I DID IT!!!!!

I made it :) There were times during the race where I definitely wanted to quit, but I didn't!!! The best part of it all was that I BEAT MY PREVIOUS TIME!!! Race-wise that was my goal and I cried when I saw my time. However, the best part of my race was wearing the ribbon in honor of my grandpa. No matter how hard it was to go on, I knew I had to.

The night before the race I could hardly sleep. This happened last time I did the half-iron distance and so I just went to sleep early and drifted in and out of sleep. When it was finally time to wake up I got out of bed and made myself 2 slices of multi-grain bread with peanut butter and a banana (plus a bottle of water). I was so nervous as I was getting ready and anxious to start. I packed up all my gear and went to the park. As I parked I was absolutely terrified. I had forgotten how it felt to realize that you were about to workout for about 7 hours. Not only that, but the mental exhaustion I was about to undergo. I set up my gear in the transition area and waited until my friend E got there. As I set up my stuff I kept thinking about the stupid wetsuit. I wasn't comfortable wearing it, but knew I would be freezing without it. I almost had an anxiety attack (my chest got really tight and I couldn't breathe as I ripped the wetsuit off of my body) when I was in the pool a couple of days before, and I feared that I was going to have a full out anxiety attack in the water. At the last minute I decided to wear it and prayed for the best. Before the start my friend E, another girl J, and I just hung out and mentally prepared for the race.

Right before the start I put on my wetsuit, I could start feeling myself get anxious and I took some deep breaths and told myself it was going to be alright. I yelled out good luck right before the horn and closed my eyes to pray. The horn went off and I slowly walked into the water as some of the front girls ran in. I finally started swimming and for the first 5 minutes tried to avoid getting hit. We were one of the last waves (waves are start times for triathletes- they're usually designated by age group or weight) so we were merging with some of the other triathletes on their second lap. After about 10 minutes I found my groove and just took it slowly, pacing myself for the two laps we had to do. When I got to the point where I had to run out of the swim for my second lap (they have a race mat where the sensor is underneath- I'm guessing it's to prevent cheating), I ran out and then jumped back into the water and decided it was time to push it. I cleaned up my stroke and started to really pick it up for my last lap. When I came out of the water I felt FANTASTIC and was so proud of myself for not having a heart attack in the water. I almost ran past the "strippers" (strippers- these are the guys/girls who literally strip you out of your wetsuit... How cool is that?) and had to turn back.

In the transition area I rinsed off my feet and put on my running socks and shoes. Even though I have clip-ons I've never gotten comfortable with them and so I always opt for my running shoes. I grabbed my helmet, sunglasses, and Garmin and headed out for the bike. This was the moment of truth. I had been super concerned about the bike cutoff and had to make sure I was right on pace to beat it.

The first about 15-20 miles were absolutely amazing. I felt great and was killing it on the bike, averaging 18-21 mph. This speed is unheard of for me lol. Then.... it happened... Gusts of wind that were like 18-20 mph (I honestly don't know how strong they were but they were stronger than any other wind I've biked against) stopped me. I was struggling just to go over 12 mph and had 8 miles to go before the cutoff time. What was worse was I knew that on the way back I was going against the wind the whole time. I was not excited in the slightest. I got through the second lap and was about to ride through probably the worst part of the race. During the first 40 miles, I went through all the water in my CamelPak and had nothing left. I did have a Gatorade bottle on my bike and felt like an idiot because I couldn't twist off the cap (I should have put it in a squirt bottle) lol. So I pushed onward and battled the wind, I was so weak and my back, hips, quads, hamstrings, and calves were completely on fire. I almost started crying as I realized I had 10 miles to go. After 2 miles, I got off my bike and had to stretch and open up my Gatorade bottle. I cracked my back which was probably the best thing I could have done at that point and continued to head back. After shouting obscenities out loud for many miles, I could see the end. I had never been so happy in my life. I got off my bike and walked back to the transition area. When I got to the transition area, my stepdad was on the sideline and he started screaming my name. That was definitely needed at that point. My parents were awesome :)

I was so tired from the bike and still had to run 13.1 miles. My ankle had been holding up, but I had to make sure it wasn't going to give out on me. What's crazy is my other ankle was hurting, and I think it was from overcompensating but I just couldn't think about it. I started my first lap and felt good. I had a slow jog going on and was thinking to myself that I might be able to pull this off.  I finally got past mile 2 and then I saw my friend N. There she was holding a bright pink sign and screaming my name. It was incredible, because I needed something to get me going and then she was right there. (Last year I had three of my friends, my husband and his mom, and my family at the race and seeing them helped me keep going. It's incredible how friends and family can motivate you, even when you don't think you can keep going). The course went through parts of the park which was cool, but annoying because the public isn't really paying attention as you run by (the zoo is still open and most people have no idea a race is going on). However, the parts that were not in the zoo were unpaved, uneven, and rocky as hell- not the best conditions for someone with bad ankles.

Then I got to the second lap. My whole body was in pain and I knew I had to be smart about how I was going to handle the rest of the run. I decided that I needed to walk and run the rest of the lap. I started off the second lap walking for four minutes to give my body a break. I ran until I knew I couldn't anymore and then would take a 2 minute break. I decided I would also take a break when I saw N so that I could hug her and tell her how grateful I was that she was there. She hugged me back and told me to keep running lol. I love her. I looked at my time and thought to myself that I might actually be able to beat my last half ironman time. I had to come up with a different strategy other than this run until I'm tired and then take a 2 minute break. I decided my new strategy had to be run as hard as I can for 8 minutes, and then take a 2 minute break. With my time in mind, I followed this strategy until I crossed the finish line. It worked.... I didn't know it worked until about 15 minutes later when I got to the time board. There it was... a 6:57. I cried. All my sweat, blood, and tears paid off. It was done and I couldn't believe that I just did it.

My wonderful husband taking my bike back to my car.
Check out my awesome tan lines on my legs lol.
Also, you can see my memory ribbon on my jersey. 

Even though I accomplished such a big task, the best part of the race wasn't part of completing the race.; it was afterwards. I was getting ready to go to the car to put my bike away, but made a pit stop at the bathroom before I packed up. In the bathroom, one of the girls looked at me and saw my ribbon on my jersey. She asked me if I ran for someone, and I told her I did. I told her it was for my grandpa who passed away while I was training. She told me that what I did was pretty cool, and she was right... it was pretty cool. I'm taking a break for the next couple of days, but will be back. This time.. I'm training for my first marathon... It looks like next year is going to be a long year....