I can sit here and tell you that Ironman Texas was a bust. I can go on and on about how my body fell apart and make excuses for my performance. I had some serious expectations and hopes going into this race. But at the end of the day, you can only pray that what you've done is enough. And that your body will respond to the elements in your favor. This particular race day, just wasn't my day. But the truth of the matter is, this sport is unlike any other and will humble you almost every single time. And I crossed the finish line for the 5th time, healthy and grateful. That my friends, is far from a bust.
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| Because this moment isn't guaranteed at the starting line of every single race |
THURSDAY
Let's back up. I woke up in The Woodlands on Thursday morning groggy but full of energy. {If there is such a thing.} Sleep is not generally my friend during race week, especially in a place that is not home. So I'm usually running on adrenaline and coffee pre-race. Ryan and I made our way to the All World Athlete breakfast {because free breakfast and unlimited coffee, duh} and jumped right into the buffet line immediately. I was still half asleep, letting my coffee and eggs work their magic to wake me up. By the time we left and made it to check-in, I had some serious electricity flowing in my veins and I was ready to get this party started. I flew through the check-in line and made my way around the expo while Ryan stopped to talk to everyone and their mother (even though he still insists he's NOT a celebrity).
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| Fact: I'm checked in! Another fact: I need work on my surprised picture look |
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| We're nothing without our better halves. And we know it. |
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| Moments later, we turned Nate and Trina's hotel room into a makeshift bike shop |
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| I didn't spend 18 hours in a car with Nate, Trina, and Ryan so they made sure to make me pay in other, unflattering ways |
FRIDAY
Friday morning arrived and I felt SO much more rested. I finally got some solid shut eye and was ready to take on the day. I was also beyond excited because Rob was moments away from joining in on the fun. His flight landed at 8am {yep, he took a 5am flight out of ORD. That's what we call L-O-V-E} and he was that much closer to being Woodlands bound. Ryan and I took off to meet Nate, Trina, and fellow McHenry County Native, Andrew at the practice swim at Lake Woodlands. It was a warm swim. In fact, it was so warm that today was the first day on record that a wetsuit wouldn't have been allowed on race morning. But, I practiced in my wetsuit in hopes it was going to be good ju-ju for race day. We all know I need all the good luck speed I can get.. There was very little chit-chat post swim because there was a lot to be done today. Rob was waiting for us at the house and Ryan and I still had a bike and a run to get in before we checked in all of our gear!
Rob was sitting in the driveway as we pulled in, wide-eyed and bushy tailed. {Not really, he had just worked an overnight shift and hopped on a 5am flight, so I think he was OK with Ryan and I taking off on our bikes for a short spin around town so he could snooze on the couch for a short while.} I hugged and kissed him hello and goodbye all in the same swoop so we could get this show on the road.
Ryan and I hopped on our bikes for one last shakeout spin. Thankfully, I had Ryan with me. The entire trip I appointed him as the navigator, whether we were in the car or on our bikes. He told me where to go. Every. Single. Time. And he hated it {I could tell.} But this particular time was appreciated as he knew exactly where to take us to ride the same pre-race route we rode last year that had a perfect long stretch with no traffic so we could really open up our legs. On the way home, we took that right had turn onto Sawdust Road and my stomach dropped. Less than a half a mile up the road is where Jacqui flipped over her handle bars last year and fractured her hip. I wonder if Ryan knows this is the same spot? Silly question. Less than 90 seconds later we approached the banked curve where I saw Jacqui lie motionless the year prior and I made sure to be aware of my surroundings. No twigs, branches, or road debris in my way. I looked up and saw Ryan sitting up on his bike, head on a swivel looking back at me. We were on the same page, Friend and Coach Speedy G was lookin' out for me. Stepping off my bike gave me a sigh of relief and excitement. Now it's time to run! And run I did. And it felt great. I had sweat dripping from all my crevasses considering it was 90+ degrees. But I was 100% ok with it because race day was supposed to be a high of 75. #winning
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| I think that's all I need? |
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| Matilda is race ready! |
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| Can you see me? |
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| We had some prime bag drop location |
The 3 of us walked into the restaurant and Andrew had already grabbed our table. As I walked up to the table I noticed that the table was set for 6 people, not 4.
"Andrew, this can't be our table. I asked for a reservation for 4!"
"This is what they gave me! And they said it was supposed to be for 6!"
