Ironman- My Journey So Far

My first claim to fame :) Blueseventy picked me for their Kona Ad- Startline of the 2008 Ironman Hawaii, a million and one emotions are going through me there.

Alii Drive in the last mile, still a blur

  It’s hard to put into words why I do Ironman. When I qualified for Hawaii in 2008 there was no question whether or not I would even consider giving up my slot. Ironman Hawaii is THE biggest show in triathlon, you’d be foolish not to go if you qualified to take a slot. So I did, not knowing what would await me. I thought I put in the training in order to succeed, but I would find out that I’d barely survive the day, the most grueling event I have ever done to date. After Hawaii, it took some weeks and even months to fully digest the monster of a race I had completed, and one thing became clear: I had to do the distance again. There were too many unfulfilled quests. I knew I had it in me to go faster, I knew I could get better if I started training exclusively for long distances and I knew I wanted to succeed. Most of all, Kona shaped me into the athlete it takes to race Ironman. Whenever a task seems too hard and nearly impossible, I think back on those very trying times out on the Queen K Hwy, where the winds and the heat owned me, and the run that had me dig so deep inside to keep on trucking, suddenly these challenges don't seem so tough anymore. 

In 2009 I did my second Ironman, IM Arizona. I had a goal of possibly breaking 10 hrs 30 min as my previous finish saw me at 11:25. I wasn’t sure how much faster I would go. I crossed the line in 9:47, eclipsing my goal by nearly 45min, and overcome with joy and elation, as well as disbelief, I covered my face as I cried myself across the finish. It meant so much to have conquered the distance successfully this time and to do it in the exclusive sub 10 hr club was almost unfathomable. I proved to myself that I was stronger than I thought. A 10^th place overall finish in a loaded women’s pro field would top my result for the day. 

"Did I really just do this?!"

The feeling about to be experienced here is indescribable.

2010 and my second year of racing pro, I signed up for IM Canada in August, my first ever Summer Ironman. This forced me to train through most of my earlier races and train in the heat day in and day out. I was prepped for a hot race in Penticton, but the weather gods had different plans as the day would unfold as one of the coldest and rainiest and windiest on record. I persevered and although borderline hypothermic coming off the bike where I lost 2-3 spots, I ran my way up to 7^th, finishing the day with the 3^rd fastest marathon in 3:10, with an overall time of 9:46, on a much tougher course than IMAZ the previous year. Once again, the Ironman spirit prevailed and I pushed through the darkest of times to get to the finish line and reached success along the way.

If there is one thing that triathlon and especially Ironman racing has taught me, it’s that it’s never over till it’s over. As cliché as it sounds, it is so true. So many times I have had a bad start, a bad swim, a mediocre bike, but believing in that I still had a chance, that I could still have a good finish, pushed myself to my limits and ended up having a great run, renewing my excitement and love for the sport, and coming out on top. It is the soul searching in the darkest moments, the raw highs and lows (and believe me, they get very low before they get high) and the absolute thrill and emotion when coming into the finish, that make Ironman so magical and special to me. There is absolutely nothing else like it. You have to experience it to truly know. It’s what gets me out the door each and every day, putting in long, and sometimes lonely miles, over and over again. I have learned a lot about myself, and my abilities since becoming an Ironman athlete.

And as another year draws to a close, I am making my decision on a late season IM. I love the distance too much to not give it a go again before the year is done. I have it in me to go faster than last year. I have specific goals and times in mind. But I also know the timing will not be ideal. However, I do not want to ever have to think “what if only I…” so in true Ironman spirit, I will most likely be at the start line of this year’s IMAZ, a race near and dear to my heart, as it was my redemption last year after Kona 08. I know the course, I know the conditions. The only thing unclear right now is whether or not the lake will be refilled in time and whether or not a week after Clearwater will be enough time to toe the line. You never know until you try, right? Time to think about Kona 2011 starts now, and boy have I been thinking! I will be back racing on the big Island, I have unfinished business there :)

Ironman World Champs Start and Finish