurt, but I'm still energetic. I know I could've given such a good effort on the run. Still, I'm happy that I tried, I gave it my best and never gave up. This experience will always be with me, I have no regrets...I wouldn't trade this day for the world!
