IRONMAN ST. George
This should have been the hardest race of my life. The
conditions were crazy. The course is challenging, and the field was
surprisingly good, but small. A few factors came into play that took me out of
this race. My build from a mediocre Oceanside until 4 weeks prior to the race
was solid. I was nailing workouts and feeling strong. Then about 3 weeks out, a
crucial time, the stress at work got a little out of control. I was told my
position depended on how my students scored on a state test. The stress sent me
into a tail spin that lead to a cold. I went into the race full of mucus, with
a poor tapper, and low confidence.
I was nervous about all of this when I hit the water. But
hey, that’s life. I went after the swim, and got tossed around like a rag doll
(like we all did)! I was shocked to come out if the water in under an hour, I
knew I was doing alright even though I could not see anyone on the swim because
of the waves. I was more tired than usual do to the chop, and I felt beat up.
My new ZOOT suit felt awesome though! I swam in it for the first time the day
before, and I did not love the way it felt. I was no comfortable in it all.
This was it’s madden voyage. On race day, since it had been worn once it slipped
on like a glove, and the fit and shoulder mobility was perfect.
I jumped on my Q.R. and immediately regretted my wheel
choice. I rode a disc, 1080, aka a rear and front sail. I rode like a ping pong
ball bouncing from one line to another. Again, I am sure any race recap would
sound the same here. BUT, then I fell short. I did what I pride myself on never
doing. I gave up. The snot on my face, and in my throat; Wind, sun, hills…and
eating away at the back of my mind… do I have a job? I have a mortgage, student
loans, and a nice credit card bill… but an income? Maybe I could have made it
through a ‘normal’ ironman, but there were just one too many straws. I cracked.
 |
| not going to make it for dinner... |
I soft pedaled the bike in and was getting ready to go sulk
in my hotel. Then I saw the fans, and the other racers heading out on their
second loop. They had 45 more miles to ride, and a marathon. I just had to run
around town a bit. So I ran. I no longer had goals or motivation to do well. My
competition was 45minutes down the road. But I knew I could finish, and I have
never DNFed, so why start now?
The Moral of the story: Never Give Up.
After the race, I got some great advice; that was not the
last Ironman. The fitness gained in the build is still there. Good luck and
happy racing to all.
Thank you to Mom, Dad, Amy, Ben, Randy, Elliot, Brian D.,
Brian M., Tony, Vanessa, The Cobbs, Molly, Pete, Zoot, Quintana Roo, GU, Garmin
and the rest of the Zoot Squad.
