Ironman Florida!!!!

Yes, I had this much fun the whole time. This is me at mile 12 of the run. I was loving it!

An Ironman race report is not easy to do, so I will just do some highlights here, and then write a detailed report later. I think this will be good for the bloggers that don't really want to read my race mile for mile!

My goal- as stated on my goal sheet- for Ironman Florida: Finish Ironman Florida running the whole marathon. It was that simple. My secret goal was to beat 12 hours.

My plan for Ironman Florida:

• Make the swim easy
  
• 350 calories every hour on the bike (heed/carbo pro + gel)
• Pay hommage to my HR monitor and do not leave zone 2 on the bike.
• No battles on the bike- the ego has to stay home.
• Run the way you have practiced- 8:45 to 9:30 min miles.
  
• No walking. Period- non- negotiable.
  

Okay, I had the most frickin' perfect day ever. My plan was executed exactly the way I planned and practiced. I had only one problem the whole day, and it was the fact that I peed 13 times on the bike- yes, I went back and counted, 13 times on the bike. And, although I did pee on myself a few of those times, I had to stop 8 other times to really go. I lost a lot of time stopping, and I was also uncomfortable for a good portion of the race with a full bladder (plus my bladder is very weak and I cannot hold too much in there). That part was miserable. However, I was getting in plenty of sodium and I was not bloated, so I stuck to my nutrition plan. The problem was the cool weather in the first 2 hours was reducing my sweat output (I am used to Memphis weather), so I was not using all of the fluid I was taking in. And, in the end I think everything worked out because I was hydrated completely and had the appropriate amount of calories to set me up for the run. I was frustrated, but also understood that while my bike time would suffer, my run time would probably improve. In the future, I will probably practice some other nutrition strategies to keep my bladder a little more comfortable. Lord help me when I have kids- I will be in the bathroom all of the time!

But, a good point is- nutrition counts. I never got hungry the whole race. I got in every calorie. I stuck with the plan. I had no stomach problems because I went at my appropriate pace for digesting food.

Also, I stuck with my HR plan. When I saw my HR in zone 3, I immediately backed down. Even if this meant my pace would slow down. Yes, it sucks to let people pass you that you know should not pass you. Yes, it is hard to see a mph avg that you know should be higher. But, I made a decision to use my HR monitor and stay in zone 2. I averaged EXACTLY low to mid zone 2 for the bike. I think this was a good decision for me as a beginner to keep everything on the low end. It meant I was able to digest food. It meant I would be able to run the marathon- my goal. It also meant I had to control my ego when I didn't want to obey my HR monitor. This was the hardest part.

But, let's get to the good stuff. My run rocked. It was the easiest marathon I have ever done. I had one porto-potty stop for some diarrhea time at the 13.1 turnaround but never felt bad or had any problems beyond that. I made sure to get in all of my nurtrition at ever station. I took 1 gel per 3 miles. I did drop my endurolytes and had to start picking up salt tabs off of the ground, and thank goodness for special needs because I stopped there too to retrieve some things I dropped. I ran the whole time unless I was taking in nutrition and needed to walk to do so. I ran just as fast, if not faster at times, on the back half of the marathon. I loved every minute of the run. I never felt like walking- never went to a dark place. I cheered others on and enjoyed myself.

I ran at the pace I trained, and I trained at the pace I thought was reasonable to run for my first ironman. And I finished- no death march, no walking. Goal achieved. It is a beautiful day. Secret goal achieved with an 11:46, it is still a beautiful day.

Okay, that is all of the time I have this morning. I feel great- I am ready to starting training again, and I am not kidding. Don't freak out on me, I am taking the week off. I am just saying I feel good and happy. More details and thoughts to come later.

Cheers!