Thursday
The excitement began on Thursday in full force. I kicked off the morning with a short, but fun run with my friend Darla. I then drove down to the first Gatorade swim of the week. Wow - the buoys looked so far apart and suddenly it was very real - Ironman is here and just moments away!
Later that morning my friends Steve and Jesse picked me up so we could go down and register. Registration was exciting and a piece of cake. We cruised through the lines and the reality began to sink in when they put the silver bracelet on our wrists. We were in! We hit the gear shop, purchased a few items (that of course couldn't be worn until after we finished) and headed back to work. It was impossible to concentrate for the rest of the work day.
Friday
Another fun-filled day that only built up the excitement further. I went down to the Gatorade swim again, but this time just to watch friends and hang out. There was something magical about just being around all the athletes. Following the swim, many of us headed up to Marigold Kitchen for breakfast. The whole place was filled with Ironman athletes. Everyone was there - Jessica, Pete, Stacy, Howard, Katie, Becca....
I spent the rest of the afternoon gathering up necessary food supplies and some last minute gear. I worked on putting my bags together - everything laid out on the bedroom floor, trying to make sure I didn't forget anything and that I had my bases covered.
Before the athlete banquet, we met atop the Monona Terrace for some photos. It was a beautiful evening with blue skies, comfortable temperatures and calm water. It was amazing to look out over the water and see what we were going to do on Sunday. The thing that was the best though was the cameraderie. Everyone was in great spirits and having a great time. I knew that no matter what happened on Sunday the most important thing was all the great people I had to share this with.
The banquet was awesome. The energy was definitely in the room. It was absolutely electric and crazy to think about what it was I was about to participate in. Over 1100 of the athletes there were doing their first Ironman. The oldest female was 64 and the oldest male (A LEGEND - Frank Ferrar!) was 77. Last year there was only 1 Mexican athlete and this year there was over 350 athletes from Mexico. Wisconsin still took the top spot for the state with the most athletes with over 500 athletes! A grand total of 2472 athletes were registered. Two of the athletes there were about to do their 50th Ironman! That's inconceivable to me! 50!!!! What a terrific night!
Saturday
Saturday morning I headed down to the Gatorade swim for a short workout. I met up with Wes and his sister Marci. We swam for about 20 minutes and I then took my bike out for a test ride. There was so much excitement in the air. The athletes were everywhere and I saw many of my friends working the Gatorade swim tent. It was awesome to see so many friendly, supportive faces!
While taking my bike out for a spin, I noticed that my PowerTap was having a hard time finding a signal. I immediately checked in with Angie at the swim area and she thought it was the hub batteries. After a bit of a wild goose chase, I got the necessary batteries and took my bike and batteries over to Machinery Row. To my surprise and delight, David Kohli was there and available to change my hub batteries! David built my bike and my wheels, so it gave me great comfort that he handled my bike. After the mini-crisis was over, I dropped off my bike in transition and headed out to lunch with Peter, Kathryn and my mom.
Later that afternoon, my parents and grandparents showed up in Madison. I took them downtown and showed them the activity around the Terrace. We then went out to a few of the spots on the bike course so they knew where they were going on Sunday.
In the evening, the whole family came together for dinner. It was wonderful. My grandparents, parents, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Mike, Cousin Amelia, Uncle Karl, Carrie and Elizabeth were all there to share in the celebration. It was really excellent to have the whole family together!
I headed home and was in bed by 930pm. I think I fell asleep pretty quickly and woke up only a few times. Just a little while before waking up, I dreamt that I missed my alarm and woke up at 6am. Fortunately, my alarm went off a few moments later...and it was 4am, Race Day.
Ironman Sunday
The alarm went off at 4am and I hopped out of bed. I immediately began my morning routine. I brushed my teeth and made my bed. I changed into my tri shorts and sports tank. I filled up my special needs bags and checked everything twice. I put a bagel in the toaster and finished filling up my Morning Gear Bag. I did a final check of everything ensuring that I didn't forget my wetsuit or anything else that I would need that day. Everything was a go...I headed out the door around 445am.
I arrived downtown around 5am and the streets were already buzzing with tired, anxious and excited athletes. I scored a sweet parking spot on the street just blocks from the finish line. After parking the car, I headed for the special needs drop area and dropped off my bags.
Next, it was off to bodymarking. Bodymarking took just moments and I was off to my bike. I needed to fill up my tires, put my food into my bento box, load up my water bottles and attach my bike computer. It was very exciting, but I still wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be that day. I was surprisingly calm and simply excited about the day!
I then went inside to place a few items into my gear bags. I ran into my parents, Uncle Mike, Aunt Lisa and Amelia in the hallway. We snapped a few photos. I then headed for the port o pottys and walked my family out. They went off to grab a spot on the helix while I went inside to relax and wait to get ready.
Inside the Terrace, I ran into many of my friends - Ed, Matt, Peter, Wes, Jesse....We found a spot in the main hallway and hung around. Some listened to music, stretched, chatted, went off to the bathrooms until it was time to go!
At 615am, I got into my wetsuit, applied the body glide, grabbed my cap and goggles and we headed down the helix. What a cool feeling going down the helix. The crowds of spectators were large and people were already getting in the water. I gave my mom a quick hug on the way down. I saw plenty of friends on the helix - Darla, Aggie, Kate, Ryan, Jim...it was so exciting. So exciting that I ended up tripping over a big orange cone. The rest of the way down Peter made a point of announcing every cone. This ensured I didn't face plant before the swim.
We got down to ground level and dropped our dry gear bags. In just minutes we were crossing under the arch and moving into the water. I swam out towards the inside buoy line about halfway back. Wes and Peter were behind me, but I never saw them again.
I had about 20 minutes to just float around before the start. I swam a little, floated a bit, and just took it all in - the sun rise, the calm waters, the packed Terrace, all the athletes still pouring into the water. At first I felt like I had a ton of free space where I positioned myself, but the water got more and more crowded. The pros went off at 650am and the excitement began. Mike Reilly was riling up the athletes and the crowd on this beautiful Madison morning.
We totally scored on the weather. It was calm, partly sunny and going to be in the low 70s. Absolute perfection. I felt a few butterflies just before the cannon went off, but mostly I felt a rush of excitement. I was doing Ironman. In just a few short moments my day would begin. I could hardly believe the moment had arrived. But, I was ready for it. I was ready to become an Ironman. Moments later, the cannon went off and the sea of athletes took off!
Up Next: The Swim and T1
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