I was convinced that the high school girls seating people had just given me someone else's table. I felt bad for a split second and then I was over it. Before I had completely sat down I glanced to the left hand corner of the bar area and reminisced about how exactly a year ago, my dad and Jess were hiding in that corner to surprise Jacqui for her 30th birthday. I had a small smile on my face when Rob snapped me out of my funk: "Where is the bathroom in this place again?" I told him it was in the back corner, just about the same direction I had been gazing off into space. About that same time, I saw 2 familiar faces around the corner. My dad. And my Uncle (the same uncle that was at my first Ironman in Madison, WI and who had recently drove out to Lake Placid, NY last summer). I'd like to say I knew this was going to happen but the shrill scream I let out proved otherwise. I was in absolute awe, my dad and uncle drove to Houston to watch me race and they kept it a secret from me for MONTHS. And apparently, their road trip started before I even boarded my flight on Wednesday evening. If you know me, you know how HARD this is to do. I immediately began to ugly cry right in the middle of the restaurant because I was in such disbelief. I know my hobby isn't the norm, and to ask anyone to come and support me on these trips is a lot. Even if it is my parents. But my father was right here in front of me with my Uncle (half of my Omaha Cheerleading Squad!) and Mark was at home caring for mom. How does a girl like me get so lucky?
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| I had a hard time coming down to Earth after this moment |
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| The whole group! |
SATURDAY RACE DAY!
I'm happy to report that the pre-race portion of this story is very uneventful and that everyone was able to wake up on time this year and no one made the others late for the start of the race. Even the drive TO the race was uneventful and no one forgot their swim gear! If you're confused about this, you can check out last years debacle.
Once again my favorite Spectathlete swoops in for the win on race morning with his abilities to usher us around from transition to drop off last minute nutrition and prep our bikes to dropping us off at the race start. And he still had time to park the car and make it back to us with plenty of time to spare. This guy, I'm hangin' on to him tight. Seconds after the pro's gun went off, I leaned in for my final kiss from Rob and took off with Ryan and Andrew for the start. The only problem: I had to leave my wetsuit with Rob as the water was a balmy 78.8 degrees this year.
Swim
Last year the swim course was changed at the last minute due to unsanitary conditions in the canal portion of the swim (the last three quarters of a mile). This year, the canal was given the green light and the original course was kept. I took off into the water and fought for position for a few minutes. But it didn't take long, soon I was swimming alone. And I was a little shocked to be honest. There were very few moments when I had an elbow in my back or someone tugging at my feet. I had moments where I approached a heard of swimmers a broke the pack and lifted my ego quite nicely. But there were also a few times I was swallowed by a massive heard of swimmers and was forced to let them pass me in order to stay afloat. All in all, I was feeling strong, even without my wetsuit. On the backstretch before the canal portion is where I spent the most time alone. I was sure to stay focused and relaxed, making sure my elbows were high and my hips rotated. My mind wandered for a little while and soon my thoughts went back to dinner the night before. And I couldn't help but smile in the water. I still can't believe Jack and JB are in Texas. This is fuckin' awesome. I turned down the canal portion of the swim and was prepared for the water get choppy bouncing off the wall (and crowded with athletes). Thankfully the canal was never to congested at all and the chop was never out of control. It didn't take long for me to hear the crowd and the loud speaker, Mike Reilly. With less than 500 meters go, I put my kick into high gear to warm up my legs for the next part of my day when all of sudden I took a foot to the face, HARD. My goggles were completely lopsided on my face and I was forced to stop and re-position them. My face was a little numb too. I've never taken a punch to the face, but I imagine it feels a little like getting kicked in the face during the swim portion of a triathlon. I approached the final turn and could sense the crowd's excitement. I was able to swim all the way to the steps when all of a sudden I was pulled out of the water. Two volunteers grabbed me from my under arms and yanked me out of the water and onto the steps. Ok then, I guess the swim is over. I glanced at my watch. 1:18. YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME. OK, keep your head on straight, this is a long day. It's time to hammer down.
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| Thank goodness my nose isn't bleeding |
Bike
I was in and out of transition as fast I could. I'm not good at T1 {please refer to Leon's Triathlon last June} so considering I left transition in 5 minutes and my bike was in 1 piece, I was happy. I hopped on my bike and immediately noticed that my watch didn't look right. Damn it, you stopped it getting out of the water. Now you're not going to know your overall time all day. I restarted my watch, started my bike garmin that Speedy so graciously let me borrow for the day and I was off. The early miles it took me a while to get comfortable. But that's common. And let's not forget, it's April and I've only ridden outside 3 times all year so far and I'm currently racing an Ironman. I'd be surprised if my tucked position on the road was comfortable right now. I might not have been comfortable but I was flying. My first 5 mile split was 15:01 and that was my slowest split for a long time, dipping into the 13 minute time frame at one point.
