This past weekend the whole family packed in our van and went to Louisville, Kentucky for Christina's IronMan Triathlon on Sunday. I was so very proud of her and her effort. My wife is not only an amazing athlete but more importantly a beautiful person inside and out. She never takes herself too seriously, so the following is her race recap.
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Just wanted to share some after-thoughts about this
past weekend's Ironman Louisville!
1) I FINALLY learned why IM
Lousiville doesn't sell-out like all the other Ironman races (that close within
24 hours) this past weekend! When they say it "can be hot" ... IT'S
HOT!! 94 degrees and SUPER HUMID is NOT
FUN!
2) When ALL THE OTHER triathletes
don't have wetsuits ... that probably means it was obvious it was going to be a
NO WETSUIT swim !! Denial, perhaps? Regardless ... not a
pleasant surprise to walk down to the start and realize you wont be wearing your
wetsuit.
3) The Ohio River IS gross.When
you cant see your hand underneath ... it's dirty. And when you swim "around an
island" and you're STILL NOT DONE it really puts 2.4 miles into
perspective!
4) always remember to 'make a plan' with your
traveliing companion who happens to have your transition bags ... my husband
dropped me off to stand in line to enter transition and we didnt make a plan to
meet... we both walked around for ~20 minutes trying to find each other ... very
calming to the nerves...
5) So sorry if you love a time trial start but I
HATED IT! Arrived to swim start almost 2 HOURS early to stand
in line to enter the water (1st come/1st serve). The seasoned "IM Louisviller's"
apparently CAMP OUT to get a good spot in line and dont go to
transition AT ALL in the morning. I ended up near the
middle-end of the line which was approximately 1 1/2 miles long. So
YES ... STOOD in a line for almost 2 HOURS!!!
(only good thing is once it started it moved quickly. entered the water
~7:20).
6) They stopped placing port-o-potties in the swim
start line after about .5 miles. Which meant the triathletes down by me looked
like the homeless watering the grass and squatting anywhere there was so much as
a leaf to utilize for privacy...
7) Back to the time trial start. Depending on where
you start (in line) you may spend your ENTIRE swim going around
lots of people ...
8) Bike course: (FREAKING HOT)
Kentucky has NOTHING on Wisconsin on HILLS!! VERY
FLAT by comparison!! I have NEVER seen so many flat
tires. Apparently a disgruntled Kentuckian decided to throw some tacks spanning
a couple miles. Rough day for the athletes and bike support...
9) Note to male friends: Do NOT
EVER wear WHITE bike shorts that probably feel very
comfortable. That probably means they are see-thru. And people really dont want
to see...
10) Participating in an Ironman or toting 3 boys
ages 6, 8 and 10 around the race course in 94 degree Kentucky heat ... (that was
NOT my request)... but pretty sure I would have rather been
racing.
11) It's great to know that the protein powder I
use smells and tastes like fish if heated to BOILING point
sitting in the sun ... so much for THAT nutrition plan!
12) I have to chuckle when I feel like i'm "moving
right along" on the run and my split is an 11:32! hahahahahaha
13) Wore a solid colored sports bra on the run due
to the heat. Note to self: Throwing cold water and ice down sports bra to cool
off produces a reaction ...
14) Any Ironman finish is a good finish. I always
feel blessed to participate. I was probably in the worst place mentally for this
race that I have ever been in ... in my life. So I will take it and be extremely
thankful!
Our kids (Chase, Cruz, & Dash) competed in an IronKids Run on Saturday.
Christina making it look easy at Mile 80. My wife averaged nearly 17.5 mph for the entire 112 miles!
12 hours 49 minutes and 35 seconds later...it is Finished!
Other photos are available online here.
Official Results are available online here.