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| Don't drop your bike. Don't drop your bike. |
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| Coming out of Transition! |
This year's bike course hit the drawing board and was approved a LONG time ago after last years bike course issue. But honestly.. it wasn't anything to shake a stick at. Looking back, I'd rather make the 90+ turns like we did last year than ride on the Hardy Toll Road again. We hit the Hardy Toll Road at mile 20 and my watch had yet to hit 1 hour. Yea.. you read that right. I was moving and I was feeling pretty damn good. My nutrition was on point and not missing a beat. Well I'll be damned Megan, this could very well be your day. Keep your head down and stay focused.
The miles ticked by and there really isn't anything to report. That's how boring this course was. Occasionally there was an overpass we had to climb and the descend {piece 'o cake considering my last IM was in Lake Placid, NY}. About mile 32 I spotted Ryan on the other side of the road, finishing up his his 1st lap (his mile 48). I yelled at my speedy friend and he turned his head but clearly had no idea who yelled at him. I made the turn around at mile 40 and immediately the headwinds hit me. But, they weren't as bad as I was expecting. My first 5 mile split into the headwind clocked in at 15:30. Keep this momentum going Megan, don't let it fade.
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| This had to of been between miles 1-50. Anytime after that aero was not possible |
I'd like to tell you that I was able to kick this pain sooner than later and my bike didn't suffer. But that would be a lie. I was able to pick up speed a tad with the tailwind. But once we hit mile 80 and it was time to turn around into the headwind again, I was in trouble. The headwinds had easily doubled in speed and the pain my side practically had my bent over on my bike. In the same breath, I was starting to get nauseous. The thought of taking in any nutrition made me want to vomit. I sipped on water and took bananas at aide stations. I feared bonking from lack of nutrition. Hell, I feared not finishing at this point. I passed up porta potty after porta potty. You can wait until transition, you don't need to stop. Except, I did need to stop. And soon. I remembered there was one last aide station coming up at mile 100. That one had my name on it. Just before the aide station you ride under a bridge. This bridge had Rob on top of it. I wish I could have given him a smile, but I was just in to much pain. I stopped and I spare you the details, just know that my GI tract was completely clear afterwards. From both ends. I grabbed my bike and actually felt like a new woman. I was ready to RIDE! To bad you didn't do that hours ago Megan, the ride is almost over.
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| I mean, could I look any worse? |
I cruised into transition and hopped off my bike and my legs actually felt good. I was more than disappointed. My 5:59 bike split is in no way a reflection of what I'm capable of. But, the fact that I was about to start the run and not visiting the nearest medical tent was what kept my spirits up. It's time to have some fun, Megan.
In case you're interested in seeing my hotshot friends rock the bike while I felt like literal poop.
Run
I ran into Trina in T2 and she was in the middle of her complete head to toe outfit change. I yelled across the tent, "Trina, I finally puked and pooped! And now I feel SO GOOD!" Being a critical care nurse, she's heard worse and was so excited for me. I can't say the same about the volunteers in the tent though. They for sure weren't sure how to react. I was in and out in 3 minutes. Shoes and helmet off, run shoes on, gimme my belt and I hit the road. I said goodbye to Trina and was hoping that I could turn this day around doing what I was made to do, run.
I took off and made sure to keep my pace in check. I might have been feeling good at the moment, but it was a long day already and I still had a long way to go. The beginning mile on the waterway is full of excitement and crowds so of course it's easy to kill your legs in the first mile due to a serious adrenaline rush. I made my way through the Moxie crowd and had some seriously almost naked people in my face yelling and screaming at me telling me how awesome I was, just like last year. Just after that first mile on the waterway you loop around town. I held a steady pace and was feeling absolutely amazing.
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| By far the best part of the day |
However, I made sure to always walk the aide stations because the last thing I needed was to choke on my water and go from good to bad in a heartbeat. Right around mile 3.5, I was making my way through an aide station and all of a sudden I felt something very lightly touch the small of my back, and then, a faint whisper, "hi!" RYAN. I turned my head to the left and saw his face and instantly knew this was not good. I dropped my cup and chased after him. It didn't take long to catch him, he wasn't moving to fast (for Ryan). His face screamed pain but his stride still looked effortless. I asked him if he needed anything, what could I do! This was his 3rd lap, so he was right around mile 21, pain was inevitable at this point.
"I want to walk, " he said. Ummm ok, is he serious? He can't be. Ryan doesn't walk. "But I won't." Ah, right, that's the Ryan I know. So I did my best to distract him for as long as I could. We chatted about the bike and how terrible it was. He told me about his encounter with a few pros that were now eating his dust. And finally, he mentioned that he was no longer in the lead. Clay, he's about 5 minutes up there. I'm to far behind, I can't do it. I looked at him and couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was running stride for stride with the best athlete I knew, and one of the best people I knew, someone I've looked up to for years, and I was about to tell him to snap out of it. I was about to coach the coach. Ryan! Go get him! Don't let me slow you down, you never know what can happen! He assured me that his body wasn't going to let him and he hung with me for a little while longer.
Just before we entered the waterway Ryan started to pick up the pace ever so slightly. I made a mental note to let him go. He's 2 miles from the finish and you have a lot more to go. I said my goodbyes and said a small prayer that just maybe Clay had a porta potty issue like myself and Ryan could still win this thing.
I entered the waterway and the crowds were THICK. It was prime time hours for spectators on the run course and this was what I had been waiting for. Soon, I spotted Rob waving his arms frantically. I was SO excited to see a familiar face. I could see he was leaning in for a kiss, so I went in for it and and practically collided with him but we succeeded and the crowds roared and applauded our efforts! Jack and JB are just up the the way on the right! YESSSSSSS! I had a small flashback to dinner the night before and instantly I had grew a lump in my throat. They're here! They're really here! Soon enough I spotted them up on the side of the road and Dad's excitement made me want to cry. I wanted to say so many things to them, I had a whole day to fill them in on! But I had about 3 seconds to speak as I passed them, so I said, "Guess what! I almost pooped myself!" For the 2nd time that day, I heard a crowd of people laugh at me.
After seeing Rob, Dad, and Uncle JB, I was about to begin my 2nd loop. At the same time, my stomach started to take another turn for the worst. This time, I felt more nauseous than anything else. I passed one porta potty but not the 2nd. I learned my lesson. Unfortunately this wasn't the last time. I made another visit at mile 11. After that, I was a on strict "water and salt water only diet." Keeping anything in my system was proving to be more and more difficult as the day went on. The 2nd lap was entirely a blur as I was so focused on not puking all over. I hit the waterway for the 2nd time and started to get a 2nd wind, likely from the crowds energy. God I hope I don't flop again on the 3rd lap. I saw Rob again and was ready for colliding kiss round 2 if he was gonna go for it, but he didn't. Ok, probably for the best so I don't end up knocking myself out. Dad and Uncle JB were just up the canal after Rob and once again they were all smiles.
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| OK - not as happy this time around |
Hitting the waterway for the 3rd time I knew not to expect Rob with Dad and Uncle JB. They had camp set up on the finish line. I wish I could remember thoughts during those final miles of an Ironman. It's always a blur. There's some intense internal fighting going on. You can walk a little bit. DONT YOU DARE. Come on, your body has managed 138 miles already today. FUCK OFF AND DONT SLOW DOWN. And then of course there's the emotion. This day in no way reflected my abilities as an athlete after the winter of work I had put in. But damn, what a day it was. How in the hell did I manage to overcome something that would have broken me one short year ago? That, that's what I gained this winter. A little more grit. Some guts. And some serious gumption. (Along with some speed that we'll hopefully see in the next race.)
I rounded that final corner and the first familiar face I saw was Ryan, all smiles and cheering for me like I was winning the race {spoiler alert, I didn't win}. And as I approached the finish shoot and hit that red carpet, I was overcome with sense of joy I only feel on that Ironman finish line. With a run time of 4 hours and 35 minutes, I fell short of overall goal by exactly 1 hour. But you'd have a hard time getting that smile off my face.
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| I have a hard time controlling my emotions at this point |
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| ...not smiling is not an option.. |
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| What.A.Day. |
This race was by far the most challenging. My mental game was tested like no other. I had convinced myself with 40 mile to go on the bike that I wasn't going to to be finishing this race. But just like Ironman says, Anything is Possible. {And in case anyone is interested, I wasn't the only one with intestinal issues that day, and we're almost positive that swimming in that dirty canal was the culprit. I just happened to be the lucky one with a super sensitive gut.}
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| Post Race with my crew |
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| #5 with my #1 ;) |
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| Go Cubs Go! |
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| Chattanooga is calling this guys name.. |
The next 24 hours was spent celebrating another finish with as much food as possible. We started with pizza and beer that night a mere stones throw from the finish line...
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| Beers & {root} Beers! |
And then moved on to fancy coffee drinks (that same night) because our bodies just couldn't stay awake long enough to get us home...
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| Yep, G for Grimaldi's! |
And the next day we started with a breakfast fit for kings...
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| 2 people + 3 plates = Jacqui help me with this math! |
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| He refused to wait until my order came so his is half eaten already |
So there ya go, there's Texas 2017. Quite the opener for the year, huh? Don't get to comfortable though. The season is just starting and I'm ready to see what I'm really made of.
love it <3
